No Precedent to Be Set By Sanders Victory
 (April 21, 2004)
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Corrie Sanders © J.P. Yim
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It is unusual to have two brothers, as we do in the towering Klitschko’s, who possess such world class fighting ability. The typical case of boxing brothers is marked by one who is clearly better than the other, although they both may be highly talented. For example, see Jerry and Mike Quarry, Gabriel and Rafael Ruelas, or Michael and Leon Spinks. In some cases, one brother may be of a very high caliber, while the other toils in mediocrity or worse. See Tommy and Tim Morrison. Wladimir’s sudden and unexpected downfall notwithstanding, these Klitschko’s are two brothers who are almost equal in overall ability. Almost irrefutably established to this point are these observations: Vitali has the better chin, Wladimir has the better fundamental skills. Wladimir has better hand speed, while Vitali seems to have more heart. The comparison of intangibles are many, but heart and the desire to avenge a brother’s defeat may be the deciding factor in the debate as to which Klitschko, if either, will ultimately win and hold the sport’s biggest prize.
Corrie Sanders is the man standing in the way of Vitali’s quest to do just that. Sanders, we have been reminded again and again as if we needed it, was the man to upset the Wladimir Klitschko apple cart in March 2003, just at the time when it looked like Wladimir might be about to break through and become boxing’s next heavyweight star.
Sanders’ was a victory far more shocking one than that collected by Lamon Brewster a couple of weeks ago, for Klitschko’s stock was certainly higher than it was going in against Brewster. The question now is an intriguing one: Can Sanders do to Vitali what he did to Wladimir, at a time when Vitali is generally regarded as the heavyweight to beat? If he does, it would not be the first time that two brothers have been beaten or even knocked out by the same fighter on boxing’s highest level. It has happened on at least a couple of occasions that come to mind, and heavyweights are no exception.
Way back on September 24, 1935, Joe Louis was a rising heavyweight facing playboy Max Baer, a former heavyweight champion on his way down. Baer was always considered the classic underachiever, never living up to his potential due to his thirst for the partying and clowning lifestyle. His reign as champion was a brief one, and after beating Primo Carnera silly in eleven rounds, he lost his title just 364 days later to the "Cinderella Man," James Braddock, in one of the sport’s classic upsets. Louis was 24-0 at the time, and already held wins over Carnera and Kingfish Levinsky. When they met on that September day in 1935, Louis destroyed Baer within four rounds. Baer famously said after the bout that "fear is staring at Joe Louis across the ring, and knowing that he wants to go home early."
Nearly six years later, it would be Max’s little brother Buddy who would get a taste of the medicine "The Brown Bomber" liked to prescribe. Although their first fight on May 23, 1941, did not allow Louis a second knockout over a Baer brother, he made amends eight months later by creaming Buddy inside a single round.
Stanley Ketchel holds wins over a pair from the same lineage as well. Ketchel, who fought anyone from middleweights up to heavyweights like Jack Johnson, fought, defeated and knocked out the Sullivan brothers within a three month span in 1908. First up was Mike "Twin" Sullivan, who Ketchel promptly blasted out in round one, and then came Jack "Twin" Sullivan, with whom Ketchel needed a little more time. That fight ended when Ketchel knocked out Jack in the twentieth round.
Surely there have been other situations such as these where the same man has knocked out two brothers, maybe even three or four, who knows. One can be sure, however, that it is a special accomplishment when two brothers of world class ability are beaten by the same boxer. Imagine fighting a man who had beaten your brother to a pulp....it is doubtful that there are many who would go down quietly short of a one punch knockout. So don’t expect Vitali to fold up come Saturday night. He is defending his family’s name, and seeking revenge for what Sanders began and Brewster continued with his brother Wladimir. Should Klitschko fail, however, Sanders will not be setting a precedent with victory. What he will be doing, though, is joining a list of exclusive fighters like Joe Louis and Stanley Ketchel. That, if nothing else, would be something worth remembering him for.
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