By Dan Ambrose: British heavyweight Dereck Chisora (15-2, 9 KO’s) plans on getting inside on WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (43-2, 40 KO’s) on February 18th by using the same strategy that Chisora employed in his last fight against top contender Robert Helenius last December to negate Vitali’s huge size and reach.

Chisora was able to come in low using head movement to avoid many of Helenius’ shots on the way in. Once inside, Chisora was able to work for extended periods of time against the lanky 6’6 ½” Helenius and do quite well. Chisora sees himself doing the same against the 6’7” Vitali, who is about the same exact height and weight as Helenius was when he fought Chisora.

Chisora said this about Vitali as quoted by Dan Rafael of ESPN: “I’m going to war with him. He won’t get to use that big height and reach against me with the way I’m going to fight him…Everyone that has fought the Klitshko brothers have been scared. This is one cat that isn’t scared of him or anyone, and I’ll throw him off his throne he’s been sitting on for the last few years.”

Vitali, 40, hasn’t fought a good inside fighter like Chisora during his career, as pretty much all of the guys that Vitali has fought has been heavyweights that due most of their work at medium range. Chisora is definitely a different kind of heavyweight for Vitali to be facing. But does that equate to Vitali struggling and losing to this guy? I don’t think so.

Vitali has had a lot of time to dissect the mistakes that Helenius made against Chisora and he’s not likely to just stand and cover up the way that Helenius did. If you look at Chisora’s fights against British heavyweight Sam Sexton, this was the same kind of thing that Sexton did against Chisora and he really paid the price for it. If you stand and cover up like a mummy, Chisora is able to work in close and get off with his punches.

But he’s not good at landing against heavyweights that move, use their jabs and keep on the outside where he’s forced to throw long shots. Chisora gets wild when throwing long shots and can be countered. Vitali will likely lean backwards when Chisora throws punches from the outside and it’s doubtful that Chisora will be able to land much of anything unless Vitali lets him get in close.