Edward Chambers (born March 29, 1982) is an American former professional boxer. He challenged once for a unified world heavyweight title in 2010. He was ranked as the fourth best heavyweight in the world by The Ring at the conclusion of 2009.[1] A defensively-oriented fighter, Chambers has been widely credited for his counterpunching skills and particularly praised for his hand speed and footwork.[2][3][4] He has also been one of the first heavyweights with ability to switch between fighting orthodox and southpaw.
As an amateur, Chambers was trained by his father Eddie Chambers, Sr. In total, Chambers won over 80 bouts, winning the 1999 amateur Pennsylvania state heavyweight title.[5]
Professional career
Eddie made his professional boxing debut in 2000 at the age of 18, defeating Tyrone Austin by second-round TKO.[6] In the span of five years, Chambers won 22 fights in a row before facing his first notable opponent, Ross Puritty, who had faced another prospect Alexander Dimitrenko six months prior in a losing effort.[7] Chambers won the fight by unanimous decision (UD), with scores 99–91, 98–92 and 99–91. He then defeated local rival Robert Hawkins, winning the Pennsylvania heavyweight title.[6] In 2006, Chambers faced another notable fighter, former WBO world heavyweight title challenger Ed Mahone. Coming into the fight, Mahone had 23–6–2 record, with all of his wins coming inside the distance.[8] Chambers won the fight by fourth-round TKO.[8]
With a perfect 27–0 record, Chambers faced another undefeated fighter, 15–0 Derric Rossy, for the USBA heavyweight title.[9] Chambers dominated Rossy throughout the fight, ultimately giving him his first career loss after the referee stopped the fight in round 7, preventing battered and bruised Rossy from continuing absorbing punishment.[10] Rossy eventually suffered his second loss at the hands of Alexander Dimitrenko by fifth-round TKO.[9] Meahwhile, Chambers faced his toughest challenge to date in Dominick Guinn just three months later. Guinn, once described as "hot prospect" and viewed as one of the top-rising American heavyweight contenders,[11][12] was 3–2–1 in his last six fights, losing to James Toney and Tony Thompson by unanimous decisions but defeating then-highly regarded prospest, Olympic Gold medalistAudley Harrison.[13] Guinn was also known for his durability, having never been stopped in his entire career.[14] Chambers defeated Guinn by a lopsided unanimous decision.[13]
The win over Dominick Guinn earned Chambers a spot in the 4-man elimination tournament to face Wladimir Klitschko for the IBF world heavyweight championship. In semifinals, Chambers faced Calvin Brock, who had challenged Klitschko for the IBF title a year prior. Brock, who had beaten a handful of heavyweight contenders and prospects throughout his career, such as Jameel McCline, Timur Ibragimov and Clifford Etienne,[15][16][17] claimed to be in the best shape of his career.[18] Brock weighed in at 241lbs, the heaviest in his entire career and almost 17lbs heavier than in his bout against Klitschko.[17] The additional weight appeared to be muscle.[19]
The fight took place at Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington and was aired live on Showtime.[19][20] Chambers appeared to have the upper hand in the fight, effectively using his hand speed and upper-body movement, and was declared the winner by split decision, with two judges scoring the bout 115–113 in favor of Chambers, while the third judge had the same score but in favor of Brock.[20] Chambers damaged Brock's right eye during the bout, which, after subsequent botched surgery, prompted Brock to retire from the sport.
