Vitali Klitschko Vs Odlanier Solis: Heavyweight Title Showdown in Germany
By Geno McGahee
This Saturday, the WBC Heavyweight Champion, Vitali Klitschko, 41-2, 38 KO’s, defends his title against the talented challenger, Odlanier Solis, 17-0, 12 KO’s. Klitschko has been dominant but his recent opposition has raised some eyebrows. Defenses against the over the hill Shannon Briggs and overmatched Albert Sosnowski have not force the public to rally behind him. His vacation is over. It’s back to business and Solis is serious business.
The Klitschko brothers, Vitali and younger brother Wladimir, are perceived as unbeatable thanks in large part to their talent, but also to the mediocre state of heavyweight boxing. Only WBA Champion David Haye, Alexander Povetkin, and Tomasz Adamek are noteworthy to most, but Vitali is taking on a live underdog.
Solis is 30 years old, young by boxing standards nowadays. He won the Gold Medal in 2004 and was a 3-Time Winner at the World Amateur Boxing Championships. In the amateurs, he knocked out David Haye. Solis is a very talented fighter that could easily take over the division, but there is an issue that he is mighty touchy about.
At 6 feet 1 ½ inches, his weight has fluctuated from 247 to 271. He looks out of shape in every outing and looks lethargic at times. He has made comments to the media that he wants to confront the boxing writers that have called him “fat.” Thus far, the boxing writers of the world have not sought him out to discuss it.
This title fight seems slightly premature for Solis, but perhaps not when you figure in his long and successful amateur career and age. He has beaten two notable fighters in Ray Austin (DQ-10) and Monte Barrett (KO-2). Against Austin, he was on his way to stopping “The Rain Man” before his opponent found another way out, and he just plowed over Barrett with ease, an impressive feat, even though Barrett is well beyond his better years.
Vitali, on the surface, looks the part. He pummels his opposition, is confident, carries a big punch, and stays out of the reach of his opponents, but his age does seem to be getting the better of him. At 39 years old, his reflexes aren’t as good as they will need to be when he’s facing a fighter that is aggressive and accurate. His legs aren’t what they used to be either.
Thus far, Vitali has been allowed by his opposition to stay on the outside, exert very little energy and control with his “1-2” combo over and over again. It is a puzzle that nobody seems to be able to solve, and Vitali has never been clearly defeated. His two defeats were due to injuries. In 2000, he injured his shoulder in a fight he was dominating against Chris Byrd. In 2003, he fought gallantly in a losing effort to Lennox Lewis, due to a severe cut. To some, he is undefeated. Other than those two fights, he has been totally dominant.
Solis is not just another opponent. He is far more qualified and dangerous than any opponent Vitali has faced since Lewis in 2003. There are those that are looking past Solis due to his lack of popularity, but if he comes into this fight in shape, he has one heck of a chance to pull an upset.
Even though Vitali has a very high knockout rate, he is not a “one punch” fighter. He beats up his opposition until they collapse or give up. Shannon Briggs, a fighter that has been knocked out before, in his prime, took a beating but was never hurt by the punches of Vitali. The opposition just has enough and decides that they don’t want to be beat up anymore. Solis is crafty and seems to have a decent chin. It should be interesting what strategy he employs to overcome the size and reach advantage of Vitali.
The easy pick is Vitali, but I’m going with Solis. Solis has a chip on his shoulder, has a lot of confident, and has a punch. He has knocked out 6 of his last 7 opponents and it would have been all 7 had Austin not gotten DQ’d. He needs to be aggressive at times and mobile at times and with his vast experience, he knows this and will bring his A game to Vitali, who may not be ready for it.
Solis will have to set a faster pace that the older champion will not find comfort in, eventually wearing down and becoming a stationary target for the more mobile Solis, leading to a memorable late round upset for the challenger and a shake up in the heavyweight division.