Chambers: small, confident

Eddie Chambers doesn't have too many fans because of his style but he's confident and he wins.

Eddie Chambers spoke on the phone late Friday from his hotel room in Hamburg, Germany, seemingly a million miles from his home in Philadelphia. He discussed the prospect of beating a 6-foot-7 monster on the monster’s own turf Saturday.

And he oozed confidence.

Say what you will about Chambers. Too small (6-1, 205 pounds on Friday). Boring style. The man believes in himself.

“Who decides to go to Germany and fight the one guy everyone says is the heavyweight of the future after the Klitschkos retire?” said Chambers, who faces Germany-based Alexander Dimitrenko of Ukraine. “Who decides to do that? Only someone who believes in his ability.

“Being the smallest heavyweight in the division, I’ve always had to work that much harder. If it means coming over to Germany to prove I’m the best, then so be it.”

Not everyone is as confident about Chambers’ ability as he is.

Chambers, 6-1 but skillful and athletic, is coming off his most-important victory – a decision over former titleholder Sam Peter in March – but he was criticized afterward for fighting too carefully and not attempting to score a knockout even thought Peter seemed ripe for one.

This is the rule, not the exception for Chambers, at least in the eyes of most observers. He typically does enough to win but doesn’t stir the crowd.

And his only loss came the last time he went into the hostile territory of a Germany-based Eastern European, against Alexander Povetkin in January of last year in Berlin. Chambers (34-1, 18 knockouts) had his moments in that fight but was clearly outworked and lost a one-sided decision.

On Saturday, of course, he plans to win. He also understands that he’ll have to do more than just enough to take full advantage of this opportunity.

“I always have to prove everything,” he said. “I’m smaller than everyone so I have to prove I can handle bigger guys. I’m “Fast” Eddie Chambers so I have to prove I’m fast. People think I have no power because I’m small.

“… I don’t know if I’ll stop (Dimitrenko) but, and I’m not saying the judges will be unfair in Germany, I’ll almost have to do that. I’ll do whatever it takes to win.”

Chambers apparently has never weighed in lighter, although records are incomplete. He weighed in at 223 against Peter.

Chambers once believed it was in his best interest to pack on extra weight to be more competitive with bigger men. For this fight, he changed his approach. He was very careful with his diet and trained particularly hard with movement in mind.

“I wanted to be in the best shape possible,” he said. “I went farther than that. The (lighter) weight will help with my speed and athleticism, which are my strengths. I’ve always been able to do things big guys can’t do as far as movement goes. Now, I’ve gone a step further. I used to put on weight but that hindered what I did best. And even if I came in at my normal 216, 217 pounds, he’d still have a huge weight advantage. I don’t think weighing 205 will make much of a difference.

“He’s a big guy and pretty athletic, a pretty good boxer. It looks impossible for me. But I just sparred with a guy 7 feet tall who knows how to box a little and I hit his head as easily as a guy my height. It’s about speed and experience. Don’t get me wrong; it won’t be easy. That’s why I work so hard.”

If Chambers wins, he’ll remain the hunt for Wladmir Klitschko’s WBO belt. He’ll also have a stronger claim on a less-tangible title: the best heavyweight in the United States.

Chris Arreola, the brawler from the Los Angeles area, has garnered more attention than Chambers because of his crowd-pleasing style and both Klitschko brothers are considering him for their next opponent.

Chambers disagrees with the prevailing perception.

“I’m aware of it,” he said. “It’s fine. I guess it’s just bragging rights. Chris hasn’t fought the caliber of opponents I’ve fought but he’s won over the audience because of his style. I can’t be mad at that. He knocked out Jameel McCline. It wasn’t a good McCline but it was a good name, a good win.

“I think there are some flaws in Chris’ game and eventually they show themselves. I do like him as a fighter, though.”

Chambers is used to being slighted. The fact the fight will not be televised in the U.S. is just one more example of a general lack of respect for him.

And he seems to be OK with that – for now.

“Outside of some fans in Philadelphia, Americans aren’t into me that much,” he said. “They’re not into what I do. They don’t think I have a chance (on Saturday). This fight will allow me to prove myself, so people will know what I can do.”

Chambers’ promoter, Dan Goossen, is counting on a big night for his fighter.

“This is his shot,” Goossen said. “There’s something about experience that allows you to become bigger and better. I believe Eddie when he says he’s going to knock this guy out. I know what he’s capable of doing. I’ve seen him put his punches together; he’s very accurate, very fast.

“The problem has been that he hasn’t done it enough in the past. I’m confident, though. I believe he’s going to stop this guy.”

Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVeditor@yahoo.com