A.J. Liebling Analyzes Eddie Chambers Vs. Alexander Potevkin

ESPN Writer Don Steinberg has a great piece on up and coming heavyweight Eddie Chambers, a Pennsylvania fighter. Chambers goes to Germany this coming Saturday to fight a European champion on his first trip out of the country. Steinberg's entire story makes for good reading but I had to laugh at a quote he used from old-school pundit A.J. Liebling:

"The fighter must be confirmed in the belief that he can lick anybody in the world and at the same time be restrained from testing this belief on a subject too advanced for his attainments."

That seems to fit this fight against Alexander Potevkin, an active and aggressive boxer who is a big step up for Chambers. Chambers has the bigger record with 30 and 0 but those Russians are wild men. Potevkin has a 14-0 record but the impressive thing is that 11 of them have been KOs. Chris Byrd and Larry Donald are his two best-known victims. It's worrisome that Potevkin reacted well to the boxing skills of a Chris Byrd.