Klitschko beats Chagaev in front of 61,000

By PATRICK McGROARTY, Associated Press Writer

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP)—Wladimir Klitschko again proved his dominance of the heavyweight division, stopping Ruslan Chagaev in a hastily put together title fight Saturday night before 61,000 fans at a German soccer stadium.

The IBF and WBO champion added the Ring Magazine belt to his haul, knocking Chagaev down in the second round and opening a cut over the Uzbekistan-born fighter’s left eye in the eighth.

Referee Eddie Cotton stopped the fight before the 10th round.

“You can’t underestimate Chagaev,” said Klitschko, who stands with his brother Vitali as clearly the best in the division. “He did everything today, but I was better.”

Chagaev, who is the WBA’s “champion in recess,” raised a deep bruise under Klitschko’s right eye, but was done in by the Ukrainian’s height advantage and superior power. With his strong left jab and hard straight rights, Klitschko (53-3, 47 KOs) bloodied Chagaev and never appeared in danger.

The sellout crowd was the biggest boxing audience in Germany since Max Schmeling knocked out Adolf Heuser in front of 70,000 people in Stuttgart in 1939.

“Throughout the fight, I searched for the keys to unlock a win, but I just couldn’t find them,” said Chagaev, whose win over Carl Davis Drummond in February was stopped by a similar cut above his left eye.

The matchup at the Schalke soccer club’s Veltins Arena was originally billed as a showdown between Klitschko and former cruiserweight champ David Haye, and the two had gone on a worldwide press tour in which the outspoken Haye flaunted T-shirts showing him standing in the ring with the decapitated heads of the Klitschko brothers.

But the British fighter, whose only victory since moving to heavyweight was a knockout of Monte Barrett in November, pulled out earlier this month citing a back injury. He asked to reschedule the fight for July, but Klitschko wanted to keep the date and sellout crowd.

He found a replacement in Chagaev (25-1-1), who was supposed to fight Nikolai Valuev for the WBA title last month in Helsinki. That bout was called off after the weigh-in when doctors found Hepatitis-B antigens in Chagaev’s blood.

Because the rules are different in Germany, Chagaev managed to pass a medical exam and was allowed to fight Klitschko, even though several organizations protested, including the American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians.

Klitschko to fight at 60,000-seat sellout venue

By PATRICK McGROARTY, Associated Press Writer

BERLIN (AP)—When Wladimir Klitschko steps into the ring against Ruslan Chagaev, it will be in front of the largest boxing audience in Germany since Max Schmeling fought in the 1930s.

Action inside the ropes Saturday at Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, however, might not live up to the hype.

Klitschko, the IBF and WBO heavyweight champion, was supposed to be fighting David Haye to settle a running verbal feud. But Haye bowed out earlier this month, saying he had injured his back.

Haye asked to reschedule the fight in July, but Klitschko wanted to keep the date and the 60,000-seat sellout—the biggest boxing crowd in Germany since Schmeling fought Adolf Heuser in front of 70,000 people in Stuttgart on June 2, 1939.

“It’s a chance that’s coming around for the first time in my entire sporting career,” the 33-year-old Ukrainian said. “I’m incredibly excited about the 60,000 fans.”

Chagaev weighed in Friday at 225 pounds, and Klitschko weighed in at 240 pounds.

The 30-year-old Chagaev was named the WBA’s “champion in recess” in 2008 after withdrawing from two fights against Nikolai Valuev. After a third bout between the two scheduled for last month in Helsinki was canceled due to Hepatitis-B antigens being found in Chagaev’s blood, the WBA announced Valuev as the rightful champion and put Chagaev’s honorary title “under review.”

As of Friday, the WBA had not clarified whether Klitschko (52-3) will fight for a piece of that title on top of defending his belts.

Michael Ehnert, the medical doctor for Universum, which is promoting Saturday’s fight, said Chagaev is fit to fight in Germany.

“Since getting Hepatitis B many years ago, Ruslan is simply a carrier of Hepatitis-B antigens. This has not led to an infection,” Ehnert said.

Klitschko has said he has been immunized against Hepatitis B and is not worried about the fight.

In February, Chagaev (25-0 with one draw) won a technical decision over Carl Davis Drumond in Rostock, Germany. It was the Uzbekistan-born boxer’s first fight in more than a year.

Klitschko to face Chagaev on June 20

FRANKFURT (AP)—Ruslan Chagaev will replace David Haye as Wladimir Klitschko’s opponent in a heavyweight title bout on June 20.

Haye bowed out of the fight on Wednesday, saying he had injured his back in training, and said he wanted to push the date back to July.

But Klitschko, who holds the IBF and WBO belts, said he was in top form and wanted to keep the date—a 60,000-ticket sellout at Schalke’s soccer stadium in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

“It’s unfortunate that David Haye can’t compete. But now I’m looking ahead and I’m excited about a particularly sporting challenge with Ruslan Chagaev,” Klitschko (52-3) said in a statement released Saturday by his management company, KMG.

Chagaev has been the WBA’s “champion in recess” since withdrawing from two scheduled rematches against Nikolai Valuev. A third match between the two fighters scheduled for last Saturday in Helsinki was canceled after Finnish boxing authorities said Chagaev failed a “medical requirement.”

The WBA had said that the two must fight before the end of this month to decide ownership of the title, but has not announced what the most recent cancellation means for that deadline.

Klitschko’s manager, Bernd Boente, said Valuev was also considered as a potential challenger for the June 20 fight.

In February, Chagaev (25-0-1) won a technical decision over Carl Davis Drumond at Rostock, Germany—the Uzbekistan-born boxer’s first fight in more than a year.