In the final, which took place less than three months later, Chambers faced undefeated Alexander Povetkin, who had beaten former IBF world champion Chris Byrd in semifinals by eleventh-round TKO. The bout took place in Berlin, Germany. Chambers was doing the better work in early rounds, landing cleaner, harder shots, but was eventually overwhelmed by Povetkin's relentless pressure.[21] Ultimately the bout went the distance, with Povetkin being declared the winner by unanimous decision. The scores were 117–111, 116–112 and 119–109.[21]
After his fight with Povetkin he won three more bouts, including one against Raphael Butler, before facing Samuel Peter on March 27, 2009. Peter, ranked No.6 heavyweight in the world by The Ring, was 5-1 in the last six bouts, having had scored wins over James Toney (twice) and former heavyweight contender Jameel McCline before beating Oleg Maskaev by sixth-round TKO to become WBC world heavyweight champion.[22] Prior to facing Chambers, however, Peter had lost the world championship to Vitali Klitschko, and was looking to bounce back to the heavyweight title picture.[23] The fight took place at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, and was aired on ESPN2.[24] Chambers injured his right thumb early in the third round, but was able to outbox Peter for the majority of the fight, frustrating his opponent with speed and quickness and blocking most of Peter's shots using his gloves and arms.[25] As a result, Chambers was declared the winner by majority decision, with judges scoring the bout 99–91, 96–94 and 95–95. Some observers criticized the 95–95 score, believing Peter had not done enough to win more than three rounds.[25][22]
A win over Peter lined Chambers up to fight 6ft 7in tall, undefeated Alexander Dimitrenko on July 4, 2009 in a WBO world heavyweight title eliminator. Coming into the bout, Dimitrenko had scored five stoppages in a row, with his most recent win against popular German boxer Luan Krasniqi.[26] At the time of the fight, Chambers was ranked No.6 heavyweight contender by The Ring, while Dimitrenko was ranked No.8 by the same publication.[27] Dimitrenko was also ranked within top 5 by all major sanctioning bodies.[28] Chambers weighed in at 208 1/4lbs, the lightest since 2003. Chambers was outweighed by Dimitrenko by 45 1/2lbs.[6]
The fight took place at Color Line Arena in Hamburg, Germany. It was Chambers' second fight in Germany. The event was televised by ZDF.[29] Unlike his previous fights, Chambers was the aggressor, taking the centre of the ring and constantly pressing Dimitrenko against the ropes.[30] After putting pressure and slowing down Dimitrenko's left arm in the early rounds, Chambers established his rhythm by the fifth, successfully finding his way inside Dimitrenko's jab.[31] Dimitrenko received a standing count in the seventh round after a left hook to the body, and was knocked down in the tenth after another left hook, this time to the chin.[32][33] Chambers won the fight by majority decision. The judges scored the bout 117–109, 116–111 and 113–113, with some experts criticizing the 113–113 score.[31][33]
Chambers vs. Klitschko
The win made Chambers the mandatory challenger for the WBO world heavyweight title held by Wladimir Klitschko. In the build-up to the fight, Klitschko described Chambers as "the best American heavyweight right now".[34] Coming into the bout, Chambers was ranked No.3 heavyweight contender by The Ring, whereas Wladimir was the magazine's champion.[35] In the pre-fight comparison of the fighters, The Ring gave Chambers the upper hand in speed and athletic ability, as well as defense, while crediting Klitschko as more powerful and experienced.[35] The fight generated little interest in the United States, where it was not televised by any TV station but was aired on the Klitschko's official website instead.[34] The official venue was the multi-functional football stadium ESPRIT Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany.[34][36]
The bout turned-out to be one-sided, with the champion winning rounds keeping Chambers at the end of his jab and occasionally throwing straight right hands.[37] In the opening rounds, Chambers lifted Klitschko and took him down several times but was not deducted a point nor warned.[37] In between the championship rounds, Klitschko was criticized by his trainer Emmanuel Steward for not fighting aggressively, despite comfortably winning on the scorecards.[37][34] Klitschko picked up his pace during the final round and, with few seconds left, landed a left hook on Chambers' temple. Chambers fell partially through the ropes and was reportedly unconscious for a few minutes after the bout ended.[38]
Post-Klitschko fights; injuries and inactivity
Chambers returned to the ring almost eleven months later, defeating Derric Rossy again, this time by unanimous decision, in an IBF title eliminator.[39] He was scheduled to face Tony Thompson on 28 October 2011 in a bout televised by Showtime, but had to pull out due to spinal injury.[40][41] Chambers claimed to have problems with his back for an extended period of time, and that it finally caught up to him during preparation for the Thompson fight.[42] He was then due to face former WBO world heavyweight champion Siarhei Liakhovich on 21 January 2012 at Asylum Arena in Philadelphia, in the inaugural main event of the Fight Night card televised by NBC Sports, but was forced to withdraw after fracturing his ribs during training camp.[43][41]
Chambers returned to the ring sixteen months later, against former WBClight-heavyweight and IBF and The Ringcruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek for the vacant IBF North American heavyweight title. Both Adamek and Chambers were praised for taking the fight with no world title nor mandatory position on the line, with Adamek trying to re-establish himself after the tenth-round TKO loss to Vitali Klitschko.[44][45] Coming into the fight, Adamek was ranked No.3 heavyweight contender by The Ring, while Chambers, who had had only one fight in the last two years and three months, was unranked by the publication.[46] The fight was the main event of the Fight Night card on NBC Sports. In the opening rounds, both fighters were trading shots, with Chambers landing the most meaningful punches. During the first round, Chambers torn his bicep in the left arm,[47][48] and often switched between orthodox and southpaw stances throughout the rest of the fight, throwing shots almost exclusively with the right hand, mostly connecting with overhand punches.[46][49] Adamek was more active since round 3, frequently switching up from counterpuncher to aggressor. The bout lasted full twelve rounds, with Adamek being declared the winner by unanimous decision with scores 116–112 (twice) and 119–109. Most observers thought that the bout was close, with many of them criticizing the 119–109 score.[50][47] According to CompuBox, 1,381 punches were thrown, with Chambers landing 152 punches out of 462 thrown (32.9% accuracy), while Adamek landed 134 punches out of 919 (14.6%). Chambers outlanded Adamek in rounds 1–5, 7, 8, 10 and 11. He also landed more power shots in nine of the twelve rounds.[51]
In early 2012, then undefeated prospect Deontay Wilder called out Chambers for a step-up fight along with David Price.[52] By late 2012, Tyson Fury was in talks with promoter Kathy Duva to fight Chambers in a similar step-up fight, however talks stalled due to the injury sustained in the Adamek fight.
