03.11.07 – By Jim Furo: Heavyweight boxing fans can rest assured, there will be no Klitschko v. Byrd III or Klitschko v. Brock II. Instead, there will be a match up sometime early next year (possibly February) between Russia’s Alexander Povetkin and Philadelphia’s Eddie Chambers, winner to take aim at Klitschko’s International Boxing Federation heavyweight title.
Both fighters will be bringing their no loss record with them into the ring, as well as two completely different styles and backgrounds. One, is the Olympic Gold medal winner, the other, a Philadelphia based fighter who turned pro at the age of 18 and only recently left that city’s Blue Horizon stadium.
They fighter’s share a common opponent, Ed Mahone, a fighter whom both defeated last year within a few months of each other. While Povetkin was able to beat Mahone in just his 9th fight, Chambers was able to do it in one round less for his 26th.
Mahone was the last fight that Chambers had in Philadelphia (after over 15 straight) before his career began to expand nationally, moving up the heavyweight ranks from Dominick Jenkins, to NY State Heavyweight Champion Derrick Rossy in a televised bout, and former contender Dominic Guinn.
It was those last two fights that led Chambers to his meeting tonight with Calvin Brock.
Brock, the U.S. Olympic hopeful in 2000, came into this fight with Chambers at a career high of 241lbs, 17lbs heavier then he weighed for against Klitschko in November of last year. Since then, he had fought only twice for a total of 9 rounds. This inactivity, combined with the added weight, makes one think that his days of boxing might be drawing to a close. Financially, Brock is not a fighter who needs to keep fighting because he needs the money, or has not been careful with what he has earned in the ring. Whether he wants this fight to unceremoniously end his career with, is up to Brock.
There were many moments, during this SD loss, that Brock looked not only lethargic, but uninterested. The fighter, who’s left hook, against Zuri Lawrence, created one of the more devastating knockouts in recent heavyweight fights, or the fighter who showed heart pulling himself off of the canvas to beat Jameel McCline, was, at times, present, but not consistently enough to win the majority of the rounds.
Chambers, on the other hand, seemed to have the tendency
to fight hardest towards the end of more than a few rounds. And saved up a lot, for the final round. While he is a very small heavyweight by today’s standards (214lbs), he seems to be about twenty pounds too heavy even at that weight. Partly because of this, comparisons to Chris Byrd and criticisms that he belongs at cruiserweight abound.
During this fight, he did not seem as elusive as a younger Byrd was (and at times an older Byrd is). It was not that he wasn’t there to be hit, it was just that Brock seemed to lack desire or the conditioning to press him. However, small heavyweights who fight primarily defensively are a rarity and the Byrd comparisons will continue by most people.
Much like in the Derrick Rossy fight, Chambers punches tonight showed evidence, that while they lack power, the seem to have the ability to swell/cut a fighters face and they did just that to the face of the Boxing Banker. A fighter who is prone to cutting or puffiness is going to be at a disadvantage when they face Chambers.
While Eddie Chambers certainly did not present an aura of invincibility tonight, he did do well enough that a fight between him and Povetkin will be very interesting and one to look forward to.
A clash of styles, defensive Chambers and offensive Povetkin, should make for some compelling moments. The fact that they are both undefeated and young also adds to the story. Povetkin will make Chambers work for more than just the last minute of the round, or the last round of the fight, and if Chambers is able to land on Povetkin over the course of the fight, one questions the ability of the Russian to come out of the fight not facially bothered.
In a tournament created to find a suitable opponent within the IBF ranks to take on Wladimir Klitschko, Eddie Chambers did not show many things tonight that would lead one to believe that he at all has Dr. Steelhammer’s number. However he did show enough, and is young enough, that he will now, deservedly, have more fans in a division that many feel needs desperately needs new blood.