Heavyweight Title Fight
#1 Vitali Klitschko (15-0-1, 13 KO)
vs
#3 Jack Dempsey (14-1, 14 KO)
The first heavyweight champion in PBA history will be determined tonight. Jack Dempsey obliterated Sam Peter in two rounds in his previous bout, while Klitschko benefited from a John L. Sullivan DQ to win a fight he had been losing at the time.
Dempsey and Klitschko don't spend much time feeling each other out. Klitschko is throwing more punches but Dempsey is blocking the abundance of them. Dempsey is fighting to get inside, where Klitschko's reach advantage isn't as relevant, but Vitaly keeps him outside and combines his jab and straight well for some effective combos.
Klitschko lands the first hard shot of the second, an early uppercut that rocks Dempsey, who responds with a stiff, straight right hand that snaps Klitschko's head back. Worse yet, it draws blood, outside the right eyebrow.
That scene turns Dempsey loose and his stalks Klitschko, who's covering up as well as he can while trying to stay outside again. He goes to the body without success, but it sets up a hook that drills Dempsey in the round's closing moments.
Klitschko takes the third, and Dempsey's left eye is swelling quickly. Regardless, he comes back for a strong fourth, as it seems his power shots are starting to find their mark, whereas to this point his jab was working but power shots were missing the mark. The trend continues in the fifth, and Dempsey's momentum and confidence seem to be growing.
Also growing though is the swelling by his left eye. Whereas Klitschko's corner has done a masterful job on his cut, Dempsey's swelling is getting worse by the moment. And, while Dempsey is a far more precise and accurate puncher, when Klitschko lands it's hurting.
Body, head, head...a 3-punch combo from Dempsey starts the sixth, which becomes a savage round. A cornered Klitschko absorbs a double jab that reopens his cut and Dempsey is relentless. A cross and a jab find the mark perfectly from Dempsey, but a brutal cross from Klitschko stops the attack cold. After regrouping, Dempsey fires back and the remainder of the round is a heavy-fisted slugfest that Dempsey seems to get the better of.
Klitschko is in evasive mode in the 7th, but it's effective, as his jab controls the round. The cut, however, wasn't closed, and what started as a sliver early in the fight is now a wide gash.
Meanwhile, Dempsey is fighting through horrific swelling that has to be limiting him...frightening given how accurate he's punching. The 8th bears that out, as Dempsey is landing at will.
The ninth marks the third straight round in which Klitschko's corner just can't stop the bleeding. He's come out of the corner with a stream each time. And, at 1:30 of the 9th, the doctor decides ultimately that it's now a legitimate concern...enough to end the fight to both the crowd's and Klitschko's disgust.
That said, the winner, and first PBA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION is JACK DEMPSEY!