The Klitschko Bros.: It's a Shame That They Are Not the Biggest Names in Boxing

The upcoming heavyweight championship fight between Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye is possibly, after Mayweather-Pacquiao, the biggest fight that can be made. However, the Klitschko brothers—Vitali and Wladimir—are still largely ignored by the American public.

For eight years now, the heavyweight division has been dominated by the Ukranian pugilists. Together, they have defeated every top contender and are close to unifying the division, with only the WBA Champion David Haye standing in the way.

In those eight years, though, the heavyweight division has been viewed as being at its weakest in decades. Unfortunately, as a result, most of the accomplishments of the Klitschkos have gone unappreciated.

Reasons for this include their fighting styles, "weak competition," lack of outlandish personalities and their non-American nationality.

Given that most of their victories have been one-sided contests, they have often been perceived as dull fighters. The two use their size and strength to their advantage and are safety first fighters. Both, though, have engaged in plenty of brawls, and Wladimir, in his fight with Ray Austin in 2007, fought nearly the entire fight with a broken middle finger in his left hand. Who, of course, can forget Vitali Klitschko, who valiantly insisted on continuing his fight with Lennox Lewis after he suffered a nasty cut above his eye (The fight was eventually stopped.). The Klitschkos can give and take pain.

The competition of the 80s was weaker, yet Mike Tyson became a star beating a whole bunch of nobodies in relatively quick fashion.

With 39 of his 42 wins coming by way of knockout, Vitali has the best knockout-to-fight ration of any heavyweight champion in boxing history. Many will argue that he should really be undefeated, as his two losses were due to the fights being stopped due to injuries to his shoulder and eye.

After his lost to Lamon Brewster, many believed that Wladimir was done as a contender. He has since bounced back and beaten all of his opponents. His second victory over Chris Byrd in 2006 was significant in that Byrd had the longest championship reign among the four major title holders at that time.

The real "problem" with the competition is that just like the Klitschkos, most of the contenders have been foreigners. Most of the Klitschkos' opponents have come from former Soviet Republics, much like the brothers themselves.

Boxing has historically been defined by heavyweights, and most of the greats have been American-born, whereas other divisions have long had non-U.S. born champions. That their nationality is a factor in the lack of interest in the brothers is a real shame.

With their calm demeanor, the Klitshckos are not known for their flashy or extravagant presence. They, like Gene Tunney, did look more like college professors than heavyweight champions. They are avid chess players with Ph.Ds in Sports Science, the only heavyweight champions in boxing history with such honors. Vitali is also the only heavyweight champion who can speak five languages.

Vitali, just like Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao, has also ventured into politics in his native Ukraine. Although unsuccessful in his bid for mayor of Kiev, in 2008, he was appointed to the delegation of the Congress of the Council of Europe.

The Klitshckos, like Oscar De La Hoya, are good looking. Vitali is married, but, Wladimir, who recently broke up with actress Hayden Panettiere, still receives a huge exciting reaction from women anytime he appears on late night talk shows and mentions that he is single.

To make it short, the Klitshckos should be as big as Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. They do not need boxing. We should be grateful they do fight.