The 'Other' Fight
Pacquiao-Mayweather.
For all intent purposes, it's THE fight that the boxing world yearns to see take place, but for reasons that only Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. know, it has yet to become a reality -- and quite possibly never will.
Meanwhile, there is another match-up that would actually be even more compelling and dramatic than a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout, but for reasons that only Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko -- and their mother -- know, it hasn't taken place either -- and most probably never will.
In the wake of Wladimir's unanimous decision over all-talk, but no-box challenger David Haye on Saturday night in Hamburg, Germany, he now owns the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO versions of the heavyweight championship. Combined with Vitali's WBC heavyweight title in the alphabet soup mess that is boxing, Natalia Klitschko's sons possess all of the major heavyweight title belts out there.
Mother Knows Best
And that's the rub. The Ukrainian siblings, who have pretty much ruled the roost in the heavyweight division for the last decade (they are a combined 98-5 with 88 knockouts for their careers), say they will NEVER fight each other because they've promised Mrs. Klitschko they won't put her through such Cain and Abel agony.
But maybe the way things stand right now, the Brothers Klitschko might be able to twist mom's arm just a little bit. With Wladimir 35-years-old and Vitali on the verge of reaching 40 (his birthday is on July 19), time is of the essence if they are to oppose each other in the ring. Heck, two years ago, Wladimir ever-so-slightly left the door cracked open to such a possibility occurring.
"We would have to talk to our mother again," the younger Klitschko said in an interview with The Ring back in 2009. "We know how much interest this fight would create and it would mean that one of us would be the supreme heavyweight champion. Of course our mother would not be very happy."
Them Are Fighting Words
No, the diminutive former school teacher and clerk probably would not be pleased at all. But interestingly enough, Wladimir Klitschko didn't stop there. What he said next, uttered with the ferocity of a true champion and by a man who -- just in case we forgot, makes his living punching other people's lights out -- still leaves hope for all of us who clamor for a Klitschko vs. Klitschko meeting.
"If we did fight, I would be very worried about the health of my brother because it would be very bloody and very bad. We are very competitive and it would be for real."
Hmmm, at least Wladimir sounds like he's been thinking about going mano-a-mano against Vitali, doesn't it?!
Mitch Evans - A fixture on the Atlanta sports scene since 1997, Mitch Evans has been recognized for his work on three seperate occasions by the ...
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