Povetkin/Chambers - HBO Card From Germany

[Ron Lipton]

I tuned in to HBO telecast of Alaexander Povetkin v Eddie Champbers fight last night. It was truly a boring fight between two supposed top fighters who received much publicity before their encounter which they knew would be televised worldwide.

Both men especially Chambers were grossly out of shape to me and fought like it. It always surprises me more and more and is quite puzzling also as to the lack of talent out there in the heavyweight division. When the opportunity arrives one after another come into that ring so far out of shape that the greats of the past must still be shaking their heads in disgust.

What a boring division it has become and remained for so many years now.
Am I missing something?

[TKO Tom]

I'm with you Ron.

If I was in the shape those guys were last night, I'd be embarassed to take off my shirt to mow the lawn!

And these guys call themselves "professional" athletes.

They should be ashamed of themselves.

Wlad Klitschko will blow Povetkin out of there.

TKS

[HE Grant]

I cut it on for about ten seconds, saw what the guys looked like and turned it right off ... it reminded me of the Tubbs/Witherspoon/Page early 1980's ...

[Petey]

They even brought Dabney Coleman, er, Steve Smoger over to join the event, appropriately held under a circus tent.

With all due respect to these kids, I sure hope they ain't the future of the heavyweight division!

[hagler04]

It was a decent fight the first 5 rounds or so (especially since both guys completely lacked any footwork/angles whatsoever and just stood right in front of each other), then Chambers, a really overweight fighter who I believe could make it to 175 if he really pushed himself, completely fizzled out. If Chambers had weighed 200 lbs he would've easily won the fight going away.

Povetkin, who disappointed me, at least showed a good work-rate and heart. On the flipside, after an extensive amateur career he still throws lots of ineffective wasteful punches that in the amateurs "score" points but do nothing in the pros except waste energy. He doesn't have much pop and his defense vs straight punches is non-existant. Conclusion, Klitschko, even being an extremely vulnerable fighter, will eat Povetkin for lunch if they end up fighting.

I would like to see Povetkin-Peter . . .that has the potential of being a very exciting matchup (at least for the first 6 rounds until both guys gas right on cue )

[DscribeDC]

Am I the only one who thought he was watching a tank job? Eddie Chambers simply did not fight like a guy who was trying to win. I'd be curious to see if any late money came in on Povetkin...

[diggity]

I was never overly impressed with either fighter but last Chambers looked sharper than I remembered him although his activity level was never great and Povetkin seemed to regress a bit. I like Povetkin but he wasted a lot of energy on ineffective volume punching as was mentioned. His punch selection was much better against Byrd. It could be that he may have been fighting a little more frantically in the face of someone with much more pop than Byrd? He was clearly stunned a few times but hid it well. I thought he looked a little more winded than normal at the end where normally he is pretty fresh but rumors have it that he battled a flu in camp.

Both guys are a bit soft and both would probably be poleaxed by Wladimir in the same night all the same. I'm not 100% sold on Povetkin's power yet or the ability to take a good shot. Peter would be a good test for him before Wlad. I would take Peter at this point without losing much sleep. Povetkin will make for some good & interesting fights but he should wait a while before getting in with Wlad.

[boxingman]

guys i don't want to sound like a jerk
but give me a break....


how can you say they are so out of shape if they went 12 rounds....

spar a round and see how it is to be in shape?


and some of you guys say that they have no footwork etc

you have to be jokeing to say something like this...

guys that have no footwork get beaten up in local amauter shows.
not win gold medals and become number continder 1 in pros

i box myself and trust me go in the ring with even a low level pro and you will see just many moves and tricks they have....

but then again these are not things that one can know about when never boxing himself and just putting down fighters

[Mexal]

I'm pretty sure that most of us here at the CBZ have done some boxing and have actually gone some rounds in a real ring. I have the utmost respect for most of the guys here, for they've shown time and time again their true knowledge and love for the sport. I've learned so much just by reading what some fellows here post. It is not an insult to claim that certain boxer doesn't have footwork. I think it's pretty evident.

To go 12 rds is pretty admirable, but these guys are supposed to train to go 12 rds. It's the profession they chose. It shouldn't be celebrated that a boxer can go 12 rds because he is expected to. I don't have to be their peer to make an opinion about a boxer. If that was the case, there would only be good things to say about all sports. Then we wouldn't be discussing anything in the first place.

[kikibalt]

guys i don't want to sound like a jerk
but give me a break....


how can you say they are so out of shape if they went 12 rounds....

spar a round and see how it is to be in shape?


and some of you guys say that they have no footwork etc

you have to be jokeing to say something like this...

guys that have no footwork get beaten up in local amauter shows.
not win gold medals and become number continder 1 in pros

i box myself and trust me go in the ring with even a low level pro and you will see just many moves and tricks they have....

but then again these are not things that one can know about when never boxing himself and just putting down fighters

Boxingman,

Trust me, most of the guys on this board know their boxing, we have pro boxers, some ex-pro boxers, Ron Lipton was a top referee, Rodolfo "Gato" Gonzales was world lightweight champion, we have top trainers-managers, I think I can say that of all boxing sites on the web that the CBZ has the most knowledgeable members.

