Wladimir Klitschko decisions Bryant Jennings to defend heavyweight title
— -- NEW YORK - Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko was not at his devastating best and less effective than he had been in a long time, but it did not make much of a difference.
Klitschko cruised to a lopsided decision in a fan-friendly fight against Bryant Jennings to retain the title for the 18th time before a raucous pro-Klitschko crowd of 17,056 on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
Klitschko's 18 consecutive defenses of his second title reign are third all-time in division history behind only Larry Holmes (20) and Joe Louis (25, which is the all-time record for any weight class). But Jennings made him work for it with a scrappy performance.
The judges had it 118-109, 116-111 and 116-111 for Klitschko, who lost a point for holding in the 10th round. ESPN.com had it 119-108 for Klitschko, who was cheered wildly by a crowd filled with fans waving Ukrainian flags.
Klitschko (64-3, 54 KOs) looked a bit vulnerable at times but Jennings (19-0, 10 KOs), facing a three-inch height deficit and a 15-pound weight disadvantage, could never get into any kind of offensive rhythm while Klitshcko went to his calling card jab to keep control of the fight.
Klitschko moved to 25-2 in world title fights. By participating in his 27th world heavyweight title bout he tied the great Louis for most in division history.
