Stay tuned for live updates for the IBF/WBO Heavyweight Championship bout this afternoon, or evening if you’re joining us from Germany.
Klitschko and Rahman gave a good staredown during Referee Tony Week’s instructions.
ROUND 1: Weeks waited a ridiculously long time to ring the bell. The Klitschko chants started early as Wladimir worked his jab and landed a hard left hook to the head of Rahman, followed by a stiff jab. Klitschko absolutely drilled Rahman with a hard one-two that snapped his head back, completely dominating round one as Rahman did nothing. Like all of Wladimir’s opponents, Rahman seemed to think he had a chance fighting from the outside but got annihilated from a distance that round. 10-9 Klitschko
ROUND 2: Klitschko started his usual holding routine but landed a straight right. A hard jab followed suit. Another one-two got in on Rahman near the end of the round, but after six minutes, Rahman seemed to have settled in to dying a slow death as Klitschko picked him apart one punch at a time. 10-9 Klitschko
ROUND 3: Rahman started working his jab but was taking worse jabs from Klitschko. Rahman had a brilliant idea to stand on the ropes and cover up, taking jabs and straight rights to the head and continued being annihilated. Wladimir at one point landed about 12 unanswered jabs to the head. The crowd started booing Rahman’s lack of effort. Wladimir added a left hook around Rahman’s glove before the end of the incredibly one-sided round. Rahman had either gassed out or decided to collect his payday and call it a day. 10-9 Klitschko
ROUND 4: Klitschko continued snapping Rahman’s head all over the place in the center of the ring. Klitschko hooked Rahman off a jab to continue his dominance. Death by a thousand jabs was the story as Rahman had yet to land a quality punch. 10-9 Klitschko
ROUND 5: Klitschko started opening up a bit more, and why not? He got Rahman with another good left hook. The hard jabs to the head continued for Klitschko, and still Rahman did nothing. It was Vitali-Peter and Wladimir-Brewster all over again. Lennox Lewis mentioned that this was Rahman at his worst, and Rahman surely never looked worse in all his career. Wladimir landed a right over the back of Rahman’s head to end the round. Tony Weeks noted a small cut over Rahman’s right eye – the result of a punch, of course. Buddy McGirt seemed to be thinking about stopping it, telling Rahman not to take any more big shots. 10-9 Klitschko
ROUND 6: Four left hooks felled Rahman early in the round, and Rahman looked like he was thinking about quitting as he took his time getting up. Klitschko beat on a covering Rahman against the ropes. Two more left hooks got in as Rahman did nothing. Wladimir added a straight right through the guard and a stiff jab. Rahman made it through the round only because Klitschko didn’t really step on the gas. Weeks made the ringside doctor examine Rahman and even threatened to stop the fight on Rahman if he didn’t fight. It doesn’t get any more embarrassing than the referee telling you to fight. 10-8 Klitschko
ROUND 7: Klitschko wobbled Rahman with a jab early in the round and followed with a left hook that sent Rahman staggering into the ropes, and Weeks stopped the fight. No reason not to since Rahman didn’t come to fight. This is what you call robbing fans of money on Rahman’s part. He never showed any interest whatsoever in making it a fight and looked to be trying to lose while taking as little punishment as possible.
For some reason, every Klitschko opponent thinks if they come in weighing as much as ever, they will have a better chance in the fight. It’s not the Klitschko’s fault the opponents are complete laughing stocks and embarrassments to the sport, but the fans should know better than to ever pay to see Rahman, Sam Peter, Corrie Sanders, Kirk Johnson or Lamon Brewster ever fight again with the pitiful performances they’ve put up against Wladimir and Vitali in recent years.
