V.KLITSCHKO BATTERS SANDERS
WINS BY TKO 8

Round by Round Commentary - by Anne Vitello

ROUND 1
A few pawing jabs from each big man start off the tentative action. Sanders loosens up with a left, then the boxers resume their initial feeling-out period. In a slight scuffle, Sanders shows aggression, but Klitschko shows form and composure. Then with a minute to go, it's bombs away. Sanders makes his bid with a couple of those famous big lefts. But Dr. K. is not as easy to dismiss as his little brother or IS he? In the final moments Vitali's leg buckle as Sanders drills it home while coming off the ropes!

ROUND 2
And now the boxers tangle from the get-go. Vitali is fighting with renewed aggression and fine form, and Sanders - though as flat-footed and inactive as he was in the first 2/3 of Round one - is looking oddly confident. Corrie does very little other than look for a place to drop in that deadly left. Vitali goes to work, from time to time landing with short combinations and earnest jabs. He doesn't seem to hurt Sanders, whose lack of conditioning could do him in whether or not Klitchsko can.

ROUND 3
Sanders moves with his back along the ropes. Vitali stalks him, jabbing steadily. Klitschko can rack up points while hunting for a big opportunity. Or he could get lulled into danger: there's no telling when Sanders will come up with that left again. And there it is! Again, Vitali absorbs and survives the Corrie Sanders' bludgeon. And now it's a brilliant minute of classic, heavyweight action as both men dig deep! It's bombs away at the Staples Center!

ROUND 4
Corrie Sanders walks slowly on the periphery. His left snakes out once in a while, head-hunting as always. Vitali follows him around, extending long punches, one or two at a time, upstairs & down. At some point those jabs to the mid-section will have a detrimental effect on Sanders. In a very uneventful round, the last thirty seconds sees both men growing frustrated. Both look for a big moment, neither wants to commit, and after a threat and a glancing blow from both, that's that.

ROUND 5
VNot even at the halfway mark, this fight nevertheless has gone beyond some expectations. And now Vitali Klitschko is going for it. He lunges in with a big right, which glances off, and moments later with a wide left hook - partially blocked. Corrie Sanders is doing what he has been doing all night. Waiting to drop in his left. Meanwhile Vitali has been landing some hard punches. Corrie Sanders can take it, but for how long? A chopping right connects for Klitshcko, and Sanders is in trouble. He survives the round, but he's fading.

ROUND 6
Vitali Klitschko picks up where he left off. And right when it looks like Sanders has taken too much, he comes after Vitali! Flailing and determined, Sanders walks straight in. This is a messy, brutal struggle. Both men have taken some vicious shots, but it is really getting hard to watch Corrie Sanders walking into those long thumping blows from Vitali Klitschko. Klitschko is on top of the fight; Sanders is one tough customer.

ROUND 7
Vitali Klitschko counters well when Sanders goes first - stinging with a nice right over the top before Sanders can slip away. Both men are flat-footed, lobbing the occasional single punches. Sanders connects with the left, and this time Vitali is unfazed. It's almost as if you can see Corrie Sanders aging during the course of the fight. Whatever thoughts of revenge Klitschko may be harboring; he has taken his time and kept a cool head in this fight. Now he loosens up and ends the round on his toes for a moment.

ROUND 8
A physical specimen versus a soft-centered knockout artist. This has been an odd, sometimes exciting and sometimes sluggish bout. There is another moment when Sanders' left penetrates again, and then Sanders throws a right, and follows up with more action! Corrie Sanders makes his bid. And Vitali rises to the occasion, and then it's a free for all. In an all-out slugfest, the tide quickly turns back in favor of Klitschko. And it's target practice for Dr. K, who does not let up. But Sanders, somehow, stays on his feet. What does Vitali Klitschko have to throw in order for Corrie Sanders to go down!? Finally the referee steps in.

POST-FIGHT COMMENTS:
Asked about his thoughts and feelings by HBO veteran analyst, Larry Merchant, Vitali started in the typical newly-crowned fashion, with gratitude: "I want to say thank you very much for everybody who supported me. I have my dream, and I'm proud." In his imperfect but understandable style, Klitschko recounted the fight from his perspective, remarking on the bursts of aggression from Sanders.

("He tried to make short explosion toward me"), and on Corrie's dangerous hand speed ("I tried to fight him in second round and it was not a great idea because he had fastest hands.")

Sanders earned universal respect for his stunning durability tonight, and certainly will be remembered as having performed like a tough, if de-conditioned, warrior. Klitschko naturally called out Lennox Lewis, appealing to him as a "gentleman" to make good on his promise for a rematch. With that prospect rather unlikely, Vitali also stated his intention to fight the other heavyweight champs. Though it's hard to imagine "little" brother Wlad getting back into the fray, Vitali repeated the family goal of claiming all heavyweight titles.