A true Heavyweight Champion is born tonight...

I know that most already consider Wlad to be the real Champion, but tonight will prove even further. If Klitschko wins, he further cements the fact that he is the real Champion in the Heavyweight division. If Ibragimov wins, the same goes for him. The only two Champs with the balls to unify the titles. Wladimir is currently #1 by ring mag, already has a win over #2 (Peter), and the previous #1 before him (Byrd). He has revenged against Brewster, and cleared his manditory with Austin... even fit in the destruction of the top American Heavyweight, the undefeated Brock. We don't need to wait 5 years before the other title holders will risk their belts against Wlad... we will see tonight as Wladimir has already beat the best guys in the division and is once again fighting another undefeated fighter. This time, that undefeated fighter is also a Champion.


For all of you who are on here complaining, acting like Wlad is fighting weak comp. Get a life. You guys are that pathetic that you now bash on Champions for unifying titles against an undefeated Champion? Who the hell can you get credit for fight, if you can't get credit for fighting an undefeated Champion? Hell, you are the same guys who used to say that Wladimir wouldn't go anywhere near Sam Peter... Wlad fights him beats him... and still doesn't get any credit. All of the sudden, Sam Peter wasn't any good. Then... a couple Peter fights later and he would beat Wlad again.:-( Props to Sultan too... for putting his undefeated record, and title on the line against Klitschko. Great fight, and I am glad that these two Champions are doing their part in bringing the heavyweight division back into the spotlight.

I am pumped!

 

Why? If Wladimir wins tonight, than he has already beat the best guys in the division. Why should we have to wait 4 years for the other guys to finally come around and fight Wlad? Do we really need to see Wlad beat Peter again? What does that prove? We already saw Wlad beat Peter. Maskaev, Chagaev? Please. Those guys are just holding titles that fell in their lap. None of them have beat the top established guys in the division. Look at the Top Ten list from 2005, and then look at how many of them Wlad has already beat. Just because new guys keep getting thrown titles, doesn't mean that Wlad should have to track down and fight everyone before he is the Champ. He has already won the important fights... and due to the politics... we may never see the other title holders step into the ring against him.

 

Rahman was handed a title due to Klitschko's injury. Maskaev beat Rahman for a belt that he didn't win. Maskaev didn't fight anyone worthy since then... and now Peter is the interm Champ because of that. Not exactly a road to True greatness. Chagaev I respect more as he beat Valuev who beat Ruiz... but still... c'mon. Let's be realistic, everyone knows that Ruiz was a joke Champion, and even lost his title to Toney, only to have it given back. These champs could have made their claim to the title more solid had they beat other top 10 fighters... but the problem is that Wladimir is the only Champ out there fighting the best guys. Now, I appreciate Sultan for doing the same thing. Maskaev gets the title and fights Okhello.... Chagaev gets the title and fights Matt Skelton. It's pathetic.

Wlad beat an undefeated Sam Peter to get the title shot... beat Byrd, the longest standing Champion at the time, and the #1 ranked fighter by Ring mag for the title. Then he defended his title against the undefeated top contender Calvin Brock, who was considered the best american contender at the time. Beat him... cleaned out Austin for his mandatory, and then avenged his defeatd to Lamon Brewster.

The belts don't make the Champions, the Champions make the belt. Wlad proved himself to be the true Champion by his path to the title, who he won the title from, and who he has defended it against. Now, he unifies the titles which further proves this fact.

 

Byrd got the title because he earned the #1 contender spot by dominating David Tua... and Lennox Lewis refused to fight him. Byrd then fought for the Vacant title against Evander Holyfield and won. Then... Byrd went on to defend his title for 4 years, calling Lewis out the entire time. It isn't Byrd's fault that Lewis wouldn't step into the ring against him. He was more than happy to fight Lewis, even after he had the Title. Beside that, Lewis had retired by the time that Wlad beat Byrd, and Byrd was the longest standing Champion... and the #1 ranked fighter by ring mag.

So, as I said before... those other champs could have made their claim legit by fighting and beat top fighters... but they chose not to do so.

 

That is the point... after tonight... there are only going to be 2 other Champs. Either Wlad or Sultan is going to be a unified Champion... and either one would have done so against the best. If Sultan beats Wlad, than he clearly beat the best to unify titles, so he deserves it. If Wlad beats Sultan, and unifies those titles, after everything else that he has already done, then he can't be denied anymore.