Vitali Klitschko maintained the striking dominance by him and his brother by dismantling a game Chris Arreola.The rematch between Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto is being targeted for June 30.
Weekend Review: Klitschko's big night
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BIGGEST WINNER Vitali Klitschko: The dominance of both Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko has become overwhelming. The last time either of them lost was in 2004 – Wladimir to Lamon Brewster -- and it’s extremely difficult to imagine any of the current crop of heavyweights turning the trick any time soon. The Ukrainian giants have built a dynasty that is allowing them to build a massive fortune without taking too many punches, the result of a fine-tuned and destructive system of boxing. And they’ve done it with admirable class. Vitali Klitschko had nothing but positive things to say about Chris Arreola after destroying him on Saturday night in Los Angeles, which is typical of the amazing brothers. The brothers are remarkably impressive in many ways. BIGGEST LOSER Chris Arreola: I hesitate to associate Arreola with the word loser; he’s anything but that. He was extremely hard on himself after the fight Saturday, going so far as to say that those who dismissed him as a fat so-and-so were right. In fact, he worked hard in training camp and gave absolutely everything he had against an all-but-unbeatable foe in the ring. His profound disappointment is a good sign, however. It means he truly hates losing. And that can be a powerful motivating factor. He said afterward that he would stop drinking beer and focus year round on fitness. If he does, if he truly gives everything he has to boxing, he’ll be a force in the division yet. BEST DECISION Henry Ramirez: I had a lot of respect for Ramirez going into the fight; I have more now. I don’t think a combination of Ray Arcel, Eddie Futch and Freddie Roach could’ve guided Arreola to victory on Saturday; Klitschko is just too good. However, no one could’ve handled the ending any better than Ramirez. Arreola was beginning to take serious punishment in the ninth round and it got worse in the 10th. Ramirez, who wanted to win as badly as Arreola, knew his protégé and friend wouldn’t like it but refused to stand by while he got seriously injured and stopped the fight. The timing was perfect. And he said the right things afterward, making it clear that Arreola would never have quit and that it was the trainer’s decision. Well done, Henry. MOST-CONTRASTING MATCHUP Wladimir Klitschko-Eddie Chambers: Chambers, expected to meet the younger Klitschko brother early next year, is the polar opposite of Arreola. The Philadelphian is relatively small [listed at 6-1] and strictly a boxer. He looked terrific against then-unbeaten Alexander Dimitrenko in July, dominating the bigger man with his skills and unusual athleticism. I’m not saying he’ll do the same to Klitschko; I suspect he won’t. However, it will be interesting to see whether he can do any better than his American counterpart did on Saturday with a completely different style. In the end, I think Chambers will do better than Arreola but prove to be too small and not quite quick enough against the more athletic of the brothers. MOST-OVERDUE MATCHUP Jones-Hopkins: Any time two fighters with names as big as Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins meet it generates some interest. Thus, from a promotional standpoint, this is a decent fight even if will be almost 17 years overdue. Fans will want to see what will happen. However, it’s a shame that two future Hall of Famers – both in their 40s -- are meeting when it means next to nothing. Jones isn’t Jones any longer, despite what he did to a catatonic Jeff Lacy in his last fight. And while Hopkins is remarkably effective at 44, his decision to fight Jones instead of other possible opponents – including Chad Dawson and Tomasz Adamek – hurts his credibility some. It’s like old timers baseball games; they’re nice but you don’t take them seriously. At least they’ll be well paid when they meet early next year, which really was the point. BEST MATCHUP Pavlik-Williams: It’s not often that two young American stars meet in a high-profile fight that is very difficult to predict. Pavlik lost his imposing aura to a degree when he was outpointed by light heavyweight Bernard Hopkins last year but remains a strong, hard-punching middleweight who will be a daunting test for any 160-pounder. Williams throws 100 quick, hard punches a round from all kinds of angles with the reach of a tall heavyweight, one reason he has found it difficult to lure big-name opponents into the ring. His performance against Winky Wright in April was outstanding. However, Williams gives up his usual height advantage against Pavlik and will face the strongest opponent of his career. This might be the most-intriguing fight of 2009. BIGGEST WINNER II Richard Schaefer: The Golden Boy Promotions CEO put his credibility on the line when he predicted that Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Juan Manuel Marquez would do a million pay-per-view buys. Most observers scoffed at the notion. As he put it, “They thought this guy was just promoting.” In the end, they were wrong and he was right. Mayweather did turn out to be a bigger attraction than many believed. And there was more to it than that, for which Schaefer also can take much responsibility. The fighters’ faces and stories were everywhere in the weeks leading up to the fight because of a marketing blitz he spearheaded. Clearly, it worked. Schaefer and Co. turned a fight most believed was a mismatch into one of the biggest promotions in the history of non-heavyweight boxing. Unbelievable. BEST TIME TO RETIRE Jesus Chavez: The former two-time titleholder, who has engaged in many taxing ring wars over a long career, had all but decided to retire before agreeing to meet David Diaz on Saturday in Chicago. He spoke like a fighter who was giving it one last shot. And that he did, turning in a credible performance but losing a majority decision to another tough fighter. This is a perfect time to walk away. Chavez, who will be 37 in November, can leave with his head held high and without having taken a bad beating in his last fight. He said candidly before the fight that he didn’t want to be that guy who hung around too long. Jesus, don’t be that guy. Retire now. You’ve had a fine career. BEST PUNCH Ronny Rios: Check out the young prospect’s one-punch knockout of veteran Manuel Sarabia on Thursday night’s Fight Night Club card at Club Nokia in Los Angeles here: http://www.ringtv.com/video/rios_vs_sarabia_fight_night_club/. Rios, from Santa Ana, Calif., landed a perfect right cross to the chin of his Mexican foe and he couldn’t get up, ending the only 38 seconds after the opening bell. It was the highlight of the fourth installment of the popular series, which is expected to continue late this year or early next year. BEST QUOTE Vitali Klitschko: “All of the public, they want to see great fighters get close and prove who has a better chin, [and see] a lot of blood [and] a couple of knockdowns. I don’t want to prove [I have a hard] head. I want to use my head after my boxing career. That’s why I work a lot on defense. Maybe it didn’t look so impressive, but I wasn’t going to let him punch me.” Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVeditor@yahoo.com |
