by Mark Lovell: We all know what body-part opinions are often likened to – everyone has one, and some of them stink. And when it comes to the Vitali Klitschko-Odlanier Solis bout that was staged in Cologne on the weekend it seems like everyone likes flashing theirs about.
There are many questions regarding this fight – did Solis and his camp knowingly enter the fight with a pre-existing injury; how much did that punch hurt the Cuban; what were Vitali’s sentiments when he had words to his opponent when the referee. One question mark that seems to have been addressed by doctors in Germany – Solis badly hurt his knee, and could not have continued. He did not quit, and this writer hopes Solis’ name won’t be besmirched as such. But was he in any state to continue, knee or no knee?
To hear Solis’ promoter, Ahmet Öner, the blown knee of the Cuban pugilist was the acts of the boxing gods snatching sure-fire victory from Solis’ grasp. Listening to Öner’s words, someone who had not seen the fight would assume Klitschko was being pushed around the ring, being hit at will (and hit hard at that) before, with just ten seconds (and 11 rounds) remaining in the fight, a freak injury denies Solis his glory and grants Vitali a reprieve. Suffice to say, Öner’s pre-bout bluster about leaving the fight game if his man lost will not eventuate (which, for this writer, is the real tragedy).
In my opinion, trying to get some meaningful from the fight up to the point of the stoppage (the most neutral word I could think of) isn’t wise. Klitschko was coming forward, blocking off the ring while Solis was evasive and his hands looked fast when he came in. Any punches that Solis that may have purportedly landed (there was perhaps one or two) were lacking venom and did nothing to slow the larger man’s advance – Klitschko simply moved straight through them. To talk of Solis winning the round is like spruiking Harrison by drawing the first two rounds against Haye – its completely immaterial. Only one significant punch was landed by either man and that was the one that stopped Solis – how this makes the Cuban look good is a mystery. Maybe after four rounds could an assessment be made of the two boxers, not after 170 seconds of „feeling out“ which is inevitable in round one of a world championship bout particularly in the one-punch-finishes-everything world of heavyweight boxing. Apart from some far-out speculation, it is the last moments of the fight that most interest has been focused on.
As Solis ducks after coming forward with a left-right combination, Klitschko hits Solis with a right hook on the temple, the impact moving his head three inches or so. At this point, Solis seems to lose his balance with his left leg wobbling and is unable to stay on his feet. He falls over backward, hyperextending his right knee in the process and immediately grasps for it – however, this was after the blow and after he started wobbling and falling backwards. Talk of the punch being off the glove are dismissed by viewing the various camera angles available – Solis was hit flush and hard as he was coming forward. The referee’s comments, saying Solis was groggy and his eyes glazed over, support this. The fact that the punch was not as confronting as a lunging haymaker means nothing – a hook is arguably the most powerful punch in boxing and a hit to the temple the most concussive. One only has to look as far back to the younger Klitschko’s knock-out of Chambers: that punch was also glancing and would seem innocous – disregarding the fact that it laid „Fast Eddie“ postrate across the ropes for minutes after.
Solis will hopefully return quickly from his injury, and will join the ever-growing ranks of challengers who have fallen to the Klitschko brothers. His weight issue means he must be disciplined during his rehabilitation, but at the age of 30 a comeback is certainly achievable. His pedigree means he will remain a legitimate contender and will hopefully take on opponents of similar stature.
Even more than the thousands in attendance and the millions of boxing fans watching the fight on television or streamed over the internet (or in Times Square!), the man who has most cause to be disappointed is the victor. Plagued by (mainly American) commentators loudly proclaiming his career has been built on insignificant opponents, the controversy over this fight obscures the achievement of knocking out a much-heralded Olympic champion and a man many were claiming was the real deal. Given the time needed for Solis to return from injury, a rematch of Saturday’s fight seems unlikely. While conspiracy theorists (more glassy knee that grassy knoll) may hold onto the belief that Solis came in knowing he was injured, and that only the injury to his leg kept him from continuing, even they must concede that the ensuing confusion has once again denied one of the most dominant heavyweights in history his chance of convincing his nay-sayers he belongs in the ranks of the greatest ever.