So what do you get when two Russians, two Ukranians, and one Kazakhstani take up the sweet science? A combined 136-5-1 professional record, 6 major world titles, 4 Olympic medals, and a rising popularity in the sport of boxing. This is, of course, in reference to Ruslan Provodnikov, Sergey Kovalev, Wladimir Klitschko, Vasyl Lomachenko, and Gennady Golovkin. Say those names five times really fast. These fighters have brought an exciting vibe to boxing in the US that hasn't been seen in years.
In the US, boxing isn't near the apex of sports like it was in the 80's. Mega fights like Hagler-Leonard and Ali-Foreman are rare. Big name fighters are hard-pressed to fight more than twice, or even once a year. MMA has made its claim as a rival combat sport, while the NFL, college football, and the NBA have taken over as major sports for every network. They dominate the ratings, headlines and conversation of sports in America.
Well, what about the rest of the world? What is a prominent sport in Cuba, Europe, and Latin America?
Boxing.
While America is obsessed with understanding the NFL, controversy in the NBA, and BCS rankings (next year, the playoffs) in college football, boxing is still a mainattraction in Cuba, Europe, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. Those countries have produced legends such as Felix Trinidad, Manny Pacquiao, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto, Lennox Lewis, and Teofilo Stevenson (only fought as an amateur. Cuba doesn't allow pro boxing); the list goes on... and on... and on.
Since the US doesn't produce world champions willy-nilly like it did in the past, another region has taken over that responsibilty. Look for Eastern Europe, primarily Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. All of these countries line up: Ukraine attached to the left of Russia, and Kazakhstan connected to Russia on the right. Enter the current light welterweight, middleweight, lightheavyweight, and heavyweight champions of the world.
Here is just a few of these fighters currently dominating the boxing world:
Ruslan Provodnikov
29 years old; Record- 23(16)-2; Current WBO Light Welterweight Champion.
Known as the "Siberian Rocky," Provodnikov resembles Rocky Balboa in that he has a granite chin and an savage body attack. Born in Beryozovo, Russia, Ruslan overcame brutal winters and a tough up-bringing to amass an amateur record that he says is,"130-20, or something like that." He was a recurring fighter on ESPN 2's Friday Night Fights. Viewed as a one-dimensional fighter, Provodnikov teamed up with hall-of-fame trainer Freddie Roach to become a better fighter. He did just that. Under the guidance of Roach, Provodnikov steamedrolled his way into a title fight - Timothy Bradley. Ruslan hurt Bradley multiple times in the fight, but got outboxed in the middle rounds and ultimately lost a unanimous decision. Even Bradley said that Ruslan would be a world champion someday. This past October, Provodnikov defeated Mike Alvarado by 11th round TKO to win the WBO title. He recently called out Juan Manuel Marquez but would also like a rematch with Bradley.
Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev
30 years old; Record- 23(21)-0-1; Current WBO Light Heavyweight Champion.
Kovalev seems like he's too good to be true. A knockout artist who can box and take a punch. What a great combination. He's fought 4 times so far this year. His victims include former champs Nathan Cleverly (Round 4 KO), Gabriel Campillo (Round 3 TKO) and just recently, contender Ismail Sillakh. Sillakh was an amateur stand out who lost by a freak KO to Denis Grachev. He rode a 4 fight win streak before being halted by Kovalev in 2 rounds. Sillakh was expected to box and keep up with Sergey, but that could not be further from the truth. It was a brutal beatdown that made the viewers slap themselves for thinking the fight would be close. "Krusher" has made it clear that he wants to fight fellow titlist Adonis Stevenson to unify 2 belts in the division. That fight would really sell well with HBO, considering top fights between two champions don't occur too often. Stevenson and Kovalev are currently the biggest names at 175, and their styles match up consummately. It will happen eventually, but for now we will just have to look Kovalev knockout random guys in 2 rounds.
Wladimir Klitschko
37 years old; Record- 61(51)-3; Current WBA (Super), IBF, IBO, WBO, and The Ring Heavyweight Champion.
