The Klitschko Brothers - Unifying Heavyweight Boxing
Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, the two brothers from the Ukraine have between them dominated heavyweight boxing since the retirement of Lennox Lewis in 2003, almost 7 years ago.
So why are they not universally appreciated and respected, recognisable global stars and household names? Everyone has heard of Mike Tyson and most people have heard of Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis but only ardent sports fans know who Vitali klitschko and Vladimir Klitschko are, outside of the Ukraine and Germany.
Often, in the past, the dominant heavyweight boxing champions have been amongst the most well known and respected sportsmen in the world.
Wladimir Klitschko won the WBO version of the heavyweight championship in 2000 and made 4 impressive defences before losing it to Corrie Sanders in 2003.
Just after this Vitali challenged Lennox Lewis for the WBC heavyweight crown in a gruelling fight where he was unfortunate to be stopped on cuts when he was ahead on points after 6 rounds.
Lennox decided to retire rather than take the rematch and after that Vitali won the WBC heavyweight title and was recognised as the dominant force at heavyweight.
Due to injuries the elder Klitschko brother retired in 2005, not to return until 2008 where he once again won the WBC title in impressive fashion against Samuel Peter and followed up with 3 convincing title defences to date.
During Vitali's retirement Wladimir regained the heavyweight title (IBF version) as well as picking up the WBO title in a unification match with Sultan Ibragimov along with 7 other defences of his crown.
So since mid-2003 the only real argument as to who is the best heavyweight in the world has been whether it is Vitali or Wladimir.
Having two brothers as heavyweight champions is a novel situation but in many ways to sports fans and the wider public it seems to cause confusion.
People find it difficult to know who is who - if they know that Klitschko is fighting they don't know which one and they aren't sure if he's the older or younger or if he's the one who fought Lennox Lewis.
It probably doesn't help a lot of people that one is called Vitali and one Wladimir - fairly similar names, especially for people who aren't used to Eastern European names.
Having Eastern Europeans dominate the heavyweight division is of course a relatively recent situation and it doesn't seem to be a situation that US sports fans in particular are used to yet.
For many years American fighters have dominated at heavyweight and there appears to be less interest in a division where they have few boxers who can compete at the elite level.
In the past it seemed that the US media were always talking about finding the "Great White Hope" or building some fighter up as such and when finally white boxers are dominant at heavyweight it appears that this mythical white hope now should also be American.
It could also be argued that the cautious style of Wladimir Klitschko is what seems to alienate the wider sports and boxing audience.
It's true that he has a tendency to fight behind his left jab and follow through with right hands, without a huge amount of variety in putting his shots together.
Also he has a tendency not to go in for the kill until his opponent has been methodically broken down and softened up over a number of rounds.
Yet when he throws his shots freely he shows devastating power and few can stand up to the force that he generates.
He doesn't take risks that fight fans like to see, and also although you can hardly blame him for this, nearly all his fights are predictably one-sided and therefore perhaps not so attractive to watch.
Yet you can't accuse Vitali of being cautious.
Whilst being a very intelligent boxer he will happily exchange punches with opponents and is always looking to dominate each exchange and retain superiority.
He lets both hands go and whilst also boxing with a strong left jab and right hand he mixes in a variety of other shots as well.
Also, he'll also fight with his hands down, looking to sway out of punch range as well as parry with his gloves.
Perhaps the Klitschko brothers will only be really appreciated by the wider sporting public until after they have retired or perhaps approach retirement.
This was very much the case with Lennox Lewis who was never universally accepted until he defeated a washed-up Mike Tyson in 2002.
At 38, this may not be so far away for Vitali.
Some people may argue that the Klitschko's don't generate the excitement or have the charisma of say Muhammad Ali - but then who did? Tyson brought controversy and excitement and Holyfield became respected for beating Tyson and for his warrior spirit.
Much like Lennox Lewis the Klitschko's are intelligent and respectful and perhaps don't create the out of the ring headlines loved by the media.
Although a lot of people seem to moan about the state of the heavyweight division imagine how it would be without the Klitschko brothers dominating and adding stability.
Who would be the champs? Eddie Chambers, Chris Arreola, Ruslan Chagaev, David Haye, Tony Thompson? Good fighters but never likely to put together a string of title defences.
I suggest that we should appreciate the Klitschko brothers a little more and I expect that in time respect for them will grow and acknowledgement will increase.
It's a shame though that this tends to happen at the end of careers rather than when fighters are at or near their prime.
