Klitschko Wants to be the "People's Champion"

Who knew Wladimir Klitschko (50-3, 44 KOs) watched WWE? Or maybe he's just a big fan of The Rock...I mean Dwayne Johnson. Nevertheless, Klitschko wants to be known as the "People's Champion" once he becomes the Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion of boxing. The question I pose is: Can anyone stop him?

This afternoon, Klitschko defends his IBF, WBO and IBO world heavyweight titles against Tony Thompson (31-1, 19 KOs), his next lackluster opponent. The fight is at 4:30 p.m. (EST) because it is in Germany and is on HBO for free.

In order to fulfill his dream, he will need to defeat WBC heavyweight champion Samuel Peter (30-1, 23 KOs) and undefeated WBA heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagev (24-0-1, 17 KOs). While the world is waiting patiently for someone to step up and hold all the major belts, it doesn't seem that boxing as a whole is in any rush to make it happen. Do they not see the amount of ground they are losing to MMA?

While the heavyweight division has dropped in popularity faster than the Titanic sank, there are no violins playing on the way down, just a rowdy crowd ready for the rebirth of the division. And while Klitschko may only have amounted to a good contender a decade or two ago, he is in the position to be the first Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion since Lennox Lewis.

"I will not see myself as champion until I have all of the belts," Klitschko said. "I still have work to do to be recognized as the real champion, and this is driving me on, this is my motivation. To me, it is important to become the people's champion, the real champion. This is why I fight."

Klitschko, a Ph.D., is a smart cat. He realizes his talent but also has that important desire to be more than he's made out to be. It is time for him to separate himself from his peers and prove his desire and ability to be a worthy and undisputed champion. The only problem is time might be running out.