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By Jake Donovan
The winner of next month's heavyweight clash between Wladimir Klitschko and Sultan Ibragimov now knows their next challenger. Whether or not anyone blinked is another story.
Alexander Povetkin is now an official entry into the heavyweight sweepstakes, outworking American challenger "Fast" Eddie Chambers en route to a unanimous decision in a battle of unbeaten heavyweights Saturday in Berlin, Germany.
The tempo of the bout remained the same from beginning to end. There was lots of posing between the two fleshy heavyweights, but the ambitious Povetkin initiating most of the action while the reluctant Chambers was outworked, waiting too long for counter opportunities that were rarely made available.
Povetkin's strategy was a smart one, as he fought on his toes and recognized early on that Chambers, who came in at a jiggly 219 lb., was there to be outworked. Chambers obliged all too willingly, fighting flat-footed and plodding forward, giving Povetkin, 227, ample opportunity to set his feet and load up on his power shots.
Things changed in the third round, if only for the moment, when Chambers was able to slip a combination and come back with a counter right hand. It was the first time in the fight that Povetkin felt the American's power, though seemingly unfazed as he regained control in the fourth round.
Chambers became more mobile in the fifth round, giving Povetkin less opportunities to land his straight right. But with little offense behind the movement, Chambers was ineffective in keeping the Russian off of him, with Povetkin enjoying his best moments when able to pin the American on the ropes. Povetkin was also effective with his double left hook, downstairs and up top.
Rounds six, seven and eight were all Povetkin, as Chambers failed to heed the pleas of new head trainer Buddy McGirt to pick up the pace, in fear that his American charge was falling behind on the cards. Chambers finally woke up in the ninth round, effective fighting in reverse, and landing in combinations for the first time in the fight. It was by far his best round of the fight, but perhaps too little too late in regards to the scorecards.
The championship rounds began with Povetkin playing keep away, potshotting Chambers from the outside while making sure to not get caught with anything foolish. It was a sound game plan, if of course it was guaranteed that he was ahead on the scorecards. Not leaving anything to chance, the Russian closed strong in the final round. Chambers was on the hunt, but a lot of leather in return as Povetkin was consistently first to the punch throughout. Povetkin was bouncing on his toes as the final bell rang, bearing the look of a man confident that he was leaving the ring with his "0" still intact.
Chambers' facial expression in his corner while awaiting the reading of the scorecards told the story of how the bout went. The American sported a look of disappointment, while receiving a chastising from the corner.
The final outcome was obvious, but ring announcer Michael Buffer made it official, belting out scores of 117-111, 119-109 and 116-112, all for Povetkin, who cruises to 15-0 (11KO).
The 2004 Olympian is now the mandatory challenger to the alphabet title presently owned by Wladimir Klitschko, universally regarded as the best fighter in a heavyweight division still in search of an undisputed champion.
While Povetkin is ensured an alphabet title shot in his next fight, there's no guarantee that it comes against the winner of next month's Klitschko-Ibragimov showdown. Also waiting in the wings is Tony Thompson, presently Ibragimov's mandatory challenger. More germane to the equation is Thompson's promoter, Dan Goossen, who also promotes Chambers. Goossen could decide that he still wants next in line, thus using Thompson's mandatory position to force the WBO's hand in either ordering an immediate match or a vacancy of their title.
Whatever happens in the immediate future at the top of the heavyweight division, none of it will involve Eddie Chambers, who falls to 30-1 (16KO) in losing for the first time since turning pro in late 2000. While there's plenty of time to turn things around, the 25-year old needs to give serious consideration to the division at which he plans to compete.
The 6'1" Chambers has spent his entire career at heavyweight, though tonight's fight made it painfully obvious that carrying around 20 extra pounds of blubber may not be worth the extra dollars that comes in competing in the sport's one-time glamour division.
Povetkin isn't exactly a sculptured Greek God, but bears the look and skill set of a future player in the heavyweight division. He now also sports a major bargaining chip, thanks to his win over Chambers in Germany.
The bout served as the main event of a telecast aired live on German station ARD, and presented by Sauerland Events, who promotes Povetkin. HBO will air the bout later this evening via tape-delay on their Boxing After Dark series, along with the exclusive rebroadcast of last week's PPV event between Roy Jones and Felix Trinidad.
Jake Donovan is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Tennessee Boxing Advisory Board. His column runs every Tuesday on BoxingScene.com.
