Klitschko Punches Ticket to Big Time

It was a dream Vitali Klitschko brought with him from Ukraine where he was raised, from Germany where he trained.

It was a dream denied him a year ago by an ugly gash that split open his left eyelid and forced him out of a World Boxing Council title fight against champion Lennox Lewis, a fight Klitschko was winning on the judges’ scorecards.

But now, all that stood between Klitschko and that dream of holding a bona fide heavyweight championship, the WBC crown, was a bloodied, shaken, staggering 38-year-old opponent who had no reason to stay on his feet Saturday night at Staples Center.

Corrie Sanders had already made his mark in boxing after a career as a journeyman by beating Klitschko’s brother, Wladimir, last year. Win or lose Saturday, Sanders would leave Staples Center with a purse of $952,500, a retirement fund fit for a CEO.

Late in the eighth round, Sanders looked like the poster boy for a slasher movie. Blood streamed from his nose, caked his left ear and left large blotches on his white trunks. A large bruise reduced his right eye to a slit.

His energy tank on empty, he was using his last reserves to take wild swings from the heels, but they didn’t come close to Klitschko, who easily dodged them and then resumed his relentless attack.

Why fight on?

Referee Jon Schorle could see no good reason. So after four more solid, unanswered punches by Klitschko, Schorle stepped in at the 2:46 mark of that round and mercifully stopped the fight, held in front of an announced 17,320.

Klitschko (34-2, 33 knockouts) could finally put that coveted WBC belt around his waist.

“I achieved my goal and my dream,” Klitschko said. “I would like to thank everyone who believed in me.”

Those who questioned whether the 32-year-old Klitschko would indeed prevail had focused on the distractions pulling at him in the days leading up to the fight.

He had to deal with his brother’s devastating loss to Lamon Brewster two weeks ago. He had to deal with the problems facing his new promotional company, K2, in putting together an undercard that kept losing fighters.

And somewhere, in the midst of all that, Klitschko had to prepare for an opponent who had knocked his brother down four times in a fight stopped in the second round.

“This is a big relief,” Klitschko said after Saturday night’s fight. “I feel a huge weight off of my shoulders.”

Sanders started off against Vitali as if it were a continuation of his match against Wladimir. A southpaw with an awkward style, Sanders threw his trademark left hand in sweeping arcs, winning the opening round on all three judges’ scorecards.

“I knew his strategy would be to try and land one big punch,” Klitschko said. “Then, if there was an explosion, he would try to come back with another explosion.”

Instead, Sanders (39-3, 29) exhausted his firepower in that first round. He didn’t win another round on any of the judges’ scorecards. Instead, the South African fighter seemed resigned to taking heavy jab after heavy jab from Klitschko, along with a series of powerful right hands that cut up Sanders’ face.

Still, Klitschko was gracious in victory.

“Sanders was a tough fighter,” he said. “I underestimated Sanders’ speed a little.... He had much faster hands. My legs helped me to beat Corrie Sanders because if I stayed there [in front of him], Corrie Sanders is dangerous to me.”

That danger wasn’t reflected in the punch statistics. Klitschko connected on 230 punches for a 56% success rate, Sanders 51 punches for a 22% rate.

“I am surprised he never went down,” Klitschko said. “He took so many punches, it was unbelievable, and he always came back with some of his own.”

It was left to Sanders’ manager, Vernon Smith, to express his feelings because the fighter went to a nearby hospital to be examined without making any comment.

“Corrie is fine,” Smith said. “He was beaten by a much better boxer. He took a few shots to the face, but he was smiling when he left. He was making jokes.

“He was exhausted. He was tired. He did not disagree with the referee’s decision to stop the fight. His biggest regret is that he could not land the left better.”

So now what?

There are three other heavyweight champions in the other sanctioning organizations -- Brewster, Chris Byrd and John Ruiz -- but Klitschko focused on the retired Lewis, who was ringside, after the fight.

“Lennox promised me a rematch” after the first fight, Klitschko said. “Lennox Lewis is a gentleman. I hope we can fight a second time.”

If not, Klitschko has another idea.

“Since I was 15 years old,” he said, “I’ve had a dream to fight Iron Mike” Tyson.

That’s one dream Klitschko might be better off not pursuing.

