By Christofer Ferris: Judging by the huge outcry in the various boxing forums on the internet, few fans want to see former heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (35-2, 34 KOs) face WBC heavyweight champion Samuel Peter as his next opponent. It seems that the larger amount of people firmly want to see Vitali’s younger brother, Wladimir Klitschko (the current IBF heavyweight champion) fight Peter instead of Vitali. Why is that? Don’t they see that this is a type of fight that could possibly end up in a story book ending, with the 35 year-old Vitali, who hasn’t fought in three years, coming back and defeating Peter to regain the heavyweight championship.

It would almost be like George Foreman or Muhammed Ali coming off of long layoffs to recapture the title. It could only be a big plus for boxing, don’t you think? The alternative – Wladimir fighting Peter – is much less interesting because it only promises action for one fight, after which Wladimir would firmly be in control of the heavyweight division and without essentially any opposition with which to fight. He certainly couldn’t face his brother, Vitali, could be? He wouldn’t, and has said as much many times. Now, if Vitali ends up fighting Peter, and can lead to an almost guaranteed rematch between Peter and Vitali, especially if it’s an interesting bout, leading possibly to a trilogy between the two fighters.

At the same time, it would be the first time in the history of boxing that two brothers shared heavyweight titles. That would be a plus for the sport, even if it were for a short period of time. Whether the boxing networks understand this or not, it’s true. They may not see that now, but when/if Vitali defeats Peter, you’ll see a larger amount of people tuning into future fights of Vitali – and Wladimir – and, in turn, more fans will be flocking to boxing sites on the internet.

Though, it’s questionable how much Vitali has left at this point. He has had no fights in three years and has reportedly taken a beating in sparring sessions leading up to his canceled tune-up bout with Jameel McCline last year. Indeed, that is worrisome in that if he’s have problems with sparring parters, mostly good B-level fighters, that would seem to suggest that Vitali no longer has the talent to compete with the best in the division. Peter would be a very dangerous opponent for Vitali, given the Nigerian’s power and skills. He’s considered to be the second best fighter in the heavyweight division, just behind Wladimir, whom he knocked down several times in their 2005 bout.