OK by heavyweight unification read = Klitschko domination. The Klitschko brothers have said that their aim always been to hold all the heavyweight ttle belts between them, and this year its gonna happen. By March, then in a second round of fights later in the year for big PPV money, November time. There is absolutely no-one out there at the moment who seriously poses the guy much threat. Too much size and power for the little heavyweights, too much ahtleticism and speed for the fat, old super-heavyweights. I dont see anyone with a belt who stands much of a chance against him. Wlad Klitschko may have been KO'd before, but he is still too much for anyone else. This is how its gonna work out. This isn't based on how I want it happen, but how its likely to happen. Wladimir Klitschko is going to beat Sultan Ibragimov for the unified IBO-IBF and WBA belts. Therefore, he is the man to beat. In March he calls out Ruslan Chagaev, who is facing Matt Skelton in another no-brainer. Sam Peter is going to beat Oleg Maskeav, coz even though Sam Peter got hurt by Jamell McCline, he's young and power and dangerous whereas Oleg is very old, very rusty and already dreaming of retirement. Bank on it. That leaves Sam Peter the WBC champion. Sam Peter then has two choices. He can go for the one he wants, Wladmir Klitschko, to avenge his defeat. He came close in their first fight, and is surely confident he can put Klitschko down for good. Or he can defend the WBC belt against a comebacking Vitali Klitschko. This depends on wether or not Klitschko is still coming back, if he cant get back into shape then he'd have to fight Juan Carlos Gomez as a mandatory, but I dont see that happening. Sam Peter will chase the Klitschko's. Ruslan Chagaev will beat Matt Skelton and be compelled to call out Wladimir Klitschko, fresh off his win with Ibragimov. Wladimir Klitschko could either fight Ruslan Chagaev, a big fight in Russia late in the year, and let his brother fight Sam Peter for the WBC title he has a claim too, or he could fight Sam Peter and let Vitali Klitschko take on Chageav, which is less likely. Whatever happens, I predict Chag and Peter lose to either Klitschko, and the end of the year the division is unified. Wlad will probably end up with the WBO-WBA-IBF-IBO belts and Vitali with the WBC belt. After that they can wait for the new crop of talent to emerge and take them on, like Haye, Solis, Povetkin, Chambers and Virchis. There's still money to be made in fights like Klitschko - Gomez and Klitschko - Valuev, as they are well known names in Germany/Russia/Europe and that would mean big money. It would put america out of the heavyweight picture too because it will mean the PPV money for the division will come from the lucrative German-Eastern Europe-Russia market. All the guys like Virchis, Solis, Povetkin, Gomez, Dimitrenko and Haye have followings in europe, so thats where the money will come from, and thats where things will happen. You may not like it but its the cold hard truth.
Ruslan Chagaev will beat Matt Skelton and then will have to fight his mandatory...Liakhovich or Valuev.
Yes, but after beating mandatory Matt Skelton he has 365 days to face the no.1 contender, meaning he has until March 2009 to fight those guys. Therefore, he can fight Wlad Klitschko in November 2008.
Vitali aint going to make back in the ring healthy, hes been out of the game since Dec of 04, by the time he would even fight Peter it would be 4 years since Wlad has laced em up. As long as there is promoters like Don King there will never be unification, we should be happy the IBF and WBO will be in one fighters hands, and then there will only be 2 fighters with real belts.
Two brothers holding the belts is not unification. Skelton is not a mandatory, so Chag will have to fight Valuev-Liakovich this year Just because WladKlit calls him out doesn't meant that Chag will accept, and I see no evience that Wlad is going to call out another southpaw who can pop. Maskaev has an excellent chance against Peter. He hits harder than Mcline. Mcline is not a young guy, and doesn't hit that hard. THere is no evidnce that Viatly is getting back int he ring, as this is four years out and four cancelled fights, if you include all of the times he bailed on the Rachman fight. IT is not a done deal to me that Wladdy can beat Chagaev. He would be favorite, but Chag has a terrific amatuer resume, is undefeated against good competition as a pro, and has a tough style for Klit the younger. The organiing bodies will never allow it. If someone misses a mandadory, which are being created by certain organizations at a frightening rate, then they will strip, and set up Ruiz-Byrd or Lyakovich-Brester II for a vactant belt. The IBO does not count as a title, and should never, ever be mentioned on these boards again. There will never again be a fully unifed champ unless some of these organisations are sued out of business. What Wladdy ought to do is just fight cahmpions, win and drop belts as he goes along, because the unifying bodies are just going to find an excuse to strip him anyway. If Wladdy can say "I one five differnent versions of the title" at the end of his career, history will remember that he did what he could and was the real champ, even if there is not 100% unification. he should win them and drop them in the trash at the coronation.
