Steward: Wlad needs to crack USA

by Adam Marshall , 16 June 2009

Emanuel Steward believes Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko need to crack the United States if they are to be accepted as bona fide world champions and boxing superstars.

The Ukrainian brothers have dominated the heavyweight division but there is a perception that it lacks excitement and HBO will not be showing Wladimir's IBF and WBO title defence against Ruslan Chagaev.

The American TV channel were due to screen the original June 20 bout with David Haye before the brash Brit was forced to pull out with a back injury.

However, Steward, Lennox Lewis's former trainer, has explained that the Eastern European dominance has failed to capture the imagination of the American public. 

Steward has been working with Wladimir ahead of his Gelsenkirchen date with Chagaev and reckons an eye-catching knockout of the Uzbekistan fighter could finally make the USA sit up and take notice.

"American boxing fans are used to America controlling the heavyweight division but Lennox Lewis changed that," Steward said in WWOS.

"At the end of his career, they finally accepted Lennox. But the American crowd have still not accepted that the European heavyweights are controlling the heavyweight division now.

"Wladimir has not had that devastating effect in America yet. All Wladimir has to do is have a devastating knockout and beat the likes of Cris Arreola and Alexander Povetkin, then America will grab him."

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