by James Slater – Exactly five years today, in what would be the one and only defence he would make during his first reign as WBC heavyweight champion, Vitali Klitschko met and brutally defeated Britain’s Danny Williams. The fight took place at The Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, and going in the challenger was supremely confident of victory. As things turned out, “The Brixton Bomber” had no chance.
Fresh off his stunning 4th-round upset victory over former king Mike Tyson, 31-year-old Williams had already shocked the boxing world once, and he was sure he would do it again against Klitschko. Bulking up to a solid 270-pounds for the December title fight – at that time the highest weight of Williams’ career – the challenger felt he would be able to punch harder, while at the same time be able to handle the new WBC champ’s physical strength. He was wrong..
Klitschko, who had taken a few shots and been at least a little hurt in his (vacant] title winning stoppage victory over Corrie Sanders in April (thus avenging his brother Wladimir’s 2nd-round TKO upset loss at the hands of the South African), made Williams look like a rag doll almost as soon as the action started. The Mike Tyson victory quickly becoming a distant memory, Williams was literally moved/thrown around the ring by the natural power of the rock-solid 250-pound champion known as “Dr. Iron Fist.”
Down in the very first round and already in terrible shape, Williams was to go down again in the 3rd, the 7th and the 8th rounds. The 33-year-old champion, who was two wins removed from his ultra-exciting cuts-enforced TKO loss to the now retired Lennox Lewis, was absolutely hammering the outclassed Brit. Soon marked up badly around the eyes, only the sheer bravery of the challenger was keeping him in the fight. Trying to fire back as best he could, Williams either missed or his punches had zero effect on the granite-chinned Ukrainian.
Somehow lasting into the second half of the bout, Williams, who would not take the option of quitting when he so easily could have, was finally stopped at 1 minute and 26-seconds of round number eight. Klitschko had not come close to losing a single minute of a single round, so one-sided was the fight that, in the lead up to it, had had British fans excitedly asking whether or not Williams could bring the belt home with him.
Surprisingly, and disappointingly, Klitschko would not be seen in a ring again for almost four long years. Soon after the Williams stoppage Vitali suffered a series of injuries in training, which prevented a number of bouts from taking place. Aborted comebacks followed, leading many fans to believe they had seen the last of the giant when it came to fighting.
But, as we know, Vitali, proving he had (has) plenty left, came back eventually – in October of 2008 to be exact. And when he did return, against the current WBC belt holder Sam Peter, it was as though Vitali had never been away. Hammering Peter, though not as severely as he had Williams, Klitschko made the Nigerian do what William refused to do: quit on his stool. Klitschko was champion all over again!
Today, Vitali is considered all but invincible by many fans, and his next fight, tomorrow in Switzerland against Kevin Johnson, is seen as an easy win for the now 38-year-old. Danny Williams certainly feels Johnson has next to no chance, as he told Boxing News magazine’s web site. Danny referred to the fight as a “complete mismatch,” and he says Johnson has “very little chance.”
After having tasted the formidable punching power of the reigning WBC king five years ago today, Williams knows of what he speaks, too!
“As long as Vitali stays fresh,” Williams told Boxing News, “he could reign for ages.”