Dreaded Tune-Ups & South-Paws
By Aidan Monaghan
10.03 - Boxing history is littered with the wreckage of so called "tune up" fights gone terribly wrong: Grant/McCline, Morrison/Bentt, Holyfield/Cooper, Lewis/McCall-Rahman and now Klitschko/Sanders.
Although it is now easy to play Monday morning quarterback, one still must question the wisdom of Klitschko and his management for accepting the battle tested and heavy handed south-paw Sanders, as an opponent. Sanders has "been there and done that" as they say, brings a difficult style and can simply hit. And unlike the too cautious Jamile McCline or Charles Shufford, Sanders was "game". He was available. For a man in Klitschko - packing an untested chin and seeking a major match with a major opponent - facing a less willing, more over-matched and predictable foe would have been advisable and for now, forgiven.
Had Klitschko been looking too far into the future? Been distracted by his many extracurricular activities away from the ring? Of course. But make no mistake about it: He was "stumped" by and ultimately thumped by the south-paw style. For Sanders, the openings in the Klitschko defense for his left hand were frequent and huge. It was literally target practice for Sanders. And these flaws only became magnified when Klitschko attempted to force the action, leaving himself within Sanders' punching range. It was painfully clear that Klitschko was simply not prepared for the south-paw stance. Although he dominated fellow south-paw Chris Byrd, Byrd was too defensive minded to exploit any stylistic advantage. If Ray Mercers' conventional jab made people wonder about Klitschko's defensive abilities, Corrie Sanders left hand ended any debate and for now, Klitschko's ascension to the top of the sport.
Oddly enough, for Klitschko this defeat may actually open the door for a match against a major opponent, including Lewis. Klitschko is now a seemingly vulnerable superstar and if one recalls, it wasn't until former "future of the heavyweight division" Michael Grant was exposed by Andrew Golotta, that Lennox Lewis granted Michael a title opportunity.
