Photo by Marilyn Paulino/RBRBoxing
Wladmir Klitschko has not lost a fight in 11 years and has had 17 successful defenses of his world Heavyweight Championship.
On Saturday night, Klitschko (63-3, 53 KOs) will defend his IBF, WBA, WBO & IBO titles against undefeated contender, Bryant Jennings (19-0, 10 KOs). The fight will air live on HBO from New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Read on for the three keys to victory for Wladimir Klitschko.
1. Land the Left Hook
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The last time we saw Wladimir Klitschko in the ring last November he pulverized previously unbeaten Kubrat Pulev with a series of left hooks. Pulev knew those dynamite left hooks were coming and yet, was unable to do anything about it.
Klitschko landed the left hook early in the fight to score a first-round knockdown and when Pulev got up, Klitschko calmly walked over and dropped him with another left hook.
Klitschko hurt Pulev again in the third round with the left hook and finished him off with a devstating left hook whch nearly separated Pulev’s head from his shoulders. Pulev went down and had no chance of getting up.
Jennings is a smart, technical fighter who will look to gain an edge on the inside. It is likely that if Jennings feels one of those monsterous left hooks from Klitschko then he will cease taking risks against the taller and more powerful Ukranianan giant.
This will allow Klitschko to control the fight and do what he does best, which is to wear his opponent down until he can land the big right hand cleanly. This brings us to the second key to victory.
2. Use the Jab to Set up the Right Hand
Photo by Joern Pollex-Bongarts/Getty Images
Wladimir Klitschko is an expert at using the jab to not only set up the powerful right hand, but to also hurt his opponent as he did against Alexander Povetkin when they fought in Moscow in 2013. Klitschko knocked Povetkin down with a jab in the seventh round en route to a 12-round unanimous decision victory.
The Klitschko jab will be the most important weapon of the fight. If Klitschko lands his jab then it will be vitually impossible for Jennings to get inside and hurt him. The jab will perfectly set up the big right hand which carries the knockout power.
Klitschko has hurt and scored many knockdowns landing the straight right hand. In 2012, Klitschko dominated and embarrassed Frenchman, Jean Marc Mormeck with a barrage of hard right hands which ultimately knocked Mormeck out in the fourth round.
3. Fight the Taller Man’s Fight
AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev
When fighters have had success against Wladimir Klitschko it’s because they were not afraid to get inside and mix it up with him in attempt to test his jaw. As the taller and much more powerful man, it is in Klitschko’s best interest to not let this happen. If Klitschko stands his ground and works diligently behind the jab, not allowing Jennings to get off, it should be another feather in the cap for the 39-year-old champion.
Klitschko has proven he can roughhouse with other fighters as he did with Alexander Povetkin when he flung him around the ring and pushed him into the ropes several times.
In his fight against David Haye in 2011 Klitschko lost a point in the seventh round for excessive pushing. Haye did much of the trash talking in the months leading up to that fight, but once it was time to step inside the ring it was Klitschko who was behaving like the bully.
