by James Slater – Alexander Dimitrenko and “Fast” Eddie Chambers will meet in Germany on July 4th in Hamburg, Germany. 26-year-old approx 255-pound Dimitrenko will almost certainly start favourite. Boxing at home, “Sascha” will also have a big size and weight advantage over the once-beaten Chambers, and he is also the bigger puncher of the two. Also, the last time 27-year-old Chambers fought in Germany, against the highly rated Alexander Povetkin, he lost. Will bad memories of the country serve to haunt the 34-1(18) Philly fighter in July?
We all know how hugely talented Chambers is. His speed of hand is really something to see and he clearly holds an edge over Dimitrenko in this department. But, as we also know, the knock on “Fast” Eddie is his desire to really work to the fullness of his ability, both in the gym and in the ring. The smart boxing skills of Chambers were seeing to it that he was handily out-pointing Povetkin back in January of 2008 – for four rounds, anyway. Then, inexplicably (Chambers says it was due to his becoming overconfident in the bout), Chambers took his foot off the gas and gave round after round away and lost a wide decision. The concern fans and experts will have until he beats a guy like Dimitrenko or a reigning world champion, is that Eddie will do this again some day. Will it happen on July 4th?
Dimitrenko can bang, he is solid as can be and he is hungry. At 29-0(19), the man who has wins over the likes of Luan Krasniqi, Timo Hoffman and Vaughn Bean to his credit, will pretty much dwarf the 6’1″ Chambers when they meet face to face. Indeed, apart from his speed and slickness, Chambers will have no obvious advantages over the big man from Ukraine. And slickness and speed can only get a fighter so far, no matter how cute and gifted he is.
There is a chance Chambers – who said to another boxing site after his win over Sam Peter that he will surprise us with his weight and physical appearance the next time he fights – will be able to box rings around Dimitrenko and make him look somewhat silly at times. But Chambers must keep this up for the full 12 rounds if he’s to get a win. A KO stoppage for the man from Philly looks out of the question but, tough as it will no doubt be, a points win is not an impossibility.
There are a number of questions surrounding this fight, and it is a genuinely intriguing match-up that we all hope happens. Will Chambers be able to get inside or handle Dimitrenko’s huge advantage in reach some other way? Will Dimitrenko struggle to pin down the faster man? Will Chambers suffer flashbacks from the Povetkin loss?
In facing each other, the two top contenders will be fighting for a shot at the WBO heavyweight champion of the world – currently Wladimir Klitschko. As such the stakes could not be much higher. This should bring out the best in both men. Without being at all disrespectful to the hard working and determined Dimitrenko, I see this meeting as a fight that Chambers can win – if he’s 100-percent focused and ready to push through mental and physical barriers. A pure boxer with enviable skills, the one thing – and it’s a big thing – that can send Chambers home with a second loss is his failure to keep fighting and instead fade across the second half of the bout. This could happen for a second time, but Chambers deserves this chance to prove it will not.
A KO win looks all but impossible for Chambers, but the man who stopped the extremely durable Timo Hoffman does have a chance to end things early; although as defensive-minded as chambers is, this too looks unlikely.
A distance fight in all probability then, my pick is Chambers by a split decision.