Wladimir Klitschko considering a rematch with Corrie Sanders
09.07.07 - By Jeff Bastasini: According to the latest boxing news, IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko is considering a possible rematch with South African heavyweight Corrie Sanders (42-3, 31 KOs) for his next bout. Wladimir previously lost to Sanders, 41, by 2nd round TKO in March 2003, a bout which saw Wladimir knocked down four times before the referee finally halted the one-sided destruction in the 2nd.
Wladimir, however, was never able to land a rematch with the hard-punching Sanders, who ultimately was defeated by Wladimir's brother, Vitali, in a "revenge of the brother" scenario in April 2004.
The loss, though, has been a constant irritant for Wladimir Klitschko over the years, and something that fans have pointed to when they've summed up Wladimir's ability to take a punch. More than that, the lack of a rematch has also been a wonder to many of Wladimir's fans, whom have thought that he had little desire to take on Sander's again due to how easily he had thrashed Wladimir the first time out.
Sanders retired from boxing in late 2004, and stayed away until recently making a comeback in November 2006. Since then, he's had two bouts, stopping Colin Wilson in two rounds in November 2006, and winning a 10-round decision over Daniel Bispo in May 2007, a bout in which Sanders injured his left hand in the first round, making it necessary to fight one-handed for the remaining nine rounds. Despite packing on a little weight during his time off, the southpaw Sanders still reportedly has fast hands and punches incredibly hard.
Wladimir, 31, since stopping Lamon Brewster in the 6th round of their rematch on Saturday, July 7th, there's been talk of Wladimir taking on the winner of the heavyweight unification match between WBO heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov and WBA heavyweight title holder Ruslan Chagaev, which takes place in October 2007. Before any potential bout with either of them, Wladimir still has time to get in one more bout before then, and this is where a bout with Sanders possibly comes in to play.
At this time, there's not a lot of appealing options for opponents for Wladimir, since most of the heavyweights challengers are either old, such as Evander Holyfield and Oliver McCall, not well known or just plain damaged goods. In that case, Corrie Sanders appears the best of a poor selection. He still amounts to a substantial risk due to his 6'4" size, power, southpaw stance and quickness, so Wladimir will have to factor in the danger that a bout like this could present for him. In one aspect, Wladimir could revenge his most painful defeat, but on the other hand, there's always the risk that he could be knocked out once again. Their first fight wasn't remotely competitive and it appeared that Sanders was just a better fighter than Wladimir, much in the same way that George Foreman was able to dominate Joe Frazier each time.
Der Sniper wird kommen u. dann ist schluss mit lustig