By Jim Dower: It’s been four years since Vitali Klitschko (35-2, 34 KOs) last saw action in the ring, and on October 11th he’s going to try and accomplish what rarely has been done before by winning a title after years of inactivity, without one warm up match in between when he challenges WBC champion Samuel Peter in Germany. Klitschko, the older brother of IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, recently said, “I don’t need warm-up for fights.” However, that’s probably just a convenient excuse on his part to avoid a risky tune-up fight from which he would very likely end up hurting himself for the umpteenth time, and end up having to cancel the fight. Tune-up fights are important, no matter what he says.
Peter, probably the hardest puncher in all boxing at this time, is a one-man wrecking machine with explosive power in each fist, and who has more than enough strength to put down the aging Klitschko even with a glancing blow. Although Peter isn’t infallible, and has only passable boxing skills, his power makes him one of the best in the division, if not the best. He’s matured a lot since being defeated by Wladimir Klitschko in a 12-round decision loss in 2005, and has worked on his glaring weaknesses – his stamina, defense and lack of a jab.
He now has much better defense, an extraordinary jab and a lot better stamina than he several years ago. If you want proof of that, you only need to take a look at his recent fight with Jameel McCline in which Peter was knocked down several times in the early rounds, yet came back to defeat McCline by a decision. Peter’s stamina is probably going to be the X-factor in his fight with Vitali, because most boxing experts feel that Klitschko will look good for a minimum of four to six rounds, and then quickly began to fade badly.
You can expect to see the Nigerian rally at that point, and take the fight to the tired-looking Ukrainian fighter, and possibly stop him by the 9th or 10th. In terms of skills, this fight is a no-contest. Vitali has the much better overall skills, but he’s now 37 years old, and has been out of the sport for way too long to compete with a fighter with as much power and determination as Peter has. If this was a fighter with a weaker chin, someone like David Haye, I could easily see Vitali winning the fight. However, Peter has a chin like granite and won’t be phased by Klitschko’s shots.
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