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Klitschko batters Williams!
By Chris Bronte and Herman Patton at ringside
WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko retained his title with an eighth round KO over Mike Tyson-conqueror Danny Williams Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. Klitschko (35-2, 34 KOs) dominated the fight, flooring Williams four times while landing five times the number of punches. Vitali staggered Williams with a right hand in round one then sent Williams to the deck with a barrage of punches. Willaims (32-4, 27 KOs ) got up at nine and made it out of the round. Klitschko controlled round two from the outside while Williams did little. Klitscho dropped Williams with a left hook at the bell in round three. Klitschko continued to score in round four, but Williams was still dangerous, especially since Vitali was holding his left hand at his side and his right hand low. Klitscko continued to pick Williams apart from the outside in round five, while Williams could not connect with Vitali's exposed jaw. Williams was more aggressive in the sixth, but Klitschko was still in command. Klitscko staggered Williams in the seventh with an uppercut and later dropped Williams with a right hand/push. The champion landed some big shots in the eighth then put Williams down again with a right hand, prompting referee Jay Nady to finally stop the beating. Time was 1:26.

Poor williams

That Slaughterfest card was destined to end with a brutal fight. It started off with El Famoso - a fighter I greatly admire - in a fight that was like a bad b-movie: Blood Monster versus Octopus Man. I was glad he got the nod, though. Pitter-patter Ramirez did a good Macho Camacho impression.

As for the big fight: I expected Williams to be brutally knocked out in round 7, however I honestly never thought he would be brutally battered for a solid seven and three-quarter rounds. It was as if he stepped into a teleporter at the Rivermead and dropped out at the Mandalay Bay.

He demands respect for lasting that long and getting back up over and over again. In years to come though, that fight will be looked on as embarrassing. I bet 'Europe's Biggest Promoter' and Simon Block were squirming afterwards while mixing with the US big-wigs. Their contender - and it has to be said - looked like a novice lifted off the street.

It's wrong to rip into a guy if he isn't good enough. And Danny Williams was not good enough, nowhere near good enough. But I still believe he could have offered more than that. It looked like the mentally fragile Danny Williams re-surfaced after Plan A failed; Plan A did not fail in the Tyson fight and look what happened there.

If he had had his moments, then got brutalised (as I thought he would/could have) then he would deserve all the praise in the world. Unfortunately he came in fat, was planless after the first 20 seconds, then did a good impression of a heavy bag for nearly the whole fight. At times he reminded me of Herbie Hide. How ironic.

Still unsure about Klitschko, in all fairness this title defense looked like many of his early career fights, with a shorter guy staying outside the whole time and simply soaking it up. He's good at imposing his height and reach - as he should be - but I don't think we'll get the full picture on Klitschko until he fights Byrd and Ruiz.

As for Danny, I'm not sure he deserves another shot at a legit belt straight away. A fight or two before-hand would suffice. If he looks as shit as Saturday, or actually gets beat, then it should be back to domestic level for some pre-retirement pay-days. I actually wouldn't begrudge him retiring just now, ending the rollercoaster ride of frustration that his career has been. He seems such a genuinely nice guy I'd hate if he carried on at the top level, getting beat up, then ending up broke when all the leeches slither off with his money. Hope 'Europe's Biggest Promoter' does some good and makes sure that Yarde pudendum doesn't get a penny.