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PATIENT KLITSCHKO BY 10th ROUND TKO 08.12 - In a fight that did not live up to pre-fight expectations, Wladimir Klitschko patiently stalked a too cautious Jamile McCline for 10 uneventful rounds, eventually tagging the fatigued McCline with left hooks and right hands in the challengers corner with seconds remaining in the deciding round. McCline slumped to the canvas and seemed barely able to beat the referees ten count and between rounds, apparently at the advice of the ringside physician, McClines' corner brought a halt to the action. For the trimmed down Klitschko, his record moves to 40-1 with 37 by way of knockout. During the early portion of the match both Klitschko and McCline exhibited a noteworthy respect for each other abilities and reputation however as the fight evolved and it became more apparent that McCline was seemingly less bullet-proof than believed, one was left wondering why Klitschko failed to finish his opponent sooner. While Klitschko came remarkably close numerous times throughout the match to landing certain power punches, McCline was unable to land any meaningful blows as this was reflected in the final Punch Stat results: Klitschko/McCline Klitschko hammers McCline
By Murali Para http://www.eastsideboxing.com 10.12 - Saturday night's heavyweight clash between Wladimir Klitschko and Jameel McCline was a fight between two top contenders in the division and generated much anticipation in terms of the questions it would inevitably answer. Jameel "Big Time" McCline was undefeated since 1996 and had posted good decision victories over Lance "Goofi" Whitaker and Shannon Briggs, as well as a one-round KO of Michael Grant. And Wladimir "Steelhammer" Klitschko was rated by many as the best heavyweight in the world after Lennox Lewis, and the man most likely to assume control of the division after the latter's pending retirement. His impressive wins over Chris Byrd - to win the WBO strap - and tough Ray Mercer made sure he was the bookies' favourite, but many opinion polls gave him only a 60-40 advantage over McCline. The clash was very much expected to produce fireworks and possibly to emerge as a late contender for fight of the year. In reality though, McCline brought virtually nothing to the table and was totally dominated by the giant Ukrainian. As the two big men met in the centre of the ring in round 1, McCline's facial expression was one of discomfort and unease, while Klitschko looked serene and composed. This very much set the tone for the pattern of the fight. It would have to be said that the opening 5 rounds of the fight were not particularly action-packed. This is partly because McCline was rarely willing to close down the distance between himself and Klitschko, preferring to work his jab from afar without really connecting. Also, Klitschko showed McCline a great deal of respect and, while he did connect well at times with multiple jabs, left hooks and solid combinations, his approach was predominantly a cautious one. He did however establish a rhythm that his opponent was unable to break. Even when McCline did manage to move in close and land a few right hands in the 4th, the WBO champion responded almost at once with left-right-left combination. Klitschko was winning every round. As a result of Klitschko's loss to Ross Puritty in 1998 - in which he ran out of steam in the latter rounds - many believed that McCline, with his decision wins over Whitaker and Briggs, might have more stamina in the second half of the fight. This did not prove to be the case at all. Klitschko - who weighed in at a light 240 pounds against McCline's 263 - came on strong with more power punches from rounds 6 to 10, while the challenger struggled to make any real impression on the ebb and flow of the action. The crowd became somewhat restless in the 7th round as there was a definite lull - Klitschko was still too reluctant to take his work to the next level and McCline, though he was having his best round, connected only very sporadically. In the 10th round though, the champion landed some of his trademark left hooks and an overhand right to the top of McCline's head. It was clear that McCline was in trouble and this time Klitschko was decisive - he followed up with a left-right combination that sent the challenger tumbling to the canvas. A distressed McCline rose at the count of 9, but his corner pulled him out before the 11th round to give Klitschko his 37th career win by stoppage. Klitschko proved himself by far the superior boxer and on my card did not lose a single round. The judges scored the fight 98-91, 99-90 and 99-90 - all for Klitschko - at the time of the stoppage. Klitschko improved to 40-1 (37) while the outclassed McCline fell to 28-3-3 (16). The punch statistics only served to underline Klitschko's dominant performance over the no.1 challenger for his title: he landed 39% of his jabs - against only 16% for McCline - and an impressive 49% of his power punches. The lopsided fight was certainly a disappointment in terms of its lack of competitive action. But it did show us that Wladimir Klitschko is a threat to anyone in the heavyweight division - Lennox Lewis included - and those who thought he was over-hyped will now have to admit that if either fighter was over-hyped, then it was McCline. This is not to say that Klitschko's performance was flawless - he was often over-cautious and sometimes he looked very open to shots - but he did all that was asked of him and can continue his climb to the top of the tree with confidence.
