by Cliff Rold

Coming off his most impressive performance in years, against Kubrat Pulev, a bit of a letdown probably should have been expected.

The opponent had something to do with it.

Contender Bryant Jennings showed a lot of things on Saturday. He showed some whiskers, stamina, head and foot movement, and a good body attack. He also showed he isn’t quite ready for prime time just yet.

And Klitschko showed, again, why he’s dominated the division as long as he has.

Let’s go the report card.

Grades

Pre-Fight: Speed – Klitschko B+; Jennings B/Post: Same

Pre-Fight: Power – Klitschko A+; Jennings B/Post: Same

Pre-Fight: Defense – Klitschko B+; Jennings B+/Post: Same

Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Klitschko A; Jennings B/Post: A; B+

Where Klitschko showed it was in the final three rounds. At about a decade overdue for a point deduction for holding, Klitschko boxed well to even things up in the round and then put aside any doubt in the final two frames. He’d thrown more shots on the night, and taken some good stuff to the belly, but it was the older champion coming on as the younger man seemed to work for the bell.

Jennings went for it early in the final round. It didn’t last. He fought a careful, thoughtful fight against the champion for a reason. Klitschko didn’t land a lot of his best stuff on the night. It didn’t mean it wasn’t there.

With his return to the US complete, Klitschko can turn his attention to what could be the last two pieces to cleaning out this era. The best contenders he has yet to beat are the UK’s Tyson Fury and WBC titlist Deontay Wilder. Both have short resumes. Most fighters do when they get their first big Heavyweight title shot.

One of them may be the man to be king.

Or they may wake up finding they’ve had their crowns rocked by Klitschko.

In a perfect world, those would be the next two fights.

Should Klitschko continue, the next generation will be arriving shortly. Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker, both undefeated, look like the two best prospects in the sport since the Klitschko brothers.

Jennings could be a factor in the future of Parker or Joshua; he could factor for Wilder as well. Comparison-shopping is the way many a fight is built. Wilder-Jennings would be the rare clash of two American heavyweights that raised an eyebrow. His first chance doesn’t have to be Jennings’ last. His learning curve has been admirable. If he takes his lessons well from last weekend, there’s plenty of reason to think Jennings will remain a factor for the next few years.

And one day, he might even have a belt of his own.

Report Card and Staff Picks 2015: 25-7 (Including Staff Picks for Jack-Dirrell and Ali-Santana)

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com