Klitschko-Pianeta

By Allan Fox: Unbeaten #8 WBO, #12 WBA, heavyweight contender Francesco Pianeta (28-0-1, 15 KO’s) says he feels confident about his chances to pull off a huge upset over IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (59-3, 50 KO’s) in their fight next month on May 4th at the SAP-Arena in Mannheim, Germany.

Pianeta said “If they [Wladimir] underestimate me, I’ll surprise them. I’m still confident I’ll win this fight.”

It’s going to be awfully difficult for the 6’5” Pianeta to win this fight because he pretty much only has one way of winning and that’s by beating Wladimir by a 12 round decision.

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By Allan Fox: IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (59-3, 50 KO’s) turns 37-years-old today, March 25th. At 37, Wladimir is still going strong and hasn’t shown any signs of losing his skills or his enthusiasm for the sport.

The only thing that seems to be missing from Wladimir is his urgency to get in the ring with the top guys – Kubrat Pulev, Tyson Fury, Bryant Jennings, Chris Arreola, David Haye and David Price – to give boxing fans some better fights than the ones that Wladimir has been putting on in the last two years.

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By Allan Fox: IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (59-3, 50 KO’s) is quickly developing a reputation for facing weak opposition instead of the very best fighters in the heavyweight division.

It’s strange how all the positive feelings towards Wladimir after his victory over former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye two years ago has pretty much disappeared with Wladimir facing three consecutive weak opponents in Jean-Marc Mormeck, Tony Thompson and Mariusz Wach.

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By Allan Fox: IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (59-3, 50 KO’s) says he has zero interest in retiring from the sport despite his increasing age. Wladimir will be turning 37-years-old this month on March 25th, and he has a fight coming up in two months against fringe level contender Francesco Pianeta (28-0-1, 15 KO’s) on May 4th at the SAP-Arena, Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Wladimir has been taking severe criticism from boxing fans ever since the news came out that he’ll be facing Pianeta rather than a more talented contender ranked in a higher position than the #9 WBO, #12 WBA Pianeta.

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By Allan Fox: IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (59-3, 50 KO’s) has picked out an especially weak opponent in Francesco Pianeta (28-0-1, 15 KO’s) to fight on May 4th, and now Wladimir is already starting the hard work of trying to build the 28-year-old up so that boxing fans feel that this is a competitive fight. It’s not.

Pianeta is in the same class as Wladimir’s recent opponents Jean Marc Mormeck and Mariusz Wach, but not as good as Tony Thompson, who Wladimir beat by a 6th round knockout last July. Wladimir will be facing the 6’4” Pianeta at the SAP-Arena, Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Pianeta is listed at 6’5”, but after seeing him and Wladimir standing face to face, it’s clear that Pianeta, #9 WBA, #12 WBA, is two inches shorter than the 6’6” Wladimir.

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By Allan Fox: IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (59-3, 50 KO’s) will be defending his titles against unbeaten German based fringe contender Francesco Pianeta (28-0-1, 15 KO’s) on May 4th at the SAP-Arena, Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

This will be an optional defense for the 36-year-old Wladimir, and it’s not considered to be a competitive fight despite the 6’5” Pianeta sporting an impressive unbeaten resume. The problem is the types of fighters that Pianeta has faced have been generally B and C level in talent, and it looks as if his management wasn’t in any kind of hurry to put him in with anyone that could possibly beat him.

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By Allan Fox: IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (59-3, 50 KO’s) has an easy optional title defense coming up on May 4th against #9 WBO, #12 WBA Francesco Pianeta (28-0-1, 15 KO’s) in Mannheim, Germany.

Wladimir will be looking for his 60th win and 51st knockout of his career, and he has the perfect opponent for him to accomplish it in the feather-fisted 6’5” Pianeta.

Klitschko had the option of facing either Bryant Jennings or Pianeta, and he chose the path of least resistance by facing the unbeaten but incredibly untested Pianeta. At first glance it looks like a good fight when you look at how Pianeta has an unbeaten record, but when you look at the guys that Pianeta beat to build up his record, you come to the conclusion that he’s just someone that has been matched against weak opponents by design.

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By Allan Fox: With Floyd Mayweather Jr. signing a six-fight contract with Showtime, IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (59-3, 50 KO’s) will now likely face fringe contender Francesco Pianeta (28-0-1, 15 KO’s) on May 4th in Germany instead of American Bryan Jennings.

According to Dan Rafael, Wladimir was looking at facing Jennings on May 4th if Mayweather’s fight with Robert Guerrero was going to be televised on HBO, because the network was reportedly interested in purchasing the Wladimir-Pianeta fight to televise as part of a split site double-header on that night.

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By Allan Fox: The talked about fight between IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (59-3, 50 KO’s) and Fres Oquendo won’t be happening for April 6th. Instead, the 36-year-old Wladimir Klitschko looks to be targeting the unbeaten #12 WBA fringe contender Francesco Pianeta (28-0-1, 15 KO’s) for a match-up that will be staged in Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany.

According to Dan Rafael of ESPN, the 6’5” Pianeta has been approved by the German television network RTL.

The southpaw Pianeta is almost as tall as the 6’6” Wladimir, but that’s as far as the similarities go. Pianeta has zero power and few defensive skills. He’s still unbeaten but he’s been matched against poor opposition his entire 8 year pro career, which is why he’s only ranked in the top 15 by one of the sanctioning bodies.

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