Boxing Betting / Alex Steedman / 14 March 2010 /

Vladimir Klitschko may not be the most charismatic bloke around nor does he put on the greatest show for spectators but he can certainly fight and should have no problems disposing of Eddie Chambers, says Alex Steedman.

Young sports fans were asked to "Be like Mike" through the 80's while the same claim was made by Tiger Woods at the turn of the millennium. What happened to the sporting role models?

Step forward Vladimir Klitschko. Being Champion of the World comes with a certain responsibility but being King of the Heavyweight division demands so much more. And Klitschko seems to have it all; body and looks to die for, skills and technique aplenty, the good manners and social grace of a statesmen. An ad man's dream he may be, but Boxing fans like a little bang for their buck and while Dr Steelhammer can pack a punch, he's not exactly a PHD in thrill-a-minute.

Younger of the Klitschko brothers, Vladimir absolutely stank out the joint when winning just about every round against Sultan Ibragimov in New York two years ago. He hasn't been asked back. But when you're packing out arenas in Germany and winning without drama, what does it matter? It matters to Manny Pacquiao and it matters to the people who make Pac Man the most decorated, as well as the best paid, fighter in the sport. Don't expect a Klitschko transformation anytime soon though.

He's a chess-playing thinker but it's what goes on between his ears when he's inside the ropes that bothers me. And, I suspect, him too. He fights as though the memory of his brush with disaster against Samuel Peter in 2005 still haunts his very move. Down three times against a plodder who makes cracking peanuts with a pick axe look like fine art, Klitschko has been safety first ever since.

The general pattern of a Vladimir Klitschko fight is usually the same: a thumping left jab thrust out regularly, often as a pawing deterrent as much as a weapon, followed by a rare right hand when prudence dictates. Then when it's clear that resistance is minimal, press lightly on the accelerator.

The fact that half of his last 10 wins have been referee induced TKO's, underlines the point. There have been two retirements and two decision wins in there too with only one genuine, fail-to-beat-the-count, stoppage. That's amazing really when you consider Klitschko's size and skill advantages. Look at it this way; put David Haye in Klitschko's body and you would have one of the best heavyweights ever.

Given his size and employed tactics, Klitschko is very difficult to beat, so the task facing relative Lilliputian Eddie Chambers is literally huge. He wasted an opportunity on his first visit to Germany in 2008 when allowing star novice Alexander Povetkin to out-hustle him down the stretch. Certainly he appeared weak-willed that night but has looked transformed since. Chambers was too cute for Klitschko's old adversary Samuel Peter last year when taking a majority decision and he repeated the feat against previously unbeaten Alexander Dimitrenko last time.

People have been raving about that performance, a win which surely exorcised a few demons on what was his return to Germany. And there is no doubt that Chambers live up to his "fast" moniker. He was evasive in defence and sharp on the counter, flooring Dimitrenko twice. But while there are comparisons being made with Klitschko as another tall, heavy Eastern European, he and Dimitrenko are classes apart. The latter went into the Chambers fight having beaten one-time players Timo Hoffman and Luan Krasniqi who were 35 and 38 years old respectively. Not strong form at all.

Chambers did give away some 40lbs+ in that fight having weighed in close to his career low, so he is focused, as well as artful in defence. He fights in a similar style to Shane Mosley in that he's not particularly mobile but relies upon fast hands, good upper body movement and sharp counter attacks. He's fairly tidy at deflecting punches off his gloves too which will be an important tactic, if not necessarily an obvious one against Klitschko. Inviting a talented big man like him to pot shot while you spy for counters looks like boxing suicide to me but with only two KO's in his last eight fights, it is Chambers' only chance. The big question is; how much resistance will Chambers show when he's on the end of a sustained Klitschko jab-fest?

So there is the possibility of a familiar story unfolding here and that presents Vladimir Klitschko with yet another opportunity to shine. But given his trepidation, early finishes are rare these days with eight of his last nine bouts going at least 6 rounds and usually more. At the prices, a win on points for Klitschko might be the value call but a mid-late stoppage -look at rounds 7 through 10 -looks more likely. As ever for punters though, the trick is guessing at what point Klitschko will put his foot on the gas.

Verdict: Klitschko win
Method of victory: KO/TKO/DQ

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