The Watchability Factor

By Mark McKenna: This weekend the Wladimir Klitschko express rolls on.
In all likelihood , onwards and over the top of American challenger Eddie Chambers in probably tedious fashion yet again.

Jab , right hand , clutch.

Jab , right hand , clutch.

If ever you have watched Klitschko the younger score a W of late the above formula seems to be his modus operandi for chalking up another monotonous scalp.

‘ Edge of your seat drama ‘ and ‘ Don’t leave to get a hot dog ‘ are quotes you don’t generally hear when the premier Heavyweight plies his trade these days.

Which really seems a tad preposterous given his record - 53-3 with 47 KO’s.

You would assume the guy is a destroyer -a beast from beyond who electrifies the arena every time he loads up to bomb out another over matched nemesis.

Oddly this isn’t the case.

Same deal with elder brother Vitali Klitschko who has 37 KO’s in 39 wins.

Both brothers use the same formula – batter a challenger over at least six rounds with a stiff jab and the odd token right hand before softening the poor sap up for the final execution , or leave the task up to the referee or the opponents disillusioned corner.

Perhaps the mentality inherent in the Ukrainians is a safety first one , get the victory at all costs even if half the arena is asleep for the mid point on. This is admirable if a long winning streak is the only goal and nothing much else matters apart from a gaudy record , an entry in the history books and packed hometown audiences in Germany on a thrice yearly basis.

It is notable that in over 10 years of watching or reading about the Klitschko brothers , apart from Boxing diehards no one else has mentioned their names in casual conversation even as a side note to this writer.

You can blame the fact that both brothers are Eastern European , have limited exposure , don’t have extensive criminal records or hit the nightclubs every week , or a myriad of other extenuating factors but this example of their non appeal is telling,

What really matters when all is said and done in boxing is excitement and drama. It puts bums on seats , adds up to juicy PPV numbers and makes the general folk give a damn about the sport. It translates to getting 10 friends round for a beer or two and making a day out of a fight card.

Let’s call it ‘ The Watchability factor ‘.

The Watchability factor is what makes you jump on youtube to get a snippet of footage from your favourite pug after the result is in. It makes you genuinely concerned in them and to follow their careers from peak to trough and sometimes back again.

Some current fighters who have this trait in spades are Manny Pacquiao , Edwin Valero and Vic Darchinyan. All share the same mentality – high energy , courage , volume punching , charisma. They are not simply content to get a victory. They want a highlight reel knockout if possible and to dispense with the need for judges if the opportunity arises.

Warriors of the twenty first century , in ancient Rome these guys would probably have a day job as gladiators.

They create excitement by having a gamblers mentality when it is probably safer to sit on a comfortable lead. Not unlike the copy store clerk in Jerry Macguire who memorably says ‘That’s how you become great, man. Hang your balls out there’. Never truer words were spoken.

Watchability extends to all eras , all divisions,all time periods. Mike Tyson , Nigel Benn , Marvin Hagler , Thomas Hearns,Wilfredo Gomez,Kostya Jeff Fenech,Diego Corrales – the list is long and gaudy.Too long to quote here lest someone is omitted.

The patron saint of Watchability is probably the late Arturo Gatti.

In common with Manny Pacquiao , Gatti always wanted to give his fans the maximum value for dollars and felt guilty if the public didn’t go home with a collective smile on its face. You were never in for a boring night when Gatti dug his heels into the canvas , win or lose he gave it his all even when overmatched against more talented peers.

Which leads the conversation back to our champion in question , Wladimir.

There is a fantastic old quote ‘ as the Heavyweight division goes so does boxing ‘.

As the emperor or equal first among the premier division we ideally like our champ to be a dominant , exciting one and watchable one.

Conservatism and overly cerebral outings never stick in the collective race memory.

This is why we remember Tyson blasting out Spinks in less than two minutes rather than Wladimir sleep walking through twelve against Sultan Ibragimov to unify the WBO / IBF belts. It is why Jack Dempsey is remembered automatically over the man who dethroned him , scholarly Gene Tunney.

This is also why , unfortunately some of the most exciting bouts of Wladimir’s career are also his worst outings. His losses against Corrie Sanders and the first Lamon Brewster bout scream out at the viewer as his most compelling. When forced into a fire fight things actually start to get interesting for Wlad as long as his chin holds out.

If Wladimir wants to improve his profile and standing amongst the all time greats just winning won’t cut it.

He has to consciously try to force the fight , lose the chess player mentality and occasionally throw caution to the wind

The last equally dominant Heavyweight in memory ,Lennox Lewis suffered from the same malady – of pondering and calculating too much for most fans liking. This resulted in some ordinary efforts but when his street fighter twin took over superb knockouts of Michael Grant , Andrew Golota and Razor Ruddock ensued.

If Wladimir wants to increase his fan base from now until his career ends he might want to take note of what the Watchability factor represents and what it means to his legacy.

Maybye he can start by watching the Gatti – Ward trilogy as inspiration?

March 18, 2010