I think that history will show the Klitschko's to be strong and successful champions and I think in future years you may find their names cropping up in discussions comparing the best heavyweight champions through the ages.
So why are they not universally appreciated and respected, recognisable global stars and household names? Everyone has heard of Mike Tyson and most people have heard of Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis but only ardent sports fans know who Vitali klitschko and Vladimir Klitschko are, outside of the Ukraine and Germany.
Often, in the past, the dominant heavyweight boxing champions have been amongst the most well known and respected sportsmen in the world.
Wladimir Klitschko won the WBO version of the heavyweight championship in 2000 and made 4 impressive defences before losing it to Corrie Sanders in 2003.
Just after this Vitali challenged Lennox Lewis for the WBC heavyweight crown in a gruelling fight where he was unfortunate to be stopped on cuts when he was ahead on points after 6 rounds.
Lennox decided to retire rather than take the rematch and after that Vitali won the WBC heavyweight title and was recognised as the dominant force at heavyweight.
Due to injuries the elder Klitschko brother retired in 2005, not to return until 2008 where he once again won the WBC title in impressive fashion against Samuel Peter and followed up with 3 convincing title defences to date.
During Vitali's retirement Wladimir regained the heavyweight title (IBF version) as well as picking up the WBO title in a unification match with Sultan Ibragimov along with 7 other defences of his crown.
So since mid-2003 the only real argument as to who is the best heavyweight in the world has been whether it is Vitali or Wladimir.
Having two brothers as heavyweight champions is a novel situation but in many ways to sports fans and the wider public it seems to cause confusion.
People find it difficult to know who is who - if they know that Klitschko is fighting they don't know which one and they aren't sure if he's the older or younger or if he's the one who fought Lennox Lewis.
It probably doesn't help a lot of people that one is called Vitali and one Wladimir - fairly similar names, especially for people who aren't used to Eastern European names.
Having Eastern Europeans dominate the heavyweight division is of course a relatively recent situation and it doesn't seem to be a situation that US sports fans in particular are used to yet.
For many years American fighters have dominated at heavyweight and there appears to be less interest in a division where they have few boxers who can compete at the elite level.
In the past it seemed that the US media were always talking about finding the "Great White Hope" or building some fighter up as such and when finally white boxers are dominant at heavyweight it appears that this mythical white hope now should also be American.
It could also be argued that the cautious style of Wladimir Klitschko is what seems to alienate the wider sports and boxing audience.
It's true that he has a tendency to fight behind his left jab and follow through with right hands, without a huge amount of variety in putting his shots together.
Also he has a tendency not to go in for the kill until his opponent has been methodically broken down and softened up over a number of rounds.
Yet when he throws his shots freely he shows devastating power and few can stand up to the force that he generates.
He doesn't take risks that fight fans like to see, and also although you can hardly blame him for this, nearly all his fights are predictably one-sided and therefore perhaps not so attractive to watch.
Yet you can't accuse Vitali of being cautious.
Whilst being a very intelligent boxer he will happily exchange punches with opponents and is always looking to dominate each exchange and retain superiority.
He lets both hands go and whilst also boxing with a strong left jab and right hand he mixes in a variety of other shots as well.
Also, he'll also fight with his hands down, looking to sway out of punch range as well as parry with his gloves.
Perhaps the Klitschko brothers will only be really appreciated by the wider sporting public until after they have retired or perhaps approach retirement.
This was very much the case with Lennox Lewis who was never universally accepted until he defeated a washed-up Mike Tyson in 2002.
At 38, this may not be so far away for Vitali.
Some people may argue that the Klitschko's don't generate the excitement or have the charisma of say Muhammad Ali - but then who did? Tyson brought controversy and excitement and Holyfield became respected for beating Tyson and for his warrior spirit.
Much like Lennox Lewis the Klitschko's are intelligent and respectful and perhaps don't create the out of the ring headlines loved by the media.
Although a lot of people seem to moan about the state of the heavyweight division imagine how it would be without the Klitschko brothers dominating and adding stability.
Who would be the champs? Eddie Chambers, Chris Arreola, Ruslan Chagaev, David Haye, Tony Thompson? Good fighters but never likely to put together a string of title defences.
I suggest that we should appreciate the Klitschko brothers a little more and I expect that in time respect for them will grow and acknowledgement will increase.
It's a shame though that this tends to happen at the end of careers rather than when fighters are at or near their prime.
I think that history will show the Klitschko's to be strong and successful champions and I think in future years you may find their names cropping up in discussions comparing the best heavyweight champions through the ages.
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