Your oppinion on what happened to Chambers last night

[Cachibatches]

I take nothing away from Povetkin. I am on the bandwagon. 15-0 with wins over Friday, Donald, Byrd and now fellow contender Chambers is outstanding.

But the general consensus is that Chambers could have thrown a lot more punches and fought a better fight.

So, what happened? Vote and explain.

[mrplow182]

Stamina

[Mendoza]

I take nothing away from Povetkin. I am on the bandwagon. 15-0 with wins over Friday, Donald, Byrd and now fellow contender Chambers is outstanding.

But the general consensus is that Chambers could have thrown a lot more punches and fought a better fight.

So, what happened? Vot eand explain.

I see three likely possibilities

1 ) Chambers knew he could not get into a take 2 to land 1 type of fight vs Povetkin, so he opted to cover up like Winky Wright ( and Chambers defense is very good ) then counter when he had a chance.

2 ) Perhaps Povetkin hurt Chambers at some point during the fight, and Chambers became gun shy.

3 ) Povetkin just had too much stamina and guts for Chambers to deal with.

[Tom_Tocca]

Here's a video of the post-press conference with Eddie trying to explain:

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[Symphenyceo]

i dont think it was stamina because he didnt throw enough to get gassed. It looked like he had no heart or desire to win. When he let his hands go he won rounds easy but something was wrong with him

[Tom_Tocca]

i dont think it was stamina because he didnt throw enough to get gassed. It looked like he had no heart or desire to win. When he let his hands go he won rounds easy but something was wrong with him

Maybe, but just maybe, he felt Povetkin's bodypunches and didn't want to open up...

[C Money]

i think its just his nature. it's not that easy to change your personality.

Since he's been a kid, he's looked, and fought that way.:yep If you think he'll drop 20 and fight CW and be tight, you will be :think :think :think a long time. I'd like to see Chambers get more time with Mcgirt and a conditioning coach to IMPROVE. Chambers wants to be a HW. I wouldnt mind the CW scenario, its just not likely.

Few guy's throw like Povetkin in volume at HW! So Eddie fell into a defensive shell and needed to THROW/COUNTER MORE. Chambers has gone the distance and its not as much stamina as mentality.

[Langford]

all mental.

Mentally, I think he just was not prepared to go all out for a 12 round fight. The skill is there, but in his best wins, Brock, Guinn, Rossy, he didn't have to work nearly as hard in those fights. Brock was out of shape and it was not too tough to put up a work rate/counter rate that would win him the fight. Guinn, even though Guinn fought at a better pace than he normally fights in that fight, he is still Dom Guinn and is still the laziest heavyweight of the last ten years. And Rossy had a huge cut and nowhere near the output.

No, Chambers had never been in a fight where he would have had to work 36 minutes and mentally he was not up for the challenge. The longer the fight went, the less motivated he was. The last few rounds were all Povetkin.

[klion22]

I voted too defensive. But that's his style. He wants to pick his spots but was fighting a guy who is very active. He needed to changed up his style in this fight to have a chance and he didn't. His hand speed is freaken amazing for a HW though. He can touch any HW anytime he lets his hands go.

[IntentionalButt]

It wasn't much to do with what Povetkin did, IMO. Povetkin took advantage of the situation and did what he had to do, but he did not directly or indirectly create Chambers' ambivalence and lethargy. Not from actual punches landed or the fear of hypothetical punches landed. No way.

[klion22]

It wasn't much to do with what Povetkin did, IMO. Povetkin took advantage of the situation and did what he had to do, but he did not directly or indirectly create Chambers' ambivalence and lethargy. Not from actual punches landed or the fear of hypothetical punches landed. No way.

Well, i would say it did because Chambers is a guy who likes to pick his spots and puts up that guard ala Winky Wright. And when a guy is throwing 900+ punches, you tend to be a bit gun shy because that's not your style to get into brawls. So i would say Povetkin did affect his game somewhat. But i also think he could've simply decided to throw more but he just didn't.

[emanuel_augustus]

In the postfight Sauerland said Povetkin was sick a few days before the fight and almost postponed. For whatever that's worth...

[IntentionalButt]

Well, i would say it did because Chambers is a guy who likes to pick his spots and puts up that guard ala Winky Wright. And when a guy is throwing 900+ punches, you tend to be a bit gun shy because that's not your style to get into brawls. So i would say Povetkin did affect his game somewhat. But i also think he could've simply decided to throw more but he just didn't.
I've come to terms with the fact that Chambers just stuck to his comfort zone last night. I guess it shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone (as he'd never been seriously challenged to rise above his typical "half-ass" effort level...and I think it was just assumed that he would the first time he was), but it is disappointing that the event didn't inspire an emergence. There was no big bad boogeyman scaring him away from crawling out of his comfort zone - he just didn't feel like coming out. That's inexcusable on the stage he was fighting on. I've defended his style in the past, but with that much on the line, he needed to zazz it up, and the man just didn't feel like zazzing. He took clean hard shots from Povetkin and blinked them off, just like he always takes a few clean hard shots in every fight (the 'stand in front and make you miss with head and upper body movement' defense can minimize lands, but doesn't do away with them altogether...for it to be efffective you need a good chin to go along with it, a'la Toney). He wasn't hurt, or scared of being hurt. It wasn't a matter of not wanting to mix it up out of fear - when he did make it a brawl he got the better of every exchange. He beat himself. And you could see the "whatever, I'm bored and don't feel like ramping it up" expression creeping onto his face by halfway into the fight - he'd decided he wasn't having fun before Povetkin shifted into high gear.

