By Vitali Shaposhnikov: I assume that most of you, if not all, have already heard the result of the Klitschko vs. Chisora bout. But, I must assure you, that watching the fight and reading what many have already reported on it is not the same. This fight is a must see for a few important reasons, but here, I will talk about the two details that I found to be the most crucial about the fight. These details are very educational, and lead to certain conclusions.
First of all, it is amazing to witness a 40 year old heavyweight battling a much younger and hungrier challenger. Both fighters did exceptionally well. Having said that, my first lesson learned from this fight is that Vitali Klitschko, while still a champion, should consider retirement. Yes he won the fight, but primarily due to his size advantage. If he was a shorter fighter, or Chisora had a longer reach, I feel Vitali would have suffered his first experience of hitting the canvas. He looked unusually tired and winded towards the end of the fight, but that is pretty normal, considering the fact that he was backpedaling for the entire 12 rounds.
Undoubtedly a great champion, at the age of 40, I don’t believe anyone would blame or criticize Vitali for leaving the sport to his brother Wladimir. Moving back and throwing his arms around to avoid being hit is not a game that any heavyweight fighter should play when obviously no longer in the right shape. Vitali has earned fame, fortune, and an army of fans throughout his years in boxing, and I truly hope that he leaves the sport as a world champion who has never been knocked down. Sure there are many fighters out there that Vitali could still defeat, but most are known to be sub-prime and not a true challenge to the giant Ukrainian even at this age.
As far as my second lesson learned, I have to admit, I was absolutely wrong about Chisora. He not only did way better than I had expected him to, but showed heart and his true hunger to win a title. I do find him to be lacking in technical skill, with some work and dedication he will get a belt around him sooner or later. Unlike his countryman David Haye, Chisora comes with no excuses and no reservations. I think that an exciting matchup would be to throw Chisora and Arreola in the ring and watch them go. Personally I think that Arreola would be able to pull off a win, still, it would be a war to remember.
Lastly, I would like to touch on Chisora’s antics. What he did to Vitali and Wladimir (spit water in his face before the fight) is not acceptable, and should most definitely be looked at by the commission. Another considerable fine and the possibility of other reprehension should be mentioned and threatened, as this is not something that should be tolerated for very long.