Wladimir Klitschko showed just why he is the best world heavyweight champion last Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.  And when the brash Shannon Briggs showed up to steal his thunder, he displayed the diplomacy that makes him the people’s champion as well.   

Starting off behind the best jab in the division, the methodical Klitschko was slow, but made his presence known in the early rounds.  Calvin Brock’s defense was solid and at first seemed well matched. But Klitschko’s reach and surprising deft footwork eventually out shined the smaller man’s faints. Brock laid the foundation for a tough game plan- hammering at Klitschko’s exposed right side, reddening the champ’s ribs, and ducking under many of his biggest punches. 

Yet, Klitschko denied ever being hurt, and once he found the rhythm of his jab, straight right combination, the contest suddenly became one-sided.  In the seventh round, Klitschko stunned Brock with his right.  Smelling blood, and knowing he had missed trainer Emmanuel Steward’s sixth-round KO prediction, he set up the one-two combination again, hitting Brock so hard that he hit the canvas limp.  But the younger fighter showed some heart beating the count and making it to his feet on wobbly knees.  But the referee was not nearly as impressed and waved the match off.   

Briggs, who had thrown a press conference the day before the fight around the corner from the Garden, showed up in all of his booming bravado glory in another attempt to call Klitschko out.  Smiling, Klitschko allowed Briggs to spout off, and assured him the chance to fight.  Both heavyweights have made dubious claims to unify the championship, now it remains to be seen which one will step up to the plate first. 

Currently Briggs is inline for a mandatory defense against Sultan Ibragimov, while Klitschko, who is part owner of his own promotion company, K2, is in complete control of his destiny. Briggs’ power is the ultimate equalizer, but he is prone to exhaustion, due to his asthma, and his rudimentary boxing skills would not get him a decision over the precise and conditioned Klitschko. A much more exciting fight would be Briggs against Nikolai Valuev.  With Briggs only getting bigger and stronger in each fight, he is the best suited to nullify Valuev’s significant size advantage.  Meanwhile Klitschko would have few problems out boxing Maskaev. And there you have it, with those first two bouts taking place in by the Spring of 2007, we could see the winners face off in about a year and finally have a unified champion.  Now, somebody just needs to con Don King into setting it all up.   

UNDERCARDS

Unsurprisingly Laila Ali completely dominated Shelley Burton in their super middleweight title fight.  In the fourth round Ali landed a powerful right that broke Burton’s nose, and giving the outgunned fighter enough pause to turn her back to Ali, prompting the referee to stop the contest. “I don’t know why all these girls turn their back in a fight,” said Ali, showing the same attitude of her father.  “I’m going to break a nose that big every time.”  

Ali’s comments were also interrupted by a pair of would-be challengers.  But she brushed them off explaining that the other women in her division often call her out, but back upon seeing the diminutive contract put before them. “All these girls think they’re going to get rich fighting me, but that’s just not the case with women’s boxing right now,” she said.   

Derrick Rossy shined once again in his ten-round unanimous decision victory over Shannon Miller.  In his second defense of the New York State Heavyweight Champion strap, Rossy threw his entire arsenal and kept his opponent back pedaling.  His hooks beat up Miller on the outside, and bloodied his nose early.  Despite suffering a cut of his own in the fifth round, Rossy managed to give much better than he got.   

In a tough match that locals had been waiting for, Joey Rios dropped a majority decision to Francisco Figueroa. Although neither man completely dominated the other, both should be praised for accepting the fight when others of their ilk are content to fight out-of-town opponents in one-sided contests that do little more than pad records.  Early on Figueroa abandoned his flashy style that often sees him darting around the ring and showboating.  Rios seemed in control of the fight, throwing punches in a disciplined manner, slipping Figueroa’s daunting left, and connecting with his own crisp left hook.  But the judges were ultimately more swayed by Figueroa’s flurries that often broke up Rios’ pace, but failed to do any real damage.  With the win, Figueroa has set himself as the best among New York’s crowded junior-welterweights. Still, Rios’ camp, and local fans in general, should be itching for a re-match because a fight as competitive as this is all too rare in New York these days.

 

 

 

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