Vitali Klitschko looks to continue his impressive title reign when he defends his WBC Heavyweight Championship against rising contender Manuel Charr.
Klitschko's title reign stretches all the way back to 2008 and the champion hasn't lost a fight since 2003. In short, he's one of the most dominant forces in all of boxing.
Challenging Klitschko's streak will be German Manuel Charr. At 27 years old, Charr is a relatively young prospect with an undefeated record. Despite the undefeated record, Charr is relatively unknown and is considered to be a massive underdog.
A win for Klitschko would just be another notch in his belt as he continues to squash the competition in the heavyweight division. A win for Charr would obviously make him one of the biggest names in boxing as the man that took down one of the Klitschko brothers and legitimized his undefeated record.
Here's what each fighter must do to win this championship match.
Keys for Klitschko
Vitali Klitschko is the overwhelming favorite in this fight at -3000 odds according to Bovada.lv. With a record of 44-2, there's no questioning Klitschko's favored status and he won't need to do anything special to come away with this one.
Klitschko is one of the most powerful heavyweights of all time and for many the question about the length of the bout is more pressing than the actual results.
If Klitschko wants to end this early, he probably can. He is much more accomplished than Charr and he needs to let Charr know that he's not on equal footing by establishing his power early. Vitali has an extremely good chin so he's more than capable of exchanging with Charr early and putting his power advantage on display in the early going.
Charr is young and confident, but as soon as Klitschko gives him a taste of his power, Charr could be singing a different tune. A fast start for the champion would mean an early finish and he should look to go with that strategy.
Keys for Charr
Manuel Charr is a huge underdog in this one as Bovada has him at +1100 odds to win the fight. Despite an undefeated record, not many are giving Charr a shot at unseating the champion.
Given the competition that Charr has compiled his record against, it's easy to see why people aren't buying the notion of a Charr upset here. He simply has yet to impress against a big name opponent and Klitschko isn't exactly the best first test for the German under the bright lights.
Looking at Charr's record, only 11 of his 21 victories have come by stoppage so his power is questionable at best. Out-boxing the champion may be a tough task, but it is probably Charr's best shot at pulling the upset.
Klitschko's power should be a real concern for Charr and keeping Klitschko at bay with good footwork should be his main priority. If Charr can force Klitschko to chase him, he could frustrate him to the point of making mistakes and open up some opportunities for Charr to counter.
The upset is unlikely, but if Charr can avoid Klitschko's power and force him into a cat-and-mouse game, his chances of winning will greatly increase.
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