Is Peter Afraid Of Klitschko?

By Eric Thomas: After seeing clips of today’s press conference with former World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (35-2, 34 KOs) and current WBC champion Samuel Peter (30-1, 23 KOs), it appears that Vitali was won the war of nerves having already psyched the Nigerian champion out. The two fighters will be fighting on October 11th at the O2 World arena in Berlin, Germany. Klitschko, 37, the champion emeritus, has been out of the ring four years after retiring due to a compilation of injuries that occurred while training for a bout with Hasim Rahman in 2004.

Though four years is a long time for most fighters that have been away from the ring, Vitali looks virtually the same aside from a few sprinkles of gray hair here and there. He also hasn’t lost his confidence, which was on full display on Thursday when he told the timid-looking Peter, who wore sunglasses inside the conference hall, “You look a bit nervous because you go to press conference with big body guards…Don’t worry, we will not fight before the fight. I won’t attack you.” Not much for words, Peter had no comeback, and merely sat in his chair looking both nervous and embarrassed. However, Peter is usually uncomfortable at press conferences, no matter whom he’s fighting.

Indeed, leading up to his two fights with James Toney, a fighter he twice defeated, Peter looked shy and ill at ease at the press conferences whether he be speaking or just sitting listening to others speak. His shyness didn’t seem to affect his performances, for once he was in the ring on fight night, he was like an enraged bull, going after Toney and trying to take him out with huge looping punches.

In the case of Vitali, Peter actually seems to be afraid of him when having to stand side by side or especially when facing him directly and looking at him eye to eye. It seems rather odd, because Peter is the more powerful fighter, younger, stronger, more durable and better fit than Vitali. Why, then, does Peter look almost petrified of Vitali, as if the 6′8″ Ukrainian will reach out and hit him with a sucker punch every time they get close?

I think this is something that Peter is going to carry with him into the fight, causing him to fight with less aggression than he’ll need in order to beat Vitali. In a way, it reminds me a lot of how Kirk Johnson, who Vitali destroyed in two rounds in December 2003, looked when he climbed into the ring with Vitali.

It was if the fight was already over and he was destined to lose. Peter, if he plans on being successful against Vitali, he’s going to have to figure out how to get past his apparent fear of Vitali, because if he walks into the ring looking and fighting in a state of terror, Vitali has enough power in his right hand to plant him on the canvas. If Jameel McCline was able to drop Peter three times in the early rounds of their bout, then Vitali, a much harder puncher, has the power to do the same if not more.

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