[klion22]

There's no doubt had Chambers simply matched Povetkin's output that he would've won the fight. At least IMO. He landed a bunch of FLUSH right hands in the first few rounds when he was busier. Too bad he didn't keep it up.

[TRUEBELIEVER 66]

What happened was he got beat by the better fighter:deal, the Ruskie just outworked, and threw, threw, and threw, and Eddie didn't have the strength, stamina, or the will or punch output, to win..
Chalk up another victory for a Soviet Bloc fighter over an American:lol:

[boxingcar]

What happened was he got beat by the better fighter:deal, the Ruskie just outworked, and threw, threw, and threw, and Eddie didn't have the strength, stamina, or the will or punch output, to win..

as simple as that...

[Kostya Zoo]

Maybe, but just maybe, he felt Povetkin's bodypunches and didn't want to open up...

It was the accumulation to the body. He was worked downstairs thoroughly and consistently from round 1...didn't anyone else notice this?

[freddy-wak]

nothing...
he just got whooped....

[DamonD]

I voted for 'just naturally too defensive'.

He's always been a fighter that fights in spurts, it's just that usually he's been able to prevail that way. In this case, Povetkin was able to outwork him so clearly that wasn't going to happen, no matter how good his counterpunching was.

[LockDog387]

The thing was Chambers won the first 4 rounds by outboxing Povetkin. I think the pressure just got to him, because he was consistent against Brock and Guinn, but not against Povetkin for whatever reason. He knew he was losing too and needed to pick up the pase, but for whatever reason he didn't. Most likely a mental case. No one really thought highly of him, and most people were expect Povetkin to win, and I think that sunk into his brain, because he won the first 4 rounds and just threw the fight away after that.

[Sardu]

He has dormant ability that he did not use for some reason in this fight. He is a very accurate puncher but does not pull the trigger enough. He had Povetkin's eye really swollen early on and did not make it a target for the rest of the fight. He showed signs of brilliance, yet for some reason did not unleash all his skills consistently enough. Certainly Povetkin's aggression and unbelievable punch output may have discouraged Chambers from doing so. If Chambers had the elite size ala a Lennox Lewis or a Wlad Klitschko to go along with his althletic gifts and innate boxing skills he would be a force to be reckoned with. As it turns out he is a vey good fighter and will have some future success.

[MrSmall]

Fear!

[dwilson]

Just another eggshell American Hw.

[BigBone]

nothing...
he just got whooped....

:thumbsup

[inchpunch]

Chambers seems to wait for something to happen in the ring that turns things in his favor, rather than making them happen himself. Terrible passivity, it is more mental than stamina. He must have some ability to make it to the top 10 - 20 out of 1200 professional heavyweights in the world with that kind of lame attitude. And his punches don't have the power to slow down an opponent. Chambers reminds of Felix Sturm without the desire to win.

[joe the great]

Where's got beat by the better man?

[boxeo#1]

I think the main and only reason is because he lacks fighting spirit:-(

[BoxingGuru]

Chambers doesn't have the balls to fight 12 rounds once he starts getting hit. End of story.

[marting]

Chambers father summed it up with saying that he saw after a few rounds who wanted it more. Povetkin IMO outwilled himself against a fighter who in many was more skilled.

I was surprised at Chambers demeanor in his corner after the third round where after an impressive round he sounded timid and nervous in his corner.

I had only seen Chambers against Brock before this fight because up until a couple fights prior to this he had fought only in Pennsylvania. I was impressed by his defense, hand speed and punching accuracy. But I thought he looked nervous and fought an extremely cautious fight. I'm not sure if his father had him totally prepared for his first fight on foreign soil. At only 25, Chambers is just a kid. He's three years younger than the highly touted Povetkin.

With a little more development and maturity Chambers could progress into a more dangerous opponent. I like the way he paces himself and he has a very solid defense. He just needs to learn to pick his spots where he can be more aggressive.

[djrock247]

Chambers doesn't have the balls to fight 12 rounds once he starts getting hit. End of story.

Derric Rossy put pressure on Chambers early in their fight and Chambers responded well. I do think that there may be a lack of proper mental composition though. Maybe not a "balls" issue, but a "brains" issue.

[grouch]

None! Povetkin adjusted to his style. It's called in and out, staying just out of Chambers' reach. He's the gold medalist for a reason, no?

[joeboxer]

a combination of stamina and too defensive minded...he was more worried about keeping his hands up to block Povetkin than throwing combos of his own.

[Shpion]

Style along with Povetkin's body punches.

[T.S.]

He took too many body shots and couldn't fire back. I even heard him tell his Daddy in the corner "But it hurts" Can't have much on your punch while leaning backwards all the time. After he's done pissin blood he should think about going Cruiserweight. Bet he'd be damn fine Cruiser!

