Wladimir Klitschko will be making his ninth consecutive heavyweight title defense this Saturday in Germany. The challenger is Eddie Chambers, making his first attempt at heavyweight gold. The fight can be seen on television in Australia, Germany, and The United Kingdom. Fight fans in The United States will have to watch on an Internet feed from the Klitschko Brothers’ website, www.Klitschko.com. Johnathon Banks and Travis Walker will square off on the undercard that begins at 4pm ET.
Wladimir Klitschko vs. Eddie Chambers
IBF/WBO Heavyweight Titles
Money Line: Klitschko -800; Chambers +500
Wladimir Klitschko, 53-3 (47 KOs), has been dominating the heavyweight division (alongside his brother Vitali) since the throne was left empty by Lennox Lewis in 2004. Although Wladimir has been consistently jabbing away at the heavyweight competition for the last six years, the quality of the division is often questioned. The dearth of heavyweight competition has never been more evident than now. The lack of American television for this fight is cause for concern, especially with an American challenger. Yet Wladimir continues to be consistent and convincing with each title defense he makes. With his brother’s retirement looming at the end of the year, Wladimir could be the sole occupant of the heavyweight throne for many more years to come.
Eddie Chambers, 35-1 (18 KOs), is the latest in a long line of heavyweight contenders given the task of opposing the one of the Klitschkos. Chambers has good speed, but it will be his toughness that keeps him in the fight. He will get hit. It will depend on how he reacts and, more importantly, counters to the thudding jabs from Wladimir. Chambers holds victories over Calvin Brock, Sam Peter, and Alexander Dimitrenko but Wladimir poses a different type of challenge. Good news for Chambers is that he will not be in unfamiliar territory as this will mark his third fight in Germany.
Staff Predictions
Corey: Eddie Chambers is arguably one of the three most skilled heavyweights in the world. He has terrific hand speed and mixes up his punches well in a division where most fighters don’t. The problem is one of the two heavyweights more skilled than Chambers is Wladimir Klitschko. Chambers won’t be able to outbox Wladimir the way he does most of his opponents and will instead be thrown off his game as he tries to jab with the best jabber in the division. Throw in Klitschko’s size and strength advantages, and Eddie’s going to have to take some chances. The feeling here is that Chambers will try to win the fight rather than survive, and thus he won’t. Klitschko will force a corner stoppage around round 10.
Trent: The gameplan against Wladimir Klitschko is easier said than done. Chambers needs to attack and be aggressive against Wladimir. When opponents attempt to counterpunch Wladimir, they eat jabs like Joey Chestnut eats hot dogs. Chambers doesn’t have the best boxing style to counteract Wlad’s strengths. And he may be able to stick and move…for a round or so. But unfortunately for Eddie, Wladimir Klitschko is a lot like the line from the movie trailer for Taken: “I will find you. And I will kill you.” Wladimir by decision; 118-110.
