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Andrew Eisele

TKO Wins for Vitali Klitschko, Roy Jones Jr.

By , About.com GuideMarch 23, 2009

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Vitali Klitschko (37-2) retained his WBC heavyweight title with a ninth round TKO over mandatory challenger Juan Carlos Gomez (44-2) in Stuttgart, Germany. Klitschko was too big and too strong for the former cruiserweight champ, dropping Gomez in the seventh and ninth rounds. After the second knockdown, the challenger beat the count but was on the defensive again almost immediately. When Gomez turned his back towards Klitschko, referee Daniel van de Wiele waved off the fight. The time was 1:49 of the ninth round. Next up for Vitali could be either WBA champ Nikolay Valuev or former WBC champ Oleg Maskaev.

Even a faded version of former pound-for-pound king Roy Jones Jr. (53-5) was too much for a thoroughly outclassed Omar Sheika (27-9). Jones opened a cut over Sheika's right eye in the fifth round and referee Tommy Kimmons stopped the fight shortly thereafter. The time of the stoppage was 1:45 of the fifth round. The bout was the main event of a Roy Jones promoted card featuring both boxing and mixed martial arts.

Comments

April 1, 2009 at 4:08 pm
(1) steven d :

Roy is real good.He could be the next comeback great like George Forman.

April 1, 2009 at 4:33 pm
(2) Donald Wolberg :

One of the signs of faded fighters is the caliber of opponents, always less than viable and carefully picked to lose. The big guy klitschko completely outclassed the unimpressive Gomez, but was not convincing as a really great heavyweight/ Klitschko was slow and ponderous with not much movement and is easily hit. Up against a determined and effective opponent, he would fall. The same applies to his younger brother. It is a shame Lennox Lewis has called it quits, and David Tua seems to have been lost somewhere.

Roy Jones is now promoting his version of boxing and mixed combat events and he fights little Omar Sheika, long past his prime. One wonders why Jones continues to fight. Is there something about his economic health we do not understand, or is it just too hard to say enough is enough. His glory days are gone, and he cannot be considered a serious opponent in any weight class.

May 11, 2009 at 11:55 am
(3) Brian Antone :

Roy Jones jr. is the greatest champion. till this day. nobody could beat him.

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