Vitali Klitschko vs Ed Mahone

Every victory on the combined records of the two unbeaten heavyweights had come inside the distance. Between them, they had won 46 contests, all by knockout or stoppage, but only one man’s punching record survived the evening at the König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen. Vitali Klitschko retained the WBO heavyweight championship by flooring Ed Mahone twice and forcing referee Rudy Battle to intervene after one minute 45 seconds of the third round.

Klitschko was making the first defence of the title he had taken from Herbie Hide in London three and a half months earlier. The 28-year-old Ukrainian entered with 25 consecutive stoppage victories and weighed 246 pounds. Mahone, a 229-pound Californian, brought a record of 21 wins and two draws, with all 21 victories achieved inside the distance. He held the WBO NABO title but had boxed exclusively in California and Nevada; this was both his first contest abroad and his first attempt at a world championship.

The difference in size was apparent from the opening bell. Klitschko stood tall, held his hands low and used his long left to keep Mahone at the end of his reach. The challenger tried to work his way inside but was obliged to cross too much ground before he could deliver. Klitschko met him with straight blows from either hand and controlled the range without wasting his strength. Mahone remained willing and looked for an opportunity to counter, but he could neither establish his own jab nor make the champion retreat. All three judges—Axel Zielke, Luis Pabon and Luca Montella—gave the opening round to Klitschko, 10–9.

Mahone attempted to apply greater pressure in the second, moving forward behind a high guard and trying to bring his heavier hooks into play. Klitschko continued to dictate the terms. He stepped away from the challenger’s advances, struck through the centre and used his height to punch down at the American. One blow to the head turned Mahone around and underlined the authority of the champion’s work. Mahone absorbed the punches without going down, but he was being made to follow rather than attack and had little success once he came within range. Zielke, Pabon and Montella again scored the round 10–9 for Klitschko, leaving the champion ahead 20–18 on every card.

The finish came quickly in the third. Klitschko increased the weight of his attack and sent Mahone to the floor for the first time with a right hand. The challenger rose and was permitted to continue, but he had lost what little control he had possessed. Klitschko advanced behind further straight punches and then opened up with both hands as Mahone tried to protect himself. The American was driven back and, under another succession of blows, dropped to one knee for the second knockdown of the round. Battle had seen enough and stopped the contest at 1:45.

The result advanced Klitschko’s record to 26 victories without defeat, every one inside the distance. It was a brief and one-sided first defence, but Mahone had entered with an unbeaten record and a perfect stoppage rate in his victories. Klitschko allowed him no opportunity to make use of that power. His reach settled the first two rounds, and once the champion began committing himself in the third, the challenger’s resistance lasted little more than a minute and a half.

I never bought Ed Mahone as a genuine threat to Vitali Klitschko. His unbeaten 21-0-2 record, with every victory inside the distance, looked impressive on paper, but there was little underneath it to suggest he was ready for a 6ft 7in world champion. This was Mahone’s first fight outside America and a severe rise in class.

I was ringside the night Klitschko had taken the WBO title from Herbie Hide three months earlier, and he was beginning to understand how easily his size could control heavyweights. He kept Mahone outside with that long, awkward left hand and punished him whenever he tried to close the distance. Vitali was never a pretty technician in the traditional sense. His hands were low, his movements could look stiff, and his punches were delivered from unusual angles. But he judged distance exceptionally well and made opponents reach before countering them.

Mahone had no answer. He lost the first two rounds on every scorecard and was already fighting Klitschko’s fight. Once Vitali increased the pressure in the third, a right hand put Mahone down. The challenger got up, but the contest was effectively finished. Klitschko unloaded again, dropped him to one knee, and referee Rudy Battle stopped it at 1:45.

It was straightforward matchmaking for Klitschko’s first defence, but he did exactly what a champion should. He exposed the difference between an unbeaten record and genuine world-class ability.