Weights: Wladimir 247.4 lbs, Leapai 248 lbs

By Boxing News - 04/25/2014 - Comments

wladimir333333(Photo credit: Michael Sterling Eaton / KMG; www.michaelsterlingeaton.com) By Allan Fox: IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (61-3, 51 KO’s) and challenger Alex Leapai (30-4-3, 24 KO’s) both weighed in today for their fight on Saturday night at the Koenig Pilsener Arena, Oberhausen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Wladimir weighed 247.4 lbs. Leapai weighed 248lbs. Wladimir’s weight is 6 lbs heavier than in his last fight against Alexander Povetkin last year when he weighed in at 241.

Leapai’s weight of 248lbs is a career high for him. He weighed 244 in his last fight. You have to figure that Leapai either consciously put on extra due to him fighting the bigger Wladimir or he might have been padding himself on the back a little too much after his big win over Denis Boytsov last November. That’s quite possible as well.

Leapai is taking a big step up from the type of opponents he’s faced during his career. The best guys he’s fought thus far has been a limit bunch in Boytsov and Kevin Johnson. That’s it. The rest of the fighters that Leapai has fought have been unknowns of very poor quality. Leapai was knocked out by Kevin Johnson two years ago, so you’ve got to take that into account when you speculate on his chances against the 6’6″ Wladimir. You can say that Leapai has improved in the last two years, but that would just be a guess.

You don’t see too many fighters improving from the age 32 and above. It’s very likely that Wladimir will be facing the same guy that Kevin Johnson knocked out when he steps inside the ring on Saturday. Johnson was able to use his long reach to keep out of the wheelhouse of the 6-foot Leapai. Wladimir will obviously be trying to do the same thing. The only difference here is that Johnson’s strong chin was able to take some of the huge shots that Leapai hit him with, and it’s unclear if WLadimir will be able to stand up to the big punches that Leapai nails him with at some point in the fight.

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