Vitali Klitschko defends WBC title against Juan Carlos Gomez - on ESPN!

The WBC heavyweight title fight between champion Vitali Klitschko and former cruiserweight champion Juan Carlos Gomez, scheduled to take place on March 21 in Stuttgart, Germany, could either be a better scrap than anyone expects, or it could be a blow out. Given the fact that Gomez is already a one-time first round KO victim, I think most observers could very possibly be expecting the latter.

Yes indeed, the heavyweight division is still dominated by Eastern Europeans. Muhammad Ali, the greatest of all time, emerged in the mid 1960s as a dominant and charismatic American heavyweight force. Mike Tyson arrived in the mid 1980s to become the youngest heavyweight champion ever at twenty years of age. This decade, however, has not yet seen the arrival of a talented young American heavyweight who can overturn the division's current state of affairs.

Considering that we now have a two headed heavyweight champion (Wladimir and Vitali, brothers enjoying simultaneous reigns at the top of a dead beat division) and that two headed champion is Eastern European, I don't see the heavyweight division changing anytime soon. As long as both brothers are dominating the division and both remain champions, no upcoming star is going to emerge as the heavyweight champion of the world.

On a positive note, boxing fans can consider themselves fortunate that ESPN has stepped up its game and put forth the money necessary to televise the Klitschko vs Gomez title fight. Furthermore, the fact that this heavyweight title fight is airing on free TV, in attempts to familiarize the American public with this Eastern European Giant who is not very well known outside of inner boxing circles, is perhaps a step in the right direction. I think it is a good move on ESPN's behalf, but this could also signify the beginning of redemption for Vitali.

Many fans and experts lost any love and respect that they had for Vitali when he withdrew from four different contractually obligated title defenses against Hasim Rahman. Klitschko's loss to Lennox Lewis back in 2003 ironically was his finest hour, and that was in defeat, so the road back to prominence starts with a title defense on ESPN in front of a worldwide audience that includes boxing fans who may not necessarily subscribe to HBO or Showtime.