KLITSCHKO WINS BY TKO IN 10 ROUNDS http://www.hbo.com/boxing Smart money has their eye on Wlad, with good reasons: his tremendous punching power, his quality of opposition, and his impeccable smarts & conditioning - not to mention a shred of lateral movement discernible in a recent performance (vs an out-matched Botha). Personally, I have warmed up slowly to the brothers K. Though giving due credit to the classy and deserving WBO champ, it's hard to get past that Euro boxing style. Not that anybody has been able to make him do so, but what if Wlad were called upon to, say, back up and box contemporaneously? Jameel "Big Time" McCline has been on a steep ascent since the days of besting Al "Ice" Cole in Thunderbox venues (And his all too recent memories of those cigar-steeped arenas may have inspired the holistic training techniques he's rumored to employ). Is Klitschko too much too soon? …or perhaps just too much period? This fight tests McCline's heart as much as his chin, and possibly could highlight the big man's agility. This mountain can move. If he does so, first and frequently, then he can take away Klitschko's jab. That's why I'm going with McCline as an underdog who is up to the task, by means of a unanimous decision. ROUND 1 LEDERMAN'S CARD: KLITSCHKO 10 MCCLINE 9
Personally, I have to admit greater respect for Klitschko after tonight, but it's not exactly based on a stellar performance. He did the job, and he did so against an overwhelmed, self-defeating opponent: Either McCline just isn't meant for the "big time", or this was just a dreary note in a thus far intriguing but spotty & limited career. Chances are he will have other opportunities to stake a claim in the division. But being a late bloomer only remains an option for so long.
Klitschko cautious but still a winner in his biggest
fight LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Wladimir Klitschko wanted to win his biggest fight on his own terms, which meant not getting hit much by Jameel McCline. That's an admirable trait for a fighter, but it doesn't win over fans who generally prefer their heavyweights to punch with the frenzy of a young Mike Tyson. Klitschko found that out Saturday night, when he methodically disposed of a stiff McCline only to hear scattered boos from a crowd gathered for his coming out party in the United States. The Ukrainian who some think could be boxing's next great heavyweight might have been a bit too cautious for his own good, though there was no arguing with the final result. ``It was maybe a little bit boring,'' Klitschko admitted. ``A couple of rounds there was not much action. But this is the heavyweight division, and you have to be very careful. Sometimes one punch changes everything.'' McCline hardly seemed to be a fighter who could change anything, despite coming into the ring at 6-foot-6 and a chiseled 263 pounds. He appeared intimidated from the opening bell, threw few punches and seemed content to try to go the distance. That didn't happen after Klitschko finally opened up a bit to knock McCline down near the end of the 10th round. McCline's corner wouldn't let him come out for the 11th round -- and McCline didn't object. Stopping McCline in 10 rounds will look good on Klitschko's record. But those at ringside Saturday sensed it could have happened a lot sooner had Klitschko pressed the issue. Even Klitschko grudgingly agreed. ``Obviously, I can make more action,'' Klitschko said. ''(But) I don't want to prove how hard my head is.'' If Klitschko and his older brother, Vitali, are going to be heavyweight stars, the time will come when they have to do more fighting and less thinking in the ring. Both have advanced degrees, speak four languages and love to play chess. But fans don't pay to see fighters -- especially big heavyweights -- engage in strategic matches, no matter how good the strategy is. ``You have to feel in the end the result was good,'' Klitschko said. ``It was the right way to win the fight.'' McCline was the 6-7 Klitschko's first ranked opponent in the United States, after an early career fighting mostly in his adopted country of Germany. The next time he's in this country, it most likely will be for Vitali's fight against champion Lennox Lewis, probably in April. Vitali was in Wladimir's corner Saturday, offering advice between rounds, and Wladimir will return the favor as the brothers take steps toward their goal of holding heavyweight titles at the same time. Wladimir is considered by many to be a better fighter than his brother, but he is being brought along more cautiously than the 31-year-old Vitali. ``Vitali is ready to fight Lennox Lewis, while with Wladimir we need a little more time,'' said Peter Kohl, a German who promotes the brothers. ``Give him a little more time, and he will be the greatest.'' That is open to debate, but one thing is for sure -- the upcoming year will tell a lot about the unlikely saga of two big brothers with one big goal. ``This was a very important fight,'' Kohl said. ``We will be ready for some big fights next year.''
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