Boxing Needs an American Heavyweight Champion

IBO, IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine heavyweight champion “Dr. Steelhammer” Wladimir Klitschko will fight undefeated Russian challenger “White Lion” Aleksandr Povetkin September 11 at the Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt, Germany.

Klitschko (54-3, 48 KOs), a Ukrainian who captured a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, hasn’t lost a bout since he suffered a fifth round technical knockout against Lamon Brewster in April 2004.

Wladimir and his older brother, WBC titlist Vitali, are two of the top-20 heavyweights in the annals of boxing.

Vitali (40-2, 38 KOs), who owns the highest heavyweight knockout percentage in history (95 percent) and has never hit the canvas as a professional, is a tremendous pugilist.

Vitali publicly declared his intention to retire from competing in the ring before the arrival of 2011.

The Klitschkos have utterly dominated the heavyweight landscape since Lennox Lewis hung up his gloves after 2003 and they deserve a boatload of credit.

Povetkin (19-0, 14 KOs), the winner of gold as a super heavyweight for Russia at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, has beaten every opponent he has ever fought in his 151 combined fights as a professional and amateur (144-7).

Povetkin is obviously skilled and his pedigree demands praise.

Unfortunately, if the matchup is even aired on television, it will quickly become evident to viewers the “White Lion” has little chance versus “Dr. Steelhammer.”

Wladimir Klitschko is 34 and, with the anemic list of immediate contenders, he will likely continue to devastate the competition for years to come.

The lack of quality adversaries for Klitschko is concerning.

However, even more worrisome is the realization there is not a single decent American heavyweight pugilist in the world today.

If there were any non-European sluggers flourishing in the squared circle, the heavyweight division would still be the glamour division in the sport

Disappointingly, there hasn’t been an American bruiser in ions and there certainly doesn’t appear to be any on the horizon.

Therefore, boxing’s true glamour division will remain inglorious.