KIEL, Germany, 22 December 2003 — Ukrainian heavyweight Vladimir Klitschko moved closer on Saturday to another chance at a world title fight by stopping veteran American Danell Nicholson in the fourth round in Kiel, Germany.
Klitschko, 27, dominated the fight from the start against an awkward opponent who was warned repeatedly for holding and docked a point in the second round.
After flooring Nicholson with a swift left-right combination in the fourth, Klitschko then had his opponent on the ropes with a flurry of punches, and referee John Coyle from England stepped in to stop further punishment one minute and 44 seconds into the round.
For Klitschko, the victory in the World Boxing Association (WBA) fight was a confidence booster and could set up another world title fight next year.
The former WBO world heavyweight champion’s career suffered a serious setback in March with a second-round knockout to the South African Corrie Sanders in Hanover. He began a cautious comeback with an easy 97-second knockout of Argentine Fabio Moli in a mismatch in August.
Nicholson, 36, proved slightly more challenging, but his single tactic appeared to be to clinch Klitschko and throw the occasional wild right-hander that the Ukrainian had little trouble in avoiding.
Nicholson was warned early on for grabbing and after losing a point for holding in the second round received a further warning in the third.
“It wasn’t easy against an opponent who moved around a lot, but it was important to win,” Klitschko said.
The victory completed a successful month for the Klitschko brothers after older sibling, Vitali, knocked out Kirk Johnson at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Dec. 6.
Vitali, who is hoping for a rematch with Lennox Lewis after his defeat to the Briton in the summer, said: “Nicholson was not an easy opponent. I am happy Vladimir put in a good performance. It was a clear victory, and I hope next year he will get a world title fight.”
Green Stops Lucas to Earn Shot at Beyer
In Montreal, Australian Danny Green stopped Canadian Eric Lucas in the sixth round on Saturday to earn the World Boxing Council interim super middleweight title.
Green punished Lucas in the sixth, and as the round ended the local favorite went to his knees unable to go on.
The victory earned Green a re-match with Germany’s Markus Beyer, the WBC champion, on Feb. 28.
Beyer had been scheduled to meet Lucas in a WBC ordered rematch in November, but had to pull out because of an eye injury.
The winner of that fight was supposed to meet Green, but when Beyer was injured the WBC sanctioned the Green-Lucas bout for the “interim” title.
Beyer has beaten both Lucas and Green already this year.
He won the belt on April 5 with a decision over Lucas in Leipzig, and he successfully defended the title on Aug. 16 when Green was disqualified in the fifth round of their 12-rounder for a head butt.
That’s the only blemish on Green’s record, which improved to 17 victories inside the distance with one defeat.
Lucas fell to 36 wins, six defeats and two draws.