Klitschko – Solis: Battle of the Ages or Marking Time?

By JE GrantVitali Klitschko, the elder of the increasingly fabled Klitschko brothers, continues to defy odds as he creeps ever so close to 40 in a sport in which that age is considered ancient. Nevertheless, when he meets 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist Olanier Solis Saturday in Cologne, he enters as a decided favorite.When one considers the drubbing a 38-year-old Muhammad Ali took from Larry Holmes in 1980 or the crushing stoppage of 40-year-old Evander Holyfield by James Toney in 2003, one has to wonder when Klitschko will meet his inevitable fade.Of course Klitschko has something that only a few great heavyweights possess: Immense power. Power is the last asset in the inventor of a fighter to fade. While Klitschko is the not a one-punch killer like Earnie Shavers or George Foreman, he punches with what boxing insiders would call heavy hands. Every punch he throws --- though they appear to be arm punches --- lands with a thud, taking a toll on the body and spirit of his opponents. ...