Sunday, December 05, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Politics affecting Vitali Klitschko's focus on fight

Heavyweight distracted by election in Ukraine

By KEVIN IOLE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Vitali Klitschko said at a news conference in Las Vegas last month that being the heavyweight champion "means the world" to him.

But Klitschko was prepared to scrap his title defense against Danny Williams, set for Saturday at Mandalay Bay, because of his desire to return to Ukraine. A Ukrainian native, Klitschko is deeply interested in politics and wanted to be in the middle of the protests against the country's presidential election.

Klitschko and his younger brother, fellow heavyweight Wladimir, support the candidacy of Viktor Yushchenko, who won an important victory Friday when the country's Supreme Court ruled the initial election results invalid and ordered a new election on Dec. 26.

However, Yushchenko supporters lost a round to their foes in parliament Saturday, when pro-government lawmakers helped block legal changes intended to prevent fraud in the Dec. 26 election.

Wladimir Klitschko was one of the leaders of the 10,000 people who flooded the streets of Kiev protesting the election of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. Vitali Klitschko was in Los Angeles and had to decide whether to postpone the fight and return home or continue his training.

"What happens in Ukraine is very close to us because our family and our friends all live in Ukraine," Vitali Klitschko said. "We are involved in Ukraine politics, and it touches everyone. It is very painful to read some news and the way they speak about Ukraine like it is a poor country, like a banana republic. I wish for my country, for my people, for my children and the next generation a great future, and I support the democratic way.

"I support consolidation of Ukraine into the European Union. That is why I support Viktor Yushchenko."

Klitschko said he has been spending an hour each morning searching for news before going to the gym to prepare. He said his brother also has helped keep him informed.

"When I wake up at 6 in the morning, I have one hour before I starting the training to check the news, make calls to my friends and get information," he said. "I know that my fight is very important for Ukraine, and it is my resolve to be ready for this fight. I think this fight will be a very important message for everybody, not only in Ukraine but in the world.

"I have kept focused for training and for the fight. But I do get the information on what is happening in Ukraine every day. It is difficult, but in life, nothing is easy."

• BELTS COMING OFF -- Nothing has come easy in boxing for Glen Johnson. He earned the nickname the "Road Warrior" for going into other fighters' home territory and competing.

His years of perseverance paid off in September when he knocked out Roy Jones Jr. to win the IBF light heavyweight belt. Johnson will fight the richest fight of his career Dec. 18 in Los Angeles when he meets Antonio Tarver, who, like Johnson, knocked out Jones this year.

Tarver and Johnson had to surrender belts to make this fight happen. Tarver saw more money in a fight with Johnson than in a bout with WBC No. 1 contender Paul Briggs, who is a virtual unknown even in boxing circles. Johnson gave up his title to fight Tarver rather than take on another unknown in Rico Hoye.

Johnson said he can't understand why the sanctioning bodies wouldn't allow the two champions to meet without the threat of having their titles stripped.

"It was a tough decision," Johnson said of surrendering the belt. "I really can't understand why the organizations wouldn't honor the biggest light heavyweight fight out there today. It's puzzling from so many aspects. I fought my whole career to become a champion and then they forced me to give it up.

"At this stage of my career, at (nearly age 36), I felt it was the right decision to take the fight and make this money to support my family. But I still don't understand how one human being could snatch the life away from another without consideration of how that man is going to survive. These organizations really need to take a look at what they're doing."

• A FOURTH FIGHT? -- If there is going to be a fourth fight between Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, the decision will be Barrera's. Barrera eked out a majority-decision victory over Morales on Nov. 27 at the MGM Grand in what many observers called the best fight they had ever seen.

Barrera won the last two fights between the men after Morales took the opener.

Richard Schaefer, the chief executive officer of Barrera's promoter, Golden Boy, said it is obvious that the most lucrative fight for Barrera in 2005 is a fourth one against Morales. Schaefer said Golden Boy will make the fight Barrera wants.

"I understand that from a financial standpoint, Marco would stand to make more in another Morales fight than he would in any other, no matter who he fought," Schaefer said. "I'm always of the opinion that because the fighters' careers are so short and the risks are so great that they should take the fights that pay them the most, but at the end of the day, Marco is the one who has to make the decision."

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum agreed with Schaefer, but said fights in any combination between Barrera, Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao would be huge. Marquez and Pacquiao are fighting in February at the MGM.

"There's a magic with those guys like there was with (Sugar) Ray (Leonard), Tommy (Hearns), Marvin (Hagler) and Roberto (Duran)," Arum said. "With those guys, it didn't matter how you matched them, you got a great fight. And I think the same is true of these four."