It's been a really, really long time since a heavyweight champion has been right there on the newsstand, on the cover of a non-boxing magazine. Sports Illustrated or GQ would have been a bigger deal. But, hey, there's Wladimir Klitschko on the front of the men's magazine, Player. Player, which has enjoyed prominent display on city newsstands (ok, at least at the Newark, N.J., Amtrak station), serves up the basic man-gazine food groups: sports, girls, alcohol, cars, clothing, gadgets, and attitude. It seems to be cut from similar cloth as the dearly departed Gear magazine. The writing is fine. Not exactly Esquire, but perfectly reasonable. The Klitschko cover story doesn't benefit from any time spent hanging out with Dr. Steelhammer. It's a workmanlike recap of his career, followed by a telephone Q&A. My favorite exchange is this one:
Player: The rough times make you appreciate your successes more and remind you that you have to work hard. And I’m sure you’ll be a better champion now.
Klitschko: I usually receive such a compliment from a woman, but thank you.
In the news: Dan Rafael of ESPN.com says Zab Judah is Miguel Cotto's best opponent yet. Chuck Johnson at USA Today says Judah hopes to rain on Cotto's parade in New York ...Tom Hauser examines The Enigmatic Shannon Briggs in his current column at secondsout.com.... ESPN2's Friday Night Fights heads to Montreal tonight, where the city is bracing for "what might be the biggest week of boxing this city has ever seen," according to Canada.com. Hermann Ngoudjo and Jean Pascal headline the televised outdoor card in the city (FNF's in-studio guest will be Chad Dawson). Next week at Montreal's Bell Centre, Lucian Bute fights Sakio Bika.
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