Jennings is likable. He will earn a nice payday. But his chances against the formidable Klitschko are slim to none?
Wladimir Klitschko is coming to America. It might seem impertinent, now that we have an American heavyweight champion to call our own, but he?s coming nonetheless, to Madison Square Garden where he meets undefeated Bryant ?By-By? Jennings on April 25.
The 30-year-old Jennings (19-0, 10 KOs) is younger than 38-year-old Klitschko (63-3, 53 KOs). At 6-foot-3, he is shorter than 6-foot-6-inch Klitschko, but has a 3-inch reach advantage. He is also considerably less experienced than Dr. Steelhammer, having started boxing at the advanced age of 24.
But he?s not Shannon Briggs who, serial antics notwithstanding, would (perhaps will) turn the Garden into a circus.
It has been seven long years since Klitschko fought in the States. One may not like his robotic ways, but he continues to win and win decisively.
Jennings is likable. He?s athletic. He will earn a nice payday. But his chances against the formidable Klitschko are slim to none.
?I have all of the attributes naturally to be a champion that you can?t teach,? he told ESPN.com. ?Heart and will. I?m psyched up. This is the level where I?m at. This is exactly what I planned to do. Whatever competition you are in, your goal should be to reach the top. This is the top, but now it?s about taking it to higher heights and winning.?
Heart and will are wonderful attributes and not to be taken lightly, but skill might better serve Jennings when fighting Klitschko.
?Everybody has some weaknesses? continued Jennings, ?and there is a blueprint to beat everybody. I will have to be at my best. This is heavyweight boxing, where it only takes one punch. Matching me up with Wladimir, there is an age difference. I?m a lot younger than he is. And while I may be shorter, my arms are long and I am very athletic. But the most important thing is that I come to fight and I know how to win.
?They can say whatever they want about inexperience but I know how to win and in a lot of different ways. And I always have the ambition to find a way to win. I?m not a quitter. I have the heart and will to be a champion. I understand Klitschko is a beast in himself, but I know for sure I will be ready. This is what I fight for. We are not planning on losing. We are talking about bringing that belt home. Nothing against Deontay, but I figure a heavyweight champion from Philly is bigger than a heavyweight champion from Alabama.?
I have nothing against Philly; or Tuscaloosa for that matter. But once Klitschko, who?s no Artur Szpilka, sends Jennings By-By, a fight with Tyson Fury or former sparring partner, the recently crowned Deontay Wilder, seems as inevitable as it seems welcome.