Chambers made his return to the ring fourteen months later, moving down to cruiserweight to fight South African contender Thabiso Mchunu. Having had fought only twice in three and a half years prior to the bout, Chambers gave a relatively poor showing and lost the fight by unanimous decision.[6] Enamored with his unique skill set, from 2013 to 2015, Chambers was signed by Team Fury and based in the United Kingdom trained by Peter Fury, who was then-trainer of unified heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, and heavyweight contender Hughie Fury. Chambers is credited with helping teach Tyson Fury his defensive style of "slick American boxing".[53] After failing to secure any major world title shots despite being ranked in the top five in the world by multiple sanctioning organizations, Chambers then signed with manager Al Haymon and made his U.S. return in late 2015, defeating journeyman Galen Brown by third-round TKO.[54][6] He then faced Gerald Washington on Premier Boxing Champions on Fox, losing the bout by a lopsided unanimous decision. Following the loss, Chambers subsequently retired from the sport.
Comeback
On November 17, 2017, World Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua called out and sent Chambers a threatening racist-filled message calling him a "Disgrace to the superior black race", in hopes to lure Chambers back into the ring after years of back-and-forth messages exchanged through the UK boxing media.[citation needed] Former sparring partner and team member Tyson Fury came on record defending Chambers saying that Joshua finally showed his true colors.[citation needed]
On February 7, 2023, at age 40, Chambers made his return to the ring after a near 7 year lay-off with a 3rd-round TKO victory against Corey Williams. Chambers weighed in as a heavyweight at 226 ¾ lbs. Per trainers James Ali Bashir and Steve Upsher, Chambers will look to compete at heavyweight but keep close attention to a newer WBC weight class of bridgerweight, which falls between 200 and 224-pounds.
Other media
Chambers appeared in the 2006 video game Fight Night Round 4, as well as Fight Night Champion. He also commentated for the UK boxing TV channel BoxNation, and makes occasional appearances as a panelist on the BoxHard Podcast. Eddie also appears frequently on the Coach Anthony YouTube channel and instructional videos.
Wladimir Klitschko is a Ukrainian former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2017. He held multiple heavyweight world championships between 2000 and 2015, including unified titles between 2008 and 2015. During this time he also held the International Boxing Organization (IBO) and Ring magazine titles.
Alexander Vladimirovich "Sasha" Povetkin is a Russian former professional boxer who competed from 2005 to 2021. He held the World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight title from 2011 to 2013; the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title from 2020 to 2021; and challenged twice for the unified heavyweight championship in 2013 and 2018.
Alexander Viktorovych "Sascha" Dimitrenko is a Ukrainian-born German former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2019, and held the European heavyweight title from 2010 to 2011.
Samuel Okon Peter is a Nigerian professional boxer. He held the WBC heavyweight title in 2008, when he stopped Oleg Maskaev in six rounds. In his prime, he was known for his rivalry with the Klitschko brothers, having faced Wladimir twice and Vitali once. Peter was named among the 20 greatest athletes in the history of independent Nigeria by The Punch in 2023, while his capturing of the WBC heavyweight title was ranked the 26th most memorable moment in independent Nigeria's sports history by Premium Times in 2020. He was ranked by The Ring among ten best heavyweights at the conclusion of a year from 2005 to 2008, reaching his highest ranking of world No.2 in 2007. Peter is known for his punching power and holds a 78.9% knockout-to-win ratio.
Ruslan Shamilevich Chagaev ; born 19 October 1978) is an Uzbekistani former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2016. He held the World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight title twice and was the first Asian boxer to win a world heavyweight title by any of the four major sanctioning bodies. He was ranked as a top 10 heavyweight or contender by The Ring magazine at the conclusion of each year between 2006 and 2015; at the end of 2008 he was ranked third, only behind the Klitschko brothers.
Calvin Vance Brock is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2007. He was ranked as the world's No.7 heavyweight by The Ring at the conclusion of 2005. Calvin Brock was trained by Tom Yankello. In 2006, he won Ring Magazine's Knockout of the Year for his win against Zuri Lawrence and challenged for the IBF and IBO heavyweight titles. Brock was forced to retire after receiving retinal damage in his right eye following his loss to Eddie Chambers.