Dr. Steelhammer is the name. Dominating the heavyweight division for 10 years is the game. Accumulating 134 wins and only 6 losses as an amateur, Wladimir won a silver medal at the 1996 Vejile European Championships, and a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. His resume speaks for itself. He is the second longest reigning heavyweight champ of all time (7 years, 15 defenses) behind Joe Louis (11 years, 25 defenses.) He has the third most title fights among heavyweights (22-2). Only Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali have more. Notable wins include Hasim Rahman, Chris Byrd, Ray Mercer (past his prime, so it doesn't really count. But it's a name so I'll leave it in), and Eddie Chambers. All 3 of his losses were dramatic knockouts, which brings up the question of his chin. Well, it really isn't a question. He shudders when hit with any reasonably hard punch. Although he has been dominant, his unlookable style and lack of serious opposition cause most experts and fans to disregard his run, but you can't deny he has done all you can ask of a fighter, which is win.
Vasyl Lomachenko
25 years old; Record- 1(1)-0; Challenging Orlando Salido for his WBO Featherweight title in March. 2x olympic gold medalist (Beijing 2008, featherweight; London 2012 lightweight.) 2x gold medalist at the World Championships, 1 silver. 1 gold in the European Championships in Liverpool.
In short, Lomachenko has done it all as an amateur. Don't believe me? He beat his 5 opponents in the 2008 Olympics 58-13 (scoring system by punches landed). That's not even close. He recieved the Val Barker trophy as the game's best fighter. His record as an amateur is... 396-1!!! Oh yeah. And he avenged his only loss. Vasyl Lomachenko literally does not know what it is like to lose. That's as good an amateur pedigree as you can have while barely turning pro at the prime age of 25. He's currently signed with Top Rank, and fought on the undercard of Bradley vs. Marquez. He KO'd Mexican veteran Jose Ramirez in the 4th round. He showed a good chin, savvy ring IQ, speed, and effective aggression, a quality that few pros can master on a high level. If you aren't sold on him now, just know this. HE CAN WIN A TITLE IN JUST HIS 2ND PRO FIGHT!!! Nuff said.
Gennady "GGG" Golovkin
31 years old; Record- 28(25)-0; Current WBA and IBO Middleweight champion.
Hailing from Kazakhstan, the fighter known as the "Humble Assassin" has made a meteoric rise to the top of the boxing landscape, knocking out his last 15 opponents. His amateur background is stellar. Golovkin had a career amateur record of 345-5 and defeated the likes of Andy Lee and former super middleweight champion, Lucian Bute, on his way to winning a gold medal in the 2003 world championships. He also beat Andre Dirrell in the 2004 Olympics, in which he earned a silver medal. He has the highest KO percentage of any active titleholder (89%), and has never been knocked down or knocked out in over 375 total fights. His notable wins are against Curtis Stevens and Matthew Macklin, all by knockout.
Take Klitschko out. What do they all have in common? They all rose to prominence in 2013. All are very technically sound. Their amateur pedigrees would support this contention. Put Klitschko back in, and you have 5 fighters who each have a KO percentage greater than 64%. That stat is incogitable considering the gap in divisions. Also, two have had hall-of-fame trainers: Klitschko- Emanuel Steward, Provodnkiov- Freddie Roach. Aside from Klitschko, they are all thrilling to look, Golovkin and Kovalev especially. Whether these guys are opening cards or headlining an event, you always have to be ready because you don't know when it's going to end.
So why does this matter? Is this emergence a coincidence? Europe has produced many numerous champions like Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton, Chris Eubank, and Nigel Benn. What makes these guys so special?
Let's start with health in the sport. In October, Frankie Leal died three days after being knocked out by a Mexican fighter named Raul Hirales in Cabo San Lucas. The main cause, obviously, was brain trauma. In November, Russian heavyweight Magomed Abdusalamov lost a decision to Cuban Mike Perez. After the fight, Abdusalamov complained of not feeling well and was taken to a hospital. At the hospital he was diagnosed with having a blood clot in his brain, and had to have surgery to remove it. Soon after this, he was placed into a medically induced coma. After almost losing his life, his condition has improved.
But how did these two end up the way they did?
This wan't the first time Frankie Leal had been knocked out. Of his 8 losses, 5 have been by KO. He was known as a fighter that just wouldn't quit. In March 2012, he had to be hospitalized after being KOd by current IBF champion Evgeny Gradovich. His fighting style and mentality of fighting kept him in the ring when most would give up. Becuase of this, he ended up paying the ultimate price. Magomed's story is similar. He was undefeated going into his bout with Mike Perez. He was known as a brawler who had the power to hurt anybody standing in front of him. His heart kept him in the fight - Perez but it also contributed to his downfall. These fighters kept fighting when they were obviously were not in shape to keep on fighting. This shows how dangerous boxing can be when you slug it out. Pugilists like Lomachenko, Golovkin, and Klitschko won't go toe-to-toe for a full 12 rounds. They just pick you apart and hurt you as the fight wears on.
