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In yet another non-competitive wipeout, Wladimir Klitschko successfully defended his WBA, IBF, WBO, and Ring Magazine world heavyweight titles against Alex Leapai today in Germany, stopping the overmatched Samoan in the fifth round, scoring three knockdowns along the way.
Klitschko (62-3, 52 KO) put Leapai on the canvas early in the opening round, though Leapai (30-5-3, 24 KO) indicated he had slipped on the canvas. Whether he had or not, it doesn't really matter. Klitschko dominated that round, the second, third, and fourth, before dropping Leapai without question two times in the fifth round, when referee Eddie Cotton stopped the fight, quite justifiably. It was never a legitimate contest.
According to the ESPN broadcast and the CompuBox stats, Klitschko landed 147 punches. Leapai landed 10. That is not a typo. Ten. Color commentator Teddy Atlas even wondered if that might have been a high estimate.
What did we learn today? Nothing we didn't know already. Leapai was an overmatched fringe contender when the fight was signed, and he presented nothing that gave Klitschko even the slightest trouble. Even the holding and leaning was low from Wladimir in this fight, which could be construed as him being more entertaining than usual. Leapai showed no ability to get near the champion, which meant Klitschko didn't have to hug him.
It was what we expected, though maybe even less so. Or more so. Not sure which. Anyway, there are more fights tonight. Hot dog!