Vladamir Klitschko needed a few rounds to get going, but in the 7th he put his punches together and stopped Calvin Brock at Madison Square Garden in New York.

In a bout which featured Laila Ali on the undercard while the great Muhammad Ali sat ringside, Klitschko entered the ring to his trademark Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Can't Stop", looking like a stoic and chiseled European God. Brock looked dry and nervous, floundering around the ring in the opening round and unable to find his sea legs. Klitschko used a lazy jab to keep Brock at bay, but the American did a good job of not getting pounded from the outside while attempting to jump inside with hooks and overhand rights. Both fighters - but especially Brock - were warned for holding by referee Wayne Kelly, and by the 5th round Klitshcko started to add his right hand behind his jab. In the 7th and final round, the Ukrainian landed a left hook-right hand combination which put Brock on the canvas, stomach first. When he rose at the count of seven, he was woozy and the fight was called off. With the loss, Brock ceases to be a bankable opponent.

Klitschko, 47-3 (42), now has an opportunity to unify the titles against either Kazakh Oleg Maskaev, Russian Nicolai Valuev, or Brooklynite Shannon Briggs. Talent-wise, Klitschko is superior to all three of these fighters; but while the giant Valuev would not present a challenge in terms of skill, and Briggs has good power but no stamina or confidence, Maskaev has heart and a big punch. Klitschko-Maskaev would be a solid heavyweight fight, and the winner should be regarded as the true heavyweight champion of the world.

Brock, 28-1 (22), can now be lumped in with the Sergei Liakovich's and Lamon Brewster's of the heavyweight division: good fighters who lack that special ingredient to make them stars in an already lacklustre division. Klitshcko, Samuel Peter, and James Toney are the few bright spots, and Peter has already lost to Klitschko and has a controversial win over Toney. If Toney beats him in their January rematch, a fight with Klitschko would be interesting, to say the least.

For now, the only thing that reigns supreme in boxing's most coveted division is confusion and controversy.