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Vitali Klitschko’s Career

34 Wins, 2 Loss, 33 Knockouts

2004

*--* April 24 Corrie Sanders, Staples Center TKO8 For WBC heavyweight title 2003 Dec. 6 Kirk Johnson, New York TKO2 June 21 Lennox Lewis, Staples Center TKOby6 For WBC heavyweight title 2002 Nov. 23 Larry Donald, Dortmund, Germany TKO10 Feb. 8 Vaughn Bean, Braunsch, Germany TKO11 2001 Dec. 8 Ross Puritty, Oberhausen, Germany TKO11 Jan. 27 Orlin Norris, Munich, Germany KO1 2000 Nov. 25 Timo Hoffmann, Hannover, Germany W12 April 1 Chris Byrd, Berlin, Germany TKOby10 Lost WBO heavyweight title 1999 Dec. 11 Obed Sullivan, Hamburg, Germany TKO10 Retained WBO heavyweight title Oct. 9 Ed Mahone, Oberhausen, Germany TKO3 Retained WBO heavyweight title June 26 Herbie Hide, London KO2 Won WBO heavyweight title Feb. 20 Ismael Youla, Hamburg, Germany TKO2 1998 Dec. 5 Francesco Spinelli, Kiev, Ukraine KO1 Oct. 24 Mario Schiesser, Hamburg, Germany TKO2 Aug. 11 Ricardo Kennedy, Miami TKO1 June 5 Jose Ribalta, Hamburg, Germany TKO2 May 2 Dick Ryan, Lubeck, Germany TKO5 April 18 Julius Francis, Aachen, Germany TKO2 March 20 Levi Billups, Frankfurt, Germany KO2 March 7 Louis Monaco, Cologne, Germany KO3 Jan. 30 Alben Belinski, Munich, Germany KO2 Jan. 17 Marcus Rhode, Berlin, Germany TKO2 1997 Dec. 20 Anthony Willis, Offenburg, Germany KO5 Nov. 29 Herman Delgado, Karlsruhe, Germany TKO3 Nov. 8 Gil Williamson, Frankfurt, Germany KO6 Oct. 4 Will Hinton, Hannover, Germany KO2 June 14 Jimmy Haynes, Aachen, Germany TKO2 May 10 Cleveland Woods, Frankfurt, Germany KO2 April 12 Derrick Roddy, Aachen, Germany TKO2 March 8 Calvin Jones, Cologne, Germany KO1 Feb 22 Troy Roberts, Hamburg, Germany KO2 Jan 25 Mike Acklie, Stuttgart, Germany KO1 1996 Dec. 21 Brian Sargent, Frankfurt, Germany TKO2 Nov. 30 Frantisek Sumina, Neustadt, Austria TKO1 Nov. 16 Tony Bradham, Hamburg, Germany KO2

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Corrie Sanders’ Career

39 Wins, 3 Losses, 29 Knockouts

*--* 2004 April 24 Vitaly Klitschko, Staples Center TKOby8 For WBC heavyweight title 2003 March 8 Wladimir Klitschko, Hannover, Ger. TKO2 Won WBO heavyweight title 2002 Nov. 9 Otis Tisdale, Oklahoma City TKO2 2001 April 20 Hasim Rahman, Atlantic City TKOby7 Nov. 3 Michael Sprott, Brakpan, S. Africa TKO1 2000 Feb. 19 Alfred Cole, Brakpan, S. Africa TKO1 1999 July 2 Jorge Valdez, Bristol, England TKO1 1998 June 12 Bobby Czyz, Uncasville, Conn. TKO2 1997 Nov. 15 Ross Puritty, Pretoria, S. Africa W12 Feb. 7 Arthur Weathers, Las Vegas TKO1 1996 Sept. 12 Olian Alexander, Melville, NY TKO2 Aug. 20 Sean Hart, New York TKO2 July 20 Curtis Shepard, Mabopane, S. Africa KO1 Jan. 26 Keith Fletcher, Brighton, England KO4 1995 Aug. 5 James Pritchard, Albuquerque TKO1 April 1 Nikolai Kulpin, Sun City, S. Africa W10 1994 Sept. 24 Garing Lane, London, England W8 Aug. 13 Carlos DeLeon, Atlantic City, NJ TKO1 April 21 Nate Tubbs, Hammanskraal, S. Afr. KOby2 March 19 Mike Williams, Pretoria, S. Africa KO1 Feb. 5 Marshall Tillman, Las Vegas TKO6 1993 Nov. 6 Levi Billups, Sun City, S. Africa KO1 Sept. 4 George Stephens, Las Vegas TKO1 June 26 Bert Cooper, Atlantic City TKO3 April 17 Matthew Brooks, Sacramento KO1 1992 Oct. 24 Johnny Nelson, Ga-Rankuwa, S. Afr. W10 Aug. 22 Mike Evans, Sun City, S. Africa W10 May 9 Mike Dixon, Las Vegas, NV W8 Feb. 22 Anthony Wade, Sun City, S. Africa W10 1991 Nov. 32 Art Card, Sun City, S. Africa TKO1 Sept. 28 Mike Rouse, Sun City, S. Africa W10 July 27 Johnny DuPlooy, Sun City, S. Africa KO1 April 6 Steve Gee, Darlington, England TKO4 1990 Nov. 8 Steve Zouski, Biloxi, Miss. W8 Aug. 4 Moses Mthama, Sun City, S. Africa TKO1 May 23 Jorge Vilchis, Durban, S. Africa KO1 March 29 Weaver Qwabe, Cape Town, S. Africa TKO1 1989 Sept. 9 Samson Mahlangu, Mabopane, S. Afr. TKO3 Aug. 5 Gideon Hlongwa, Sun City, S. Africa TKO3 May 27 David Malatsi, Sun City, S. Africa TKO1 April 24 Prince Tukane, Cape Town, S. Africa W4 April 2 King Kong Dyubele, Cape Town, S. Afr. TKO1

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Heavy hitters

Current heavyweight champions:

*--* WBA -- John Ruiz (39-4-1, 28 KOs) WBC -- Vitali Klitschko (34-2, 33 KOs) IBF -- Chris Byrd (36-2-1, 20 KOs)

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