Tomasz "Tomek" Adamek is a Polish former professional boxer who competed from 1999 to 2018. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the WBC light heavyweight title from 2005 to 2007, and the IBF and The Ring magazine cruiserweight titles from 2008 to 2009. He also held the IBO cruiserweight title in 2007, and challenged once for the WBC heavyweight title in 2011. BoxRec ranks Adamek as the third greatest Polish boxer of all time, pound for pound. He is the first Polish boxer to win The Ring title.
Anthony Tyrone Thompson is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2000 to 2016. He challenged twice for unified world heavyweight titles, in 2008 and 2012, both times against Wladimir Klitschko. Described by many observers and fighters as stylistically "awkward", Thompson was ranked by The Ring as the ninth best heavyweight in the world at the end of 2007.
Vitali Klitschko and Wladimir Klitschko, known as the Klitschko Brothers, are Ukrainian former professional boxers. During their peak years between 2004 and 2015, they were considered the dominant world heavyweight champions of their era, and among the most successful champions in boxing history. In 2011, they entered the Guinness World Records book as brothers with most world heavyweight title fight wins. In the years following the retirement of heavyweight titlist Lennox Lewis in 2004, the Klitschko brothers would eventually accumulate all four major world heavyweight titles. Known for their exceptionally large physiques, speed, and punching power, they each developed a style that utilized their athleticism and arm reach to break down opponents.
Kubrat Venkov Pulev is a Bulgarian professional boxer. He has challenged once for the IBF and the Ring magazine heavyweight titles in 2014, and once for the unified heavyweight title in 2020. At regional level, he has held multiple heavyweight championships, including the European title twice between 2012 and 2016. As an amateur, he won multiple medals at international tournaments, including gold at the 2008 European Championships and bronze at the 2005 World Championships, all in the super-heavyweight division. He also represented Bulgaria at the 2008 Olympics.
Muamer Hukić, best known as Marco Huck, is a Bosniak German professional boxer. He held the WBO cruiserweight title from 2009 to 2015, and is the joint-longest reigning cruiserweight world champion of all time, having made thirteen consecutive successful defenses, a division record shared with Johnny Nelson. Huck also held the IBO cruiserweight title from 2016 to 2017, the European cruiserweight title from 2008 to 2009, and has challenged once for the WBA (Regular) heavyweight title in 2012.
Boxing in the 2010s includes notable events about boxing which occurred between 2010 and 2019. The decade saw high intensity action in the welterweight division. The match between veterans Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao broke PPV records. The broadcast of the fight in the Philippines was watched by nearly half the country's households. Mayweather retired at a record 50-0-0 while Pacquiao became the first eight division champion. The middleweight division saw immense action in the later years of the decade. After a draw in 2017, Canelo Alvarez ended Gennady Golovkin's long reign in 2018. The heavyweight division was dominated by Klitschko brothers before Wladimir's loss to Tyson Fury in 2015. Other talents that emerged were Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksander Usyk.
Andrés Ponce Ruiz Jr. is a Mexican-American professional boxer. He is a former unified world heavyweight champion, having held the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF), and World Boxing Organization (WBO) titles in 2019. He also held the International Boxing Organization (IBO) title during that reign.
Derric Rossy is an American former professional boxer and a former defensive end at Boston College. He enrolled in the Lynch School of Education with a major in human development.
Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua is a British professional boxer. He held the unified world heavyweight championship twice between 2016 and 2021. At regional level, he held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles from 2015 to 2016.
Bryant Jennings is an American former professional boxer. He challenged once for the unified world heavyweight titles in 2015, and the WBA interim heavyweight title in the same year. Jennings holds notable wins over former world champion Siarhei Liakhovich, as well as former world title contenders Mike Perez and Artur Szpilka.
Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko, was a professional boxing match contested on 29 April 2017 at Wembley Stadium in London, England, with Joshua's IBF and the vacant WBA (Super) and IBO heavyweight titles on the line. Joshua won the match via technical knockout (TKO) in the eleventh round with 90,000 fans in attendance. Klitschko announced his retirement from boxing a few months after the fight. The bout was named Fight of the Year by The Ring and the Boxing Writers Association of America.
Wladimir Klitschko vs. Ruslan Chagaev, billed as "Knockout Auf Schalke", was a professional boxing match contested on 20 June 2009 for the IBF, WBO, IBO, and vacant The Ring heavyweight championship.
Wladimir Klitschko vs. Hasim Rahman, billed as "X-Plosive", was a professional boxing match contested on 13 December 2008 for the IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight championship.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