The winner of next month's heavyweight clash between Wladimir Klitschko and Sultan Ibragimov now knows their next challenger. Whether or not anyone blinked is another story.
Alexander Povetkin is now an official entry into the heavyweight sweepstakes, outworking American challenger "Fast" Eddie Chambers en route to a unanimous decision in a battle of unbeaten heavyweights Saturday in Berlin, Germany.
The tempo of the bout remained the same from beginning to end. There was lots of posing between the two fleshy heavyweights, but the ambitious Povetkin initiating most of the action while the reluctant Chambers was outworked, waiting too long for counter opportunities that were rarely made available.
Povetkin's strategy was a smart one, as he fought on his toes and recognized early on that Chambers, who came in at a jiggly 219 lb., was there to be outworked. Chambers obliged all too willingly, fighting flat-footed and plodding forward, giving Povetkin, 227, ample opportunity to set his feet and load up on his power shots.
Things changed in the third round, if only for the moment, when Chambers was able to slip a combination and come back with a counter right hand. It was the first time in the fight that Povetkin felt the American's power, though seemingly unfazed as he regained control in the fourth round.
Chambers became more mobile in the fifth round, giving Povetkin less opportunities to land his straight right. But with little offense behind the movement, Chambers was ineffective in keeping the Russian off of him, with Povetkin enjoying his best moments when able to pin the American on the ropes. Povetkin was also effective with his double left hook, downstairs and up top.
Rounds six, seven and eight were all Povetkin, as Chambers failed to heed the pleas of new head trainer Buddy McGirt to pick up the pace, in fear that his American charge was falling behind on the cards. Chambers finally woke up in the ninth round, effective fighting in reverse, and landing in combinations for the first time in the fight. It was by far his best round of the fight, but perhaps too little too late in regards to the scorecards.
The championship rounds began with Povetkin playing keep away, potshotting Chambers from the outside while making sure to not get caught with anything foolish. It was a sound game plan, if of course it was guaranteed that he was ahead on the scorecards. Not leaving anything to chance, the Russian closed strong in the final round. Chambers was on the hunt, but a lot of leather in return as Povetkin was consistently first to the punch throughout. Povetkin was bouncing on his toes as the final bell rang, bearing the look of a man confident that he was leaving the ring with his "0" still intact.
Chambers' facial expression in his corner while awaiting the reading of the scorecards told the story of how the bout went. The American sported a look of disappointment, while receiving a chastising from the corner.
The final outcome was obvious, but ring announcer Michael Buffer made it official, belting out scores of 117-111, 119-109 and 116-112, all for Povetkin, who cruises to 15-0 (11KO).
The 2004 Olympian is now the mandatory challenger to the alphabet title presently owned by Wladimir Klitschko, universally regarded as the best fighter in a heavyweight division still in search of an undisputed champion.
While Povetkin is ensured an alphabet title shot in his next fight, there's no guarantee that it comes against the winner of next month's Klitschko-Ibragimov showdown. Also waiting in the wings is Tony Thompson, presently Ibragimov's mandatory challenger. More germane to the equation is Thompson's promoter, Dan Goossen, who also promotes Chambers. Goossen could decide that he still wants next in line, thus using Thompson's mandatory position to force the WBO's hand in either ordering an immediate match or a vacancy of their title.
Whatever happens in the immediate future at the top of the heavyweight division, none of it will involve Eddie Chambers, who falls to 30-1 (16KO) in losing for the first time since turning pro in late 2000. While there's plenty of time to turn things around, the 25-year old needs to give serious consideration to the division at which he plans to compete.
The 6'1" Chambers has spent his entire career at heavyweight, though tonight's fight made it painfully obvious that carrying around 20 extra pounds of blubber may not be worth the extra dollars that comes in competing in the sport's one-time glamour division.
Povetkin isn't exactly a sculptured Greek God, but bears the look and skill set of a future player in the heavyweight division. He now also sports a major bargaining chip, thanks to his win over Chambers in Germany.
The bout served as the main event of a telecast aired live on German station ARD, and presented by Sauerland Events, who promotes Povetkin. HBO will air the bout later this evening via tape-delay on their Boxing After Dark series, along with the exclusive rebroadcast of last week's PPV event between Roy Jones and Felix Trinidad.
Jake Donovan is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Tennessee Boxing Advisory Board. His column runs every Tuesday on BoxingScene.com.