No, but after Skelton he will have 365 days to fight his mandatory. Infact I need to work this out, is a mandatory defense 365 days since you win the title, or 365 days since your last sanctioned defence of the title against a guy in the top 15? Really? you dont think that Chag - Klitschko would sell in Russia? I think its precisely coz he's a small southpaw who offers him no threat, and a big fight, why he will go for the fight. I'd prefer to fight Chag over Peter or Povetkin. Wrong. Peter got dropped by McCline, McCline IS a hard hitter. Dont let the record fool you. Any top level boxer who is 6ft6 and 270lbs hits hard enough to KO you. This is the heavyweight division. Maskeav has been battered way worse than Peter, his chin is not iron. Maskeav is very very old, very rusty, and not a great fighter. He will struggle with Sam. I dont think. Ruslan is one of the better fighters out there, no doubt, but he is short and light. He wont be able to counteract Klitschko's size advantage with superior speed like he did with Valuev, Klitschko is much faster than Valuev. Wlad wins by dominating KO. The sanctioning bodies NEED marketable heavyweights in order to generate revenue. The division is not popular and there are no huge fights out there at the moment. A series of fights invovling the Klitschko's and Chag, Ibragimov, Peter and then down the line Povetkin, Valuev, Lyakovich, Solis means big money from Germany, Eastern Europe and Russia. The governing bodies have given up on the USA are going to shift to the very lucrative continental european market, economics baby. The best way the sport can achieve this is by installing the Klitschko's as the undisputed champions, making them superstars putting them in against all the other Eastern European champion, then milk them dry fighting defences in Germany. The IBO is no more corrupt and full of **** than any of the other world title belts, and is growing in status. Actually, it is the other once respected sanctioning bodies that have shrunk in reputation, meaning that once maligned groups such as the IBO have more credebility than they used to, relatively speaking. What Wladdy ought to do is just fight cahmpions, win and drop belts as he goes along, because the unifying bodies are just going to find an excuse to strip him anyway. If Wladdy can say "I one five differnent versions of the title" at the end of his career, history will remember that he did what he could and was the real champ, even if there is not 100% unification. he should win them and drop them in the trash at the coronation.[/quote] Once he is undisputed champion it wont matter what the sanctioning bodies do, they'll have to work together on mandatories and sharing or else be forced to annoint more "fake" champions and ruin their credebility further. Their survival stakes on being able to have a heavyweight champion, coz without it the sport as a whole suffers.
No, not complete unification, but it would certianly be better than what we've had for the last 8 years; four seperate and meaningless titleholders. Wlad's people have ALREADY been in contact with Peter Kohl, Chag's promoter, about further unification fights, after this upcoming one. So Wlad is serious about taking Chag's title, and will, given the chance. I agree. I am thinking that we'll see Maskaev TKO the damaged Peter, and then go on to one last, cashout mega fight in Germany with Vitali. A MASSIVE fight over there that will make each fighter a ton of money. You may be right, but we can only look at what has happened, and not what may happen. What has happened is that Vitali was cleared to fight recently and is apparently completely healed from his disc repair. I think he'll be good to go and will complete his training and fight a warmup, as he waits for the Peter Oleg winner, but he may just do the ballsy thing and go right for the titleholder. I would think a tuneup would be, by far, the wisest thing to do.
I somewhat agree with this. It will be next to impossible for anyone to maintain the mandatories to satisfy all of the orgs, once one man has all the titles, or even three of them Hell, it will probably be hard to satisfy the mandatories for even two orgs, as I don't think the orgs are willing to get together to make a doable mandatory schedule for a unified champion, so, as you said, once he wins the title, it'll probably be stripped not long after that. But, as I have said numerous times, and as you also said; once he wins the title in the ring, he IS that title's champion from then on, regardless of if they strip him, or not. So let them strip as they will, cause the physical title is no longer needed, then. We'll then know who the man is.:good
Full unification will probably never happen, I think the most will see is a fighter or fighters with 2 belts. I see Wlad beating Iggy, now after this fight he will have to fight either the winner of Povetkin/Chambers for the IBF or Thompson who I think is the number 1 contender at the moment. I see Wlad dropping the WBO after he wins it and just goes on defending the IBF belt, while trying to set up a fight with Chagaev later this year, is this how you guys see it?
