Wladimir Klitschko vs. Eddie Chambers

Challenger rankings

Org.	Pos.	As of	Published
1+ Mth. Old
WBA	NR	05.12.2009	05-18.12.2009
WBC	NR	~01.11.2009	by 03.12.2009
IBF	2	~30.11.2009	by 03.12.2009
WBO	1	01.12.2009	26.11-19.12.2009
Ring	3	18.10.2009	17.10-04.12.2009
2+ Mth. Old
WBA	NR	21.10.2009	10.10-22.11.2009
WBC	NR	~01.09.2009	by 14.10.2009
IBF	2	~31.10.2009	15.09-14.10.2009
WBO	1	01.09.2009	by 25.09.2009
Ring	3	04.10.2009	by 08.10.2009
3+ Mth. Old
WBA	NR	28.08.2009	by 07.10.2009
WBC	NR	~01.09.2009	by 14.10.2009
IBF	2	~31.10.2009	15.09-14.10.2009
WBO	1	01.09.2009	by 25.09.2009
Ring	3	04.10.2009	by 08.10.2009

Wladimir Klitschko 245 lbs beat Eddie Chambers 209 lbs by KO at 2:55 in round 12 of 12

• Date: 2010-03-20
• Location: ESPRIT arena, Duesseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
• Referee: Genaro Rodriguez
• Judge: Dave Parris
• Judge: Manfred Kuechler
• Judge: Tom Miller

• Ring Announcer: Michael Buffer
• Aired On: RTL Television (Germany), Inter (Ukraine) (Main Event), Primetime PPV (United Kingdom)
• International Boxing Federation Heavyweight Title (8th defense by Klitschko)
• World Boxing Organization Heavyweight Title (4th defense by Klitschko)
• International Boxing Organization Heavyweight Title (8th defense by Klitchsko)
• The Ring Magazine Heavyweight Title (1st defense by Klitschko)

Notes

• Contracts signed on January 25.[1][2]
• Klitschko entered as The Ring Magazine World Heavyweight Champion, and Chambers was the publication's #4 contender.
• Chambers was a 4½ to 1 betting underdog.
• Chambers weighed in at 209 1/2 lbs., the second lightest of his professional boxing career to date.
• Ticket prices ranged from €20 ($27) to €600 ($811).[3][4]
• The crowd was reported to be over 51,000.[5]
• The bout was televised in approximately 110 countries.[6][7][8]
• In Germany, the fight averaged 12.59 million viewers with 52.8 share. At its peak, it was watched by 13.74 million viewers.[9] The fight drew better numbers than that year's Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, which averaged 11.89 million.[10]
• In the US and Canada, the fight was broadcasted as a PPV through the Klitschkos' official website for $14.95. Registering 300,000 buys, it generated cca $4.5 million in revenue.[11]
• The only stoppage loss of Eddie Chambers' career. Any other time Chambers lost, he went the distance without being knocked down.

Hammer Without Power

Susanne Rohlfing, Der Spiegel, March 21, 2010

It was an event, not a fight. There was a show partner, not an opponent. Heavyweight star Wladimir Klitschko dominated the fight against Eddie Chambers, eventually knocking him out – and in doing so, he highlighted the dilemma facing the boxing world.

Dan Goossen truly defied resignation. But now he sits there, pale, with slumped shoulders, without the slightest spark of confidence in his eyes. The American boxing trainer embodies in this moment how heavyweight division feels right now, apart from the men in their red or black tracksuits emblazoned with the golden Klitschko logo: hopeless. Unspectacular, hopeless, desperate. "They're big, they're strong, they're incredibly tough," Goossen says of the Ukrainians Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko. Too big, too strong, too tough for Goossen's boxers, who in recent years had been among the best the USA had to offer.

On Saturday evening in Dusseldorf, it was the red tracksuits' turn, so it was Wladimir's turn to fight. And Goossen sent one of his fighters into the ring for the third time in three years.