Whenever you turn on HBO: Boxing After Dark or Showtime Boxing, you'll see not only the fighters that have previously been mentioned, but other fighters that choose to fight defensively and adopt the old adage, "Hit and don't get hit." Guillermo Rigondeaux, Floyd Mayweather, Timothy Bradley, Andre Ward, and Sergio Martinez are fighters who use the jab and fight on the outside. They outpoint their opposition and habitually win lop-sided fights. This doesn't just end with these fighters.
It's a growing trend among the upper-class in boxing. The less abuse you take, the longer your career lasts. As an athlete, you want your career to last as long as possible. And, with a long career, comes a vast amount of money. The fighters that make tens of millions every year have been fighting professionally for 12+ years. Take Floyd Mayweather for example. He turned pro in 1996 after winning a bronze medal in the Atlanta Olympic games. He fought for 9 years before he landed his first Pay-Per-View fight, a one-sided beatdown of Arturo Gatti that merely sold 365,000 buys. Two years later, he set the PPV record (2.4 million buys) with his split-decision win over Oscar De La Hoya. He has been a professional fighter for 17 years and is just NOW making over $100 million a year, not including endorsements.
When you fight at a high level for 15+ years, you can make enough money to the point where you can wear shirts with diamonds for buttons. I'll take that over a trip to the hospital, thank you.
A further explanation of why these European fighters are emerging as crowd favorites, is simply because there's more urgency. Boxing is just more popular in that region. Kazakhstan doesn't have the NFL. Russia doesn't have the MLB. Ukraine doesn't have the NBA. Combat sports are widely known of and a gym is right around the corner for young kids in these respective countries. When you come from an economically disadvantaged environment, you either stay in that environment, or you are determined to make it out and make a name for yourself. It's like what commentator/trainer Teddy Atlas says, "There has to be a fire, a burning desire to be great. And there needs to be coal to fuel the fire." Golovkin, Kovalev and Provodnikov have that fire to be great fighters in their generation.
Maybe the most exigent reason why these fighters are as skilled as they are is becuse they are just more mentally astute than everyone else. Each fighter takes a very cerebral approach to fighting, even Provodnikov, who is billed as mainly a slugger. He cuts off the ring skillully and ALWAYS hits his opponent. Klitschko used to be a slugger, and while that style won him a title, it also cost him wins - guys he should've handily beat. Once he paired up with Emanuel Steward, he became more defensive and started thinking more. He now unifies all but one major title. All the fighters were very schooled amateurs and had been fighting since they were kids. They had years upon years of experience. This includes mastering their styles inside the ring and fighting some of the best competition on the planet.
Not to sound biased, but few American fighters have PhD's or have even attended a university. In Europe, it seems to be the opposite. Wladimir Klitschko has a Ph.D in sports science, prompting his nickname "Dr. Steelehamer." He attended Kiev University and speaks 4 languages: English, German, Russian and Ukranian. Gennady Golovkin also speaks 4 languages: English, German, Russian, and Kazakh.
They are easy to like too. Klitschko is very philanthropic and even auctioned off his olympic medal to help raise money to help Ukranian kids. These fighters, while their English isn't great, don't butcher the English language and work to improve their speech so they can build their brand abroad. They come prepared to every fight and never sell short of putting up a great fight every time they lace 'em up. In a year with many "Fighter of the Year" candidates, these fighters are all on that list, and you can make an argument for any of them to be the winner.
Whether it is going on one of the greatest runs in the sport or being avoided by everyone, top fighters out of Europe are starting to make their mark in boxing history. Vasyl Lomachenko, Ruslan Provodnikov, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennady Golovkin, and Sergey Kovavlev are prime examples. These fighters have run through their competition and are asking for more. They all have the potential to be big time stars that we will remember for the rest of our lives. Fortunately for fans, they get to look 4 of the 5 (Klitshcko is 37) for a long time. We can only wait for each of them to get their due credit.