Kirk Johnson was overweight
aus LA Times
Sanders Looks to Beat Another Klitschko
By JOHN NADEL, Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - One Klitschko down, one to go for late-blooming Corrie Sanders to become the WBC heavyweight champion. Sanders stopped Wladimir Klitschko by technical knockout in the second round for the WBO heavyweight title a little over a year ago. In his first fight since, he'll face Wladimir's older brother, Vitali, for the WBC title April 24 at Staples Center.
So, who's the more difficult opponent?
"It's hard to say. Everybody says Wladimir's better," Sanders said Friday at a news conference introducing the fighters. "I know my abilities. I'm very confident I can do the same thing (against Vitali)."
Wladimir was generally considered the Klitschko with the brighter future before the Sanders fight. Vitali's stock rose greatly with his effort against then-champion Lennox Lewis nine months ago, when he was ahead on points before losing because of cuts in the sixth round.
That was the final fight for Lewis, who announced his retirement last month. That left the WBC title vacant, with Klitschko and Sanders listed as the top two challengers.
"What I've seen on tape, Wladimir is the better of the two," said Sanders' manager, Harold Volbrecht. "Vitali is the more awkward fighter. We think Wladimir has a little more speed than Vitali. I don't think there's a lot of heavyweights in the world who can match Corrie Sanders' speed.
"I just think Sanders is a more polished fighter than Vitali. I believe speed outperforms power."
Sanders, a 38-year-old South African, said if he beats Vitali, he'll probably give his brother a rematch. And if he loses, he'll likely retire.
"It's not if I win, it's when I win," Sanders said. "(Wladimir) wants to fight me again. I would love to fight him again."
Sanders, 39-2 with 29 knockouts, vacated his WBO championship to fight for the WBC title.
"That's the prestige title of the world - the title everybody recognizes," he said. "It's a great honor for me. I'm looking forward to fighting Vitali. We've got family business to do."
Klitschko, 33-2 with 32 knockouts, said the 12-round title bout is special because he has two dreams - to become champion and avenge his brother's loss.
"The most important point is he beat my brother," Klitschko said. "I don't want to make the same mistake as my brother. In my personal opinion, the strongest fighter in the world is my brother. He knocked my brother out."
The Klitschko brothers are Ukrainians who have spent time in Los Angeles.
Vitali Klitschko's only loss before the Lewis fight was to Chris Byrd. Wladimir later beat Byrd by decision.
Vitali smiled when asked if Lewis retired because he didn't want to fight him again.
"He waited a long time (to announce his retirement)," Klitschko said "There are so many questions. I don't want to make more speculation for that. It's a good question for Lennox Lewis, not me."
Klitschko rebounded from his loss to Lewis by stopping Kirk Johnson in the second round Dec. 6 at Madison Square Garden.
"On that night, anybody could have beat Kirk Johnson. He was overweight," Sanders said.