As for the Povetkin-Chambers fight, I too gave up watching it after one round, for so call top heavyweights I thought both looked pathetic, but then again thats me with just a little knowledge of the game.

Frank

P.S I agree 100% with Mexal

[boxingman]

i am not doubting that alot of people here know alot about boxing and i have learned alot by reading some of the posts.

but anyone who has actually boxed knows the crazy talent and skill a fighter needs to have to get the positon that povetkin and chambers are in.


and when you say a fighter has no footwork or defense,
again any fighter has weakness and maybe footwork is not povetkin's best
skill but trust me he knows how to move in the ring.
if he didn't have defense or footwork, he would have not gotten out the local amauter boxing scene in russia.

to be honest, i still have to watch this fight but most of the guys i box with
were impressed with it.


i have seen both povetkin and chambers fight before.

[kikibalt]

By Michael Swann
15Rounds.com

2004 Olympic super heavyweight gold medallist Alexander “The White Lion” Povetkin, now 15-0 (11), convincingly defeated previously unbeaten “Fast” Eddie Chambers, 30-1 (16), in Berlin Saturday by scores of 117-111, 119-109, and 116-112. (We saw it here at 116-112.) The fight was billed as an IBF title eliminator for the winner of the IBF belt holder Wladimir Klitschko vs. WBO titlist Sultan Ibragimov title unification match on February 23.

That’s the story that will go into the record books, the details of no consequence later. But the truth is that when all was said and done neither man performed anywhere near the level of competition such as Sultan or Wlad, and the winner Povetkin is still out of his league with these gentlemen, and unless he shows dramatic progress he won’t be ready in the near future.

Chambers got off to a fast start in the early rounds, landing right hands with pinpoint accuracy and putting a mouse under Alexander’s left eye as early as round two. In a strong fourth round, Chambers connected on 22 of 32 shots.

Inexplicably, Chambers went from punching sparingly to hardly at all. When he did land, there was never a follow, just one and done. Meanwhile Povetkin proceeded to pick up the pace and box circles around him. Povetkin worked for three minutes of every round, landing a total of 201 out of 929 total punches, and 144 of 513 power punches.

Chambers landed 197 total punches, but only threw 398. On power punches he was 136 out of 224, a very accurate 61%, but his punch output dropped as the fight went on. “Fast” Eddie is a good defensive fighter and blocked the majority of Povetkin’s shots, but how do you expect to win when you throw 398 punches against your opponent’s 929? When you don’t throw back while your adversary keeps steadily working, you deserve to lose.

At the end of the fight, Povetkin showed some swelling from the right eye and had a puffy black eye on the left side. You had the impression, at least early, that Chambers had the ability to hurt his opponent, or maybe cut the fair skinned Russian, but “Fast” Eddie was too slow on the draw.

I gave Povetkin the last seven rounds in a row. When Chambers views the tape, he’ll know why and kick himself. I can’t understand why Eddie even made the trip to put on such a listless performance. His corner, including his father, Eddie Sr. and Buddy McGirt, desperately tried to will him to work between, and even during rounds.

Eddie didn’t even break into gear to steal rounds between the 10 second warning and the clanging German bell to end the round. It looks as if it’s back to ESPN 2 for him.

HBO analyst Max Kellerman might have had a good idea, suggesting that Eddie consider campaigning as a cruiserweight. He’s only 25, he weighed in at 219, a bit smallish today at heavyweight, and as always he carried a bit of excess flab around the middle. It might be worth a try.

I read an interesting headline that read, “Povetkin upsets Chambers,” or something to that effect. How that could be with Chambers fighting in Povetkin’s backyard and Alexander’s Wilifried Sauerland promotional team running the show mystifies me, but Chambers is one American who can’t complain about getting jobbed in Europe. The fight was settled the old fashioned way, with the more talented, harder working contestant winning.

By the way, I would be remiss if I didn’t leave a positive comment about the creative camera work on the legs of one of those Povetkin girly greeters wearing military attire and short skirts, proudly waving their Russian flags as Alexander made his entrance.

Before we move on to the next point, I want to address a couple of matters here.

First, Kellerman, in assessing Roy Jones’ performance against Felix Trinidad questioned Roy’s ability to take on the likes of Joe Calzaghe, Jermain Taylor, or Kelly Pavlik. He suggested that Roy would be better advised to seek out Oscar De La Hoya at a catchweight.

That’s ludicrous. First of all, Oscar is already working out his plan for the year, and Roy Jones certainly isn’t a part of it. I mean Oscar certainly saw Trinidad get pummeled by the bigger man. Would anyone seriously think that Oscar would give any opponent that kind of advantage?

