Wladamir Klitschko vs. Eddie Chambers Fight Preview and Prediction
When: Saturday, March 20, 2010
Where: Esprit Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany
Weight Class: IBF/WBO/IBO Heavyweight Championship: 12 Rounds
By Scotty L of Predictem.com
Wladamir Klitschko, 53-3 (47 KOs), Kiev, Ukraine. Vs. Eddie Chambers, 35-1 (18 KOs), Philadelphia. PA.
Betting Odds: Wladamir Klitschko (-800), Eddie Chambers (+500)
Over/Under: Under 10.5 (-120), Over 10.5 (-120)
Fight Analysis: Wladamir Klitschko, 33, defends his real World Heavyweight Championship against American challenger Fast Eddie Chambers on March 20. It is an interesting heavyweight bout. The fact that its not being televised in the U.S. underscores Klitschkos lack of popularity. I think American fans applaud his dominance and class, while not necessarily enjoying watching him fight. It is understandable. There is an utter boredom in watching his fights.
Klitschkos most exciting fights are the ones he loses or struggles in. He is a gifted boxer who likes to dictate the pace of fights. He controls distance and dissuades his opponents with a well-placed jab. Opponents begin to lose heart after getting slammed by jabs and the occasional right hand round after round, to the point where their resistance is minimal. Once Klitschko determines the opponent is no longer a viable threat, he steps on the gas and gets them out of there.
His approach is very clinical and American fans like their heavyweight
champions to be the baddest man on the planet type fighters. Klitschkos
entire purpose in the ring is to not fight. While it makes sense
that a fighter would want to maximize his talents while camouflaging his
weaknesses, Wladamir sometimes appears to take it a bit too far. Perhaps
we shouldnt expect him to hang in the trenches with his shorter opponents
and give them their best chance to win, but it appears he could step on
the gas sooner in a lot of his bouts.
With that said, he is still a formidable challenge for any heavyweight. He has shown tremendous inner resource in shaking off a trio of humiliating defeats to make himself the clear number-one heavyweight in the sport, with his older brother Vitali occupying the number-two spot. At the end of the day, he is an athletically gifted 66 heavyweight who is capable of inflicting great damage on anyone he fights.
Eddie Chambers, 27, will be giving up 6 inches in height and reach, as well as deficits in power, experience, and weight. Fast Eddie is the foremost American heavyweight at the moment, and it says a lot about him that he has been able to achieve that status. He is a sloppily arranged 215-pounder who will be fighting a 245-pound man who looks like he was cut from granite. The visual contrast of both men will be striking in the ring.
Chambers is very fast and slick. I think he can get under Klitschkos skin with those attributes. But when you look at the 3 fighters who have beaten Klitschko, Chambers has none of those traitsnamely punching power. The enormous size difference figures to make it difficult for Chambers to employ his cageyness and slick maneuvers. Before he gets within punching range, Klitschko will be able to hit him. So for Eddie to be able to do good work, he will need to have an almost superhuman energy to pull it off. Whereas Klitschko can just lay back and pick off Chambers, Fast Eddie will have to work so much harder to touch Klitschko. And when he does, he doesnt figure to be able to hurt the champion.
I think Chambers will be coming into this fight with a sincere desire to win. Hes no Rocky Balboa, but hes also not the kind of guy who is going to phone it in so he can emptily boast that he went the distance with the champion. I expect him to give it his all. I think his high-energy slickness will trouble Wladamir for a few rounds. He will have a speed advantage and it will show, but the energy required to make that work over the long haul is a lot to ask of a fighter, especially when the other guy starts hitting back.
After a few rounds, Klitschko will begin timing him with enough well placed swats that will begin to dissuade Chambers a bit. When Wladamir begins to establish the battle-lines, it could begin to spell doom for the game American. I think Chambers fighting spirit and lack of power will give way to a slightly more aggressive Klitschko in this fight.
Scotty’s Pick to Win: It is difficult to envision a scenario where Klitschko doesnt win. Sure, hes had his collapses before, but he has since matured. The bottom line is that Chambers in not capable of generating the kind of mayhem that would trouble a champion of Klitschkos quality. Its going to take a freakish turn-of-events for Chambers to win this fight. I also feel that while Chambers has never been stopped, he has also never fought a man nearly as strong as Klitschko.
I see Chambers putting forth a spirited and admirable performance. In doing so, he will also be more susceptible to Klitschkos wrath. By the middle rounds, Klitschko will begin driving home meaningful shots. By around the 8th or 9th round, Chambers corner will recognize the hopelessness of the situation and pull their man out. Chambers could still have a future and there is no sense in ruining him so he can claim he went 12. Lay the 800 on Wladamir Klitschko to win and lay the 120 on the under.
