Wladimir Klitschko: "After Brock, I Want Valuev" Recommend this page Printable version
By Mark Vester
IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has a tough fight in front of him when he meets undefeated Calvin Brock on November 11 in New York's Madison Square Garden, but he already has set his sights set on the opponent he would love to fight next - the 7-foot-2, 320-pound WBA heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev.
........In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Klitschko revealed that he and Valuev both want to fight each other, but the fact that Don King is the co-promoter of Valuev makes it very difficult to put the fight together, because King will demand options to promote Klitschko's future fights if he beats his fighter. Klitschko has stated numerous times in the past that he will never give options to any promoter.
"The only thing that stands in the way (of him and Valuev fighting) is sports politics. I want to fight Valuev. Nikolai wants to fight me, too, but he has two promoters, and one of them is Don King. Which makes unification difficult to accomplish. Of course, unless I beat Brock, I have no chance to accomplish anything," Klitschko said......
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Checkup on the Doctor
Updated: Thursday October 19, 2006 2:09PM
Six years ago Wladimir Klitschko was being touted as the future of the heavyweight division. The Ukrainian fight doctor -- he has a PhD in sports science from the University of Kiev -- was 24 and had just won the negligible WBO championship from Chris Byrd.
But in the winter of 2003, after five successful title defenses, he was upended and upset by Corrie Sanders of South Africa. The paunchy, puffing journeyman knocked Klitschko down four times in scoring a second-round TKO.
A chastened Dr. Steelhammer won a couple of tune-ups before facing Lamon Brewster for the vacated WBO title in the spring of '04. He was leading on the cards until Round 5, when the American knocked him down and out with a thunderous right.
Despite calls for him to retire, Klitschko muddled on, winning his next three bouts -- two just barely -- and earning a shot at the renascent Byrd's IBF belt. On April 22, he reclaimed a piece of the heavyweight crown with a convincing seven-round TKO.
Klitschko's first defense will be against Calvin Brock on Nov. 11 in Madison Square Garden. The undefeated Brock, 31, has a degree in finance from UNC Charlotte and is known as the Boxing Banker. Klitschko hopes to end the bout by leaving a sizeable deposit on the challenger's chin.
SI.com: Your career has been marked by sharp, sudden shifts of fortune. By now you must have motion sickness.
Klitschko: I enjoy the roller-coaster ride. Some people have had doubts about my ability and prospects, but I like criticism. I love it. I love to have opposite sides.
SI.com: After you lost to Brewster, Freddie Roach, your onetime trainer, thought it might be time for you to call it a career.
Klitschko: It was said I was a dead man walking: no stamina, no chin, no heart. I don't take it personally. I think of such criticism as philosophical and jokey. I know exactly my strong and my weak sides, so I work on my weak sides.
SI.com: Freddie thought your problem might be psychological. He suggested you see a hypnotist.
Klitschko: I'd rather hypnotize my opponent. My best hypnotist and psychologist is myself. If something is mental, like a puzzle, I like to find the right key for it.
SI.com: So why did you lose those two fights?
Klitschko: With Sanders, I got too much success and was bored of boxing. I no longer had any challenge or excitement. Against Brewster, I had a sugar illness -- my blood sugar was too low. In the fifth round, I just collapsed.
SI.com: Ever consider hanging up your gloves for good?
Klitschko: No. It's very important to have success and failure. You have to know both sides to be a real champion. I'm still only 30. This will be my 50th fight. I've fought big and tall and fat and thin. Boxing is all about preparation -- destroy the opponent before he ever hits you.
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