Wladimir Klitschko Vs. Kubrat Pulev – Was that Really What Heavyweight Title Fights have Become?

By Lou Eisen

Once again, this past weekend, Wladimir “Dr. Steelhammer” Klitschko (63-3, KO53), the current reigning, defending and ONLY heavyweight champion of the world dispatched yet one more hapless challenger to his unmatched, decade-long, supremacy on the heavyweight throne, by stretching a hapless pug named Kubrat “The Cobra” Pulev from Sofia, Bulgaria; which is not really known for being a hotbed of boxing activity. Kitschko knocked Pulev out in the fifth round with a dynamite-laden left hook. It was the 17th successful title defense for Klitschko, coming in his second reign as world heavyweight champion. We may very well be watching the greatest heavyweight champion of all-time in Klitschko.

Pulev certainly looked like a rough character and, standing one half inch over 6’4” seemed to have the size and strength required to give the 6’6” Klitschko a good fight. Looks can be deceiving however, as Klitschko had no trouble demolishing Pulev in brutal fashion, dispatching him to the canvas on four separate occasions.

Truth be told, Pulev was overmatched and was simply unable to withstand Klitschko’s nuclear powered shots. There were many in the global boxing community that really believed, or, more accurately, wanted to believe that Pulev had a better than even chance to defeat Klitschko and thus remove the IBF heavyweight crown from his well-titled brow (The IBF title was the only one up for grabs in the fight).

What on earth possessed these so-called “experts” to believe that Pulev had any chance to pull off what would have been considered a monumental upset is a question that may never be answered rationally. Perhaps even more pertinent to the title clash between the two men is that there was nothing on Pulev’s ring ledger to suggest that he could defeat Klitschko, a champion so dominant that he hasn’t lost a fight in ten years.

Pulev has some names in his win column that may be recognizable to North American audiences but these are of fighters that are way past their best before date. Next to Klitschko the Younger, the heavyweight division is a veritable wasteland these days. It is hard to believe that beating a limited journeyman like Joey Abell, who was stopped in one round by Chris Arreola, was enough to garner Pulev a crack at the IBF world title. Abell has lost four of his previous six fights.

The only other recognizable names on his record are Tony Thompson, Britisher Michael Sprott, Derric Rossy and the once promising Dominick Guinn. That is definitely not a stellar cast of dominant ring characters or future Hall of Famers.

Klitschko battered Pulev from pillar to post like he was nothing more than a mosquito; an irritating surface nuisance. Pulev did land some good, hard roundhouse punches to the head of the champ, but ultimately it was to no avail other than to irritate Dr. Steelhammer enough to try and end the fight early, which is exactly what he did.

There is always that brief moment in the first round of a Klitschko fight where the challenger almost looks like he may have a chance but it usually turns out to be an optical illusion. Pulev darted out from his corner hell bent for leather. His enthusiasm dwindled noticeably the first time Klitschko hit him with a tree-felling short left hook flush on the button. Pulev hit the canvas hard from the sheer impact of the punch. It reminded me of former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson’s great line, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”

Pulev rose on shaky legs while struggling to regain his composure. He tried to fight back and land something of value of his own just to gain Klitschko’s respect. He landed a couple of shots but nothing that would have been a cause for concern for Klitschko. Klitschko came forward again, forcing Pulev to fight to survive. Klitchsko threw another thudding left hook to the chin and Pulev hit the deck once again. When the round ended, Pulev walked unsteadily to his corner. If he was smart, he would have stayed there.

Pulev came out for the second round and did marginally better than he did in the first. He landed some hard shots on Klitschko that certainly got the champion’s attention. Fans have been clamoring for so long for a new face atop the heavyweight division that they get their hopes up whenever Klitschko gets tagged with a good shot. The real truth is that he was taught so well by Emanuel Steward how to properly protect his chin and he does a great job of it. Also, over the years his balance has improved significantly, which helps him absorb big shots much better than he did earlier in his career. Klitschko won the second round, continuing to lay a terrific beating on Pulev.

Pulev came out for round three possibly thinking that the storm had passed. His forecast was a bit awry. He was doing his best to stay in there and then BAM! Klitschko dropped him to the canvas for the third time with a trip-hammer left hook. Pulev did his best to regain his feet and survive the round. He was helpless against Klitschko’s merciless follow-up attack.

Round four was more of the same. Klitschko was rocking Pulev with his jab by this point. Pulev had an awful dilemma that all of Klitschko’s previous ring foes have faced. It’s called the Klitschko Conundrum. You must punch back hard to gain the champion’s respect, some breathing room and win the fights. If, and this is a big if, you somehow manage to tag him with a few good shots, he will counter punch you into unconsciousness. Klitschko was just too big, too strong, too fast and too ferocious for Pulev to contend with.

Pulev came out for round five bleeding and looking absolutely spent. Ironically, less than two minutes into round five, Pulev landed three hard head shots on Klitschko and then, Klitschko threw a fast looping left hook that landed with a loud crack on Pulev’s chin and the fight was over just like that. Pulev toppled backwards, landing spread-eagled on the mat. The referee counted but it was unnecessary.

I think it is safe to say that there is no one in the heavyweight division currently that will give him a hard time. The heavyweight crowns are his for as long as he wants them. He may pull a Bernard Hopkins and fight until he is 50, at which point he would begin beating the sons of his former title challengers. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.