It's not that, it's just that the division really is awful, imo. Besides a shopworn Seldon, the only name on Johnson's record I recognize is Daniel Bispo, who old, fat Corrie Sanders beat easily prior to being knocked out in a round by Osborn Mashimane - who is no great shakes himself. I'm not blaming Vitali really. I just don't expect much of a contest.
I personally feel Chambers, who has proven he can fight a bigger man, would be a better opponent. I know he's scheduled to fight Wlad but so is Povetkin. I say Chambers, who has shown a decent enough chin thus far and dedication to get on shape, would be a much tougher opponent than Arreola.
I agree, While I see Fist of Fury's point that Johnson is not a world beater, Vitali is at least staying active and fighting younger men with undefeated records. Frankly, I'm glad he opted not to fight Oleg Maskaev. If nothing else, he's keeping busy.
Is Jesse Owens faster than the fastest white sprinters of today? And that's sprinting, a sport where black athletes have genetic advantages over sprinters of other races (no pun intended). You people need to stop living in the past. Humanity has progressed in every possible area and the HWs are no exception. This hypothetical fight is a huge mismatch.
trUe. Would like to see Vitali banish Maskaev once and for all, in March if he's staying busy. Hopefully Haye/Valuev next summer seeing as Wlad is probably gonna fight Povetkin/Chambers next. If only Solis got himself dedicated, could have a challenger right there, alas he likes cakes.
Agreed, On a different subject, if I were to see any upset in the heavyweight division over the next year, I'd really like for Eddie Chambers to pull off a win over say Wlad. I respect Wlad and don't think that he's going to lose to Chambers, but I really have to admire what Eddie's done. He's only 27 years old and has already accumulated 36 fights. He picked himself up after the Povetkin loss, got in better shape and continued to regularly face top big men.. Even though he's not always fun to watch, I think its been a long time since we've seen a man like Chambers.
Not even close, Arreola is more of a puncher. Eddie Chambers is a boxer. He's relatively light hitting and has only stopped perhaps 18 of his 35 opponents. He's also not always the most exciting fighter to watch, but he's tactical and has sound boxing ability. He has taken on a slew of bigger men and has kept busy for much of the past year. He has wins over Alexander Dimitrenko, Sam Peter and Calvin Brock as his signature fights.
Chambers really did a number on Dimtrienko too, in the big mans hometown. I think he'd win a rematch against Povetkin as he seems to have sorted his stamina out.
I respect what Maskaev has achieved despite having almost everything against him and horrible career management, but i hope i'll never see him in the ring again. He's old and has no future, the division needs new blood. Thing is, i think he had a rematch clause with Peter, but the WBC mandated that Peter fight Vitali Klitschko instead.... so to prevent a lawsuit from Maskaev, they might make him mandatory. :-( Okay, i can imagine that, however, i think it's worth noting that Johnson is not a top5 guy, or even top10 (Boxrec has him at #22). He's an easy defence, with the added bonus that he's a prospect and might turn out to be better than anticipated, but i fully expect him to get beat down if Vitali retains his form. On Chambers, he's a really good defensive fighter who has improved a lot and backed down from no one. Here you can see him against Dimitrenko, another prospect: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak0Fz7ScCY0[/ame] I believe his style is all wrong for Wlad, though. Too small and powerless to make an impact.. i think he'll be another Byrd. Against Vitali, he has a much better chance, i think, especially with Father time on his side.
If Vitali wants to stay active,why not take on 40 year old Cedric Boswell who hasnt lost in 6 years[and that is his only defeat]. Vital was due to fight him when he got the call to step in against Lewis,he won't beat the big man ,but would probably be as competitive as Arreola.
I'm beginning to think the same thing as well. Chambers looks a lot better at 210 than he did at 223 or whatever he was for the Povetkin fight. He seems to have brushed up on his skills and has stayed busy. Povetkin unfortunately, hasn't done much since their February 2008 meeting..