NOT SURE: Klitschko
AFP/Moscow
World champion Wladimir Klitschko has admitted he has concerns whether challenger Alexander Povetkin will meet him in the ring on October 5 in Moscow after the Russian’s two previous withdrawals.
Klitschko, 37, was first due to fight Povetkin in 2008, only for the Russian to injure his ankle while training, then the 33-year-old pulled out of a second bout two years later when his father died.
October’s clash at Moscow’s Olimpiyski Arena will settle which of the pair is the World Boxing Association’s champion and the fight details were decided 10 days ago after Klitschko insisted that the drugs testing is done in Germany. The Ukrainian, who faces his 24th world title fight, told Hamburg’s Morgenpost he was “cautious in regards to Povetkin.
“In the past we twice agreed to fight and he withdrew. With Povetkin, you never know what happens,” added Klitschko, whose WBO, IBF and IBO titles are also up for grabs in Moscow.
With Klitschko holding WBA “super” champion status since his 2011 win over Britain’s David Haye and Povetkin deemed the governing body’s regular belt holder, the bout has been ordered to decide which is the true champion.
Povetkin, the 2004 Olympic heavyweight champion, has an undefeated record with 18 knock-outs in 26 wins, but Klitschko, who won Olympic heavyweight gold at the 1996 Atlanta games, says he hopes the Russian does not cancel on him for a third time.
“He really listens to what other people say, I hope people tell him that he should fight,” said Klitschko, who has 51 knock-outs in 60 wins with the last of his three defeats having come nearly a decade ago. Both fighters will walk away with a small fortune from the fight, with Klitschko standing to make a career-high 13.13 million euros ($17.1 million, £11.3 million) from the fight and Povetkin 4.4 million.
The final date of the fight has only been set back following lengthy negotiations with the Klitschko camp refusing to have the Russians take care of the drugs testing, which will be conducted by Germany’s National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).
“I have a name to lose which is worth far more than the money I get from this fight,” said Klitschko. I can’t afford any inconsistencies.”
Champion Stieglitz wary of Japan’s ‘masked man’ Kiyota
Tokyo: Super-middleweight champion Robert Stieglitz is wary of Japanese challenger Yuzo Kiyota’s aggressive style ahead of today’s world title fight.
The 29-year-old Kiyota faces Stieglitz in his first professional bout outside of Japan in Dresden for the German world champion’s WBO super-middleweight belt.
Kiyota raised a few eyebrows by turning up to the pre-fight press conference wearing a surgical mask, but explained he was concerned about picking up any illness before his title bout. “It’s common for Japanese athletes to protect themselves from infection. That’s why I wear the mask,” he told fightnews.com.
“Robert Stieglitz boxes very fast. He’s a good fighter. I want to win this fight with a knockout.”
Despite 21 knock-outs in 23 victories and three defeats, Kiyota is untested at this level and his last bout against an experienced fighter resulted in a first-round technical knock-out against Jameson Bostic of the USA in 2010. Stieglitz regained his super-middleweight title he lost on a unanimous decision in August 2012 when he enjoyed a fourth-round technical knock-out against compatriot Arthur Abraham in the rematch last March.
The 2012 defeat to Abraham was the 32-year-old champion’s only loss in the last four years and having won 44 of his 47 professional fights, Stieglitz said he will prove himself against Kiyota. “The Abraham fight has clearly shown who the true champion is,” said Stieglitz, who fights in Dresden for the first time since his unanimous decision win against Mexico’s Enrique Ornelas in 2010.
“I have to use my physique and technical capability against Yuzo Kiyota and box with plenty of pressure.
“In my last fight in Dresden, the audience was great, so it’s like boxing at home here. “I’ve had a look at the last fights of Yuzo Kiyota. He boxes aggressively, goes forward and is physically strong. On Saturday, I must once again call on what I can do.”