[sean]

Chambers father summed it up with saying that he saw after a few rounds who wanted it more. Povetkin IMO outwilled himself against a fighter who in many was more skilled.

I was surprised at Chambers demeanor in his corner after the third round where after an impressive round he sounded timid and nervous in his corner.

I had only seen Chambers against Brock before this fight because up until a couple fights prior to this he had fought only in Pennsylvania. I was impressed by his defense, hand speed and punching accuracy. But I thought he looked nervous and fought an extremely cautious fight. I'm not sure if his father had him totally prepared for his first fight on foreign soil. At only 25, Chambers is just a kid. He's three years younger than the highly touted Povetkin.

With a little more development and maturity Chambers could progress into a more dangerous opponent. I like the way he paces himself and he has a very solid defense. He just needs to learn to pick his spots where he can be more aggressive.

i got the german version and not the HBO take , i never saw them but it sounded as if chambers had a lot of fans , possibly from an army base near berlin? every time he landed clean huge cheer went up from ringside, so chambers did have backing , but having seen a few of chambers other fights v big men, besides brock , thats just the way chambers fights every time.

biggest thing chambers needs to work on his foot movement, his is non exsistent and fighters like dimetrenko/ibragmanov etc etc he should stay away from.

not sure where chambers goes from here, a toney fight would boost his name but would toney go for it.

[Pimp C]

He got outworked plain and simple.

[Tom_Tocca]

i got the german version and not the HBO take , i never saw them but it sounded as if chambers had a lot of fans , possibly from an army base near berlin? every time he landed clean huge cheer went up from ringside, so chambers did have backing , but having seen a few of chambers other fights v big men, besides brock , thats just the way chambers fights every time.

biggest thing chambers needs to work on his foot movement, his is non exsistent and fighters like dimetrenko/ibragmanov etc etc he should stay away from.

not sure where chambers goes from here, a toney fight would boost his name but would toney go for it.

Btw, I met some Englishmen at the fight...and wondered why there weren't that many Russian journalist as I thought would be...

[marting]

i got the german version and not the HBO take , i never saw them but it sounded as if chambers had a lot of fans , possibly from an army base near berlin? every time he landed clean huge cheer went up from ringside, so chambers did have backing , but having seen a few of chambers other fights v big men, besides brock , thats just the way chambers fights every time.

biggest thing chambers needs to work on his foot movement, his is non exsistent and fighters like dimetrenko/ibragmanov etc etc he should stay away from.

not sure where chambers goes from here, a toney fight would boost his name but would toney go for it.

Yeah there were a few very vocal Chambers fans in the audience. One particularly loud woman that was shrieking every now and then. Of course with that typically silent German crowd ten Americans stand out like heckler at a funeral.

I agree with the footwork comment but his bigger problem is his confidence. He was so nervous he doesn't seem aware of what's going on in the ring. If he had more of killer instinct he could have made this a very difficult fight for Povetkin because the Russian has a couple of major technical flaws that were there to be exploited. The only really meaningful punches in this fight were all delivered by Chambers.

What won this fight for Povetkin was two things. One, will. And two, regrouping quickly and delivering punches after getting tagged. I think the latter played a big role in making Chambers timid and unwilling to follow up on his big right hands he landed. A true finisher will be the worst thing Povetkin would want to face with the way he squares up to deliver.

[Rock0052]

I think it was a combination of 3 things:

1) Povetkin adjusted as the fight went on; Chambers didn't have an answer for it.

2) Chambers looked to be getting demoralized over the course of the fight when Povetkin took his best shots and kept coming forward.

3) Povetkin's sheer volume of punches, as well as Alexander throwing a diverse mix kept Eddie off balanced. Povetkin kept Chambers' offense in neutral because Eddie didn't want to risk getting hit flush to throw back for most of the fight.

At the end of the day, I was impressed with how Chambers started the fight and his success in small spurts, but I became disappointed at his lack of adjustment as the fight went on. I think it was clear by the end of things that Povetkin had, for whatever reasons one thinks, imposed his will on Chambers. Had it been a 15 round fight, it wouldn't have shocked me to have seen his corner throw in the towel because, by the 12th, it was clear Eddie didn't really want to be in there. Hopefully he learns from it, and comes back ready to fight soon. The way this fight turned out can inspire him to kick start his offense a little more in the future; considering his handspeed is his best asset, I think he should emphasize that more in upcoming bouts. Even if he pulls an Abraham and only throws for the last minute each round, that'd be a significant upgrade from what happened vs AP.

What I got from Povetkin is that he's gutsy, is more skilled than he gets credit for on here (fight was essentially a shutout after he adjusted in round 5), has a very fan-friendly style, and is in great condition for a HW- he might breath heavily, but he still maintained an excellent work rate. What remains to be seen, however, is how that style holds up against someone who hits hard enough to really hurt him. That's why I think Wlad is the absolute worst matchup for Povetkin at HW. Against any of the other beltholders, I'd give Chagaev the best chance of beating him for that same reason, and I'd pick Povetkin right now clearly over Oleg and Sultan.