Oscar already overreached at 160 and to get him in the ring with Jones at a catchweight, Roy would have to appear at an emaciated 155.

Conversely, Roy’s name is out there for the first time in years. He paid his dues in the minor leagues in order to return to relevance. A man with his talent deserves a last hurrah.

My second point is that the HBO website advertised the Povetkin-Chambers fight as “live” instead of a tape delay due to the time difference in Berlin. I wouldn’t bring up such trivia but although most fans may already have known that, there are people who might have gone to the Internet to read my column and gotten the results inadvertently, unaware that the fight had already taken place.

SO NOW WHAT?

Max said that he would consider Povetkin “live” (as in underdog) against any heavyweight, including Klitschko, the presumed favorite. I’m not so sure that that presumption might turn out to be premature. Sultan Ibragimov is a versatile boxer/puncher who continually finds ways to win.

I asked Sultan’s promoter, Leon Margules of Seminole Warriors Boxing about this and he replied, “If he’s live against Klitschko, he’s dead against Ibragimov.”

Margules said that Sultan wants to unify the titles, so if he wins against Wladimir his preference is to fight another champion, or Povetkin if mandated by the IBF.

So what about WBO mandatory challenger Tony Thompson?

Well, the WBO gives a unified champion 18 months to defend against their mandatory, as their “Super Champion.”

On the other side of that coin, Margules stated, “If we want to keep the IBF title, we have to fight Povetkin right away.”

Under IBF rules 5A and 5B, a champion gets 12 months for a newly acquired title, and nine months for an existing title. Margules said that it was possible that the IBF may allow the winner to fight Thompson first. He added that both mandatories would be fought “sooner or later.”

I think Thompson is on the “later” side, as in much later.

It’s not personal, it’s business. Naturally both Klitschko and Ibragimov would prefer to fight another titlist if given the opportunity, either Ruslan Chagaev, the WBA belt holder, or the Oleg Maskaev -Samuel Peter winner for the WBC crown.

If that can’t be arranged, a fight with Povetkin, he of the 15 pro fights and stellar amateur pedigree is still better business, fought in Germany in an all Russian scrap. Plus, you get him out of the way as a potential competitor by beating him up before he is prepared for the step up in class.

Tony Thompson turns 37 in October. It’s unlikely at this point that his skills will continue to blossom, as in the case of Povetkin. Realistically he doesn’t have 18 months to spare. By the time his “sooner or later” comes, it could be too late.

But his name doesn’t conjure up the thought of a box office bonanza either. Thompson needs to seek out the toughest opponent available, win and look good, and take his case to the public. If he sits still waiting for the phone to ring, it’ll be a long wait.

Michael Swann can be reached at mswann4@aol.com.

[boxingman]

hmm one thing i would agree is that

povetkin is being rushed way too fast, he has only 15 fights
and there is a chance that he could ruined in a fight aginst one of them top guys.

if he was given time to develop and say in 10 fights then yeah there is a chance of him takein over the division because of his talent

[DscribeDC]

So, Swann noticed also how the HBO cameraman tried to upskirt one of the darling little ninotchkas waving flags for Povetkin.

[hagler04]

i am not doubting that alot of people here know alot about boxing and i have learned alot by reading some of the posts.

but anyone who has actually boxed knows the crazy talent and skill a fighter needs to have to get the positon that povetkin and chambers are in.


and when you say a fighter has no footwork or defense,
again any fighter has weakness and maybe footwork is not povetkin's best
skill but trust me he knows how to move in the ring.
if he didn't have defense or footwork, he would have not gotten out the local amauter boxing scene in russia.

to be honest, i still have to watch this fight but most of the guys i box with
were impressed with it.


i have seen both povetkin and chambers fight before.

Of course they both have skill, of course they HAVE footwork . . . .these two are supposed to be two of the top 10 Heavyweights IN THE WORLD!

Accordingly, I feel one has a right be critical of fighters getting once in a lifetime opportunities and coming in with huge paunches around their waist. I've trained with and fought men who would NEVER dream of coming onto a regional Cable boxing undercard in less than immaculate condition, but they just wern't given the talent/circumstances to reach that next level.

Povetkin and Chambers both did not exhibit good lateral movement/pivoting and switching of angles, head movement etc.. Povetkin basically goes forwards and backwards which is why he was eating a large percentage of straight punches from Chambers, and why Wladimir Klitschko would knock him out in under 5 rounds. Chambers for his part just stood flat-footed and played the rope-a-dope in center ring for 12 rounds. Woo-hoo.

Even give me someone like a prime Bert Cooper and they would have beaten both of these guys Saturday night IMO.

[werewolf]

This was only Povetkin's 15th pro fight, and he just convincingly beat a man who was 30 and 0 and very highly ranked, plus he was reportedly recovering from the flu and not at his best (as you can see, I think, by observing his previous fights), so I don't think people should be ridiculing him.