The result: Eddie Chambers from Philadelphia was as helpless as Tony Thompson in July 2008, Chris Arreola against Vitali Klitschko in September 2009, or all the others who had tried recently.

Heavyweight boxing is facing a looming tedium, enlivened only by the Ukrainians' organizational prowess. Wladimir Klitschko boxed in a football stadium for the second time on Saturday; after Schalke, it was Dusseldorf's turn this time. The arena was nearly full, with almost 50,000 spectators in attendance. "People are embracing the combination of sport and entertainment," Klitschko's manager, Bernd Boente, exulted beforehand. "Dancing, having fun, listening to music" is part of Klitschko's successful stadium concept. And so, Marius Muller-Westernhagen was also present in Dusseldorf. There was a fireworks display for Klitschko's entrance and gold tinsel after his victory. Lots of pomp and circumstance, little actual battle. But that doesn't matter – at least according to Boente: "It's about the Klitschko event, not the opponent."

The times when the Klitschkos were still losing, when Vitali had a bloody battle with Briton Lennox Lewis (2003) or Wladimir was knocked out by Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster (2003/2004), seem to come from another era.

Chambers took one left-handed jab after another

Eddie Chambers wasn't one of those opponents who tries to bolster their own courage with harsh words before a fight. He did promise, however, to score points with his speed. And at one point, he even announced that he intended to shock the world. But when he finally stepped into the ring with Klitschko, he didn't manage to keep his head any faster than anyone else. He absorbed one of Klitschko's feared left jabs after another. A crisp left-right combination left him staggered as early as the second round.

Perhaps Eddie Chambers hit a little faster than others – when he actually threw a punch. But that didn't matter, because the punches never landed on Klitschko's head and only rarely on his body.

The only unusual thing about Chambers' performance was his behavior in clinches. He simply lifted the 15 cm taller and 16 kg heavier Klitschko on his shoulders; at one point, the challenger even took the world champion down in this manner. Chambers later explained that he wanted to prevent Klitschko from leaning too heavily on him with all his mass. Klitschko simply laughed and said that no opponent had ever done that to him before. "But I didn't mind," Chambers said, "Eddie Chambers had to lift 110 kilos every time – and that's bound to tire you out."

Just five seconds to utter boredom

Klitschko was disarmingly honest in his analysis of the fight. "I'm glad it ended, otherwise the fight could have been described as boring." In fact, it came within five seconds of being truly boring, as it wasn't until 2:55 minutes into the twelfth and final round that Klitschko landed a precise left hook on Chambers' temple.

The American went down so helplessly and then laid there for minutes with his neck twisted, that Klitschko's celebratory dance in the ring initially seemed a little grotesque. But Chambers recovered and stated: "That was a really good punch, Klitschko is a great fighter."

"A fluke," grumbled Klitschko's heavyweight colleague Luan Krasniqi. "Wladimir didn't do anything, he didn't take any risks." Klitschko's trainer, Emanuel Steward, apparently shared this view at one point, having increasingly berated his protege in his corner and demanding clean, hard punches. "Relax, I'm trying," Klitschko had replied.

But Wladimir Klitschko's personal safety comes first. He never wants to lose again, never wants to go down so miserably as he did against Sanders or Brewster. He revels in his dominance, which bores and frustrates others. "I've had my share of negative experiences, and I want to make sure they never happen again."

Dan Goossen seems to be hoping for a similar outcome to his own bad experiences. Defiantly, he says, "If the Klitschkos retire, Eddie Chambers will become world champion." This doesn't sound like Goossen intends to continue his offensive. It sounds like resignation and a new anti-Klitschko strategy: wait and hope that the Ukrainians eventually get fed up with their own big, flashy, glamorous show.[12]

Quotes

• "I heard how fast Eddie Chambers was. What kills speed? People always debate in boxing what kills speed. Anticipation kills speed. You study and do things the right way. If your opponent is faster, anticipation kills speed" - Wladimir Klitschko, after the fight