By Dan Ambrose: I hope Polish challenger Mariusz Wach (27-0, 15 KO’s) will be showing a little more speed on November 10th against IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (58-3, 50 KO’s) than what Wach has been showing in his training because he looks incredibly slow of hand and foot as he prepares for this fight.

I’ve seen some slow heavyweights over the years, but Wach is just looking like one of the slowest that you can imagine. Wladimir supposed has had problems getting higher ranked contenders to fight him, and has to settle for the lower ranking #14 WBA, #14 WBO, #15 IBF Wach. But Wladimir needs to be a little more selective in the guys he’s fighting nowadays. In his last two fights Wladimir has beaten 39-year-old Jean Marc Mormeck and 40-year-old Tony Thompson. Those were huge mismatches and not competitive fights, but now Wladimir is fighting a guy that makes Mormeck and Thompson look good.

Wach is going to get drilled on November 10th unless he picks up some speed somewhere. He’s too mechanical with his deliver and it’s almost as if you can see him thinking in slow motion about what he’s going to do next in terms of punching. There’s no quickness and he’s very predictable. Wladimir is going to be ahead of Wach with every shot he throws, and I can see Wladimir connecting with a dozen shots in between one of Wach’s slow combinations. He’s just too slow and I’m surprised Wach is even ranked in the top 15. Normally heavyweights in the top 15 have a little something going on, but 6’7 1/2″ Wach is just some big guy without the talented need to be fighting for a world title.

The sanctioning bodies need to require that the bottom ranked fighters have proven themselves by beating at one good contender before they’re given title shots because mismatches like this aren’t good for the sport.