When the heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis steps into the ring Saturday against the top contender Vitali Klitschko, it will be one of the odder scenes in recent boxing history. Imagine two sturdy basketball power forwards squaring off against each other.
Does mass times force equal a quick knockout? Or a good fight? Lewis believes he will knock out Klitschko by the fifth round, while Klitschko thinks the fight will go the full 12.
Their height and power -- Lewis is 1.96m and Klitschko is 2.03m -- make this match so compelling. It is a true heavyweight brawl, with very big men throwing very powerful punches, and it is sure to draw the regular crowd as well as newcomers.
There is one possible problem. Klitschko has the grace of a first-time tango student with two left feet. Klitschko may be tall, he may be strong, but does he possess the skills to beat one of the most graceful heavyweights ever? About the only person who believes Klitschko can win is Klitschko.
"It is more fun fighting a guy like Klitschko," Emanuel Steward, the trainer for Lewis, said. "He is too big to do any running. You have two guys with tremendous physical strength, and as a result, you are going to have an explosive fight between two big fighters."
Lewis is the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Organization champion with a 40-2-1 record and 31 knockouts. He agreed to fight Klitschko this month after the injured Kirk Johnson withdrew.
The fight will take place in Los Angeles at the Staples Center, adding another interesting angle. The city last played host to a heavyweight title fight in 1958, when Floyd Patterson successfully defended his belt with a 13th-round technical knockout over Roy Harris.
Lewis has a significant speed advantage over Klitschko, but Klitschko's height presents a problem for Lewis, who said he had never fought anyone so tall. His camp has been searching for vertically gifted sparring partners so Lewis can simulate boxing Klitschko, the jolly Ukrainian giant.
"We have to adjust to punching up instead of punching down," said Steward, referring to Lewis, who normally takes on shorter opponents. "It is very difficult to get proper sparring partners, but Lewis' natural talent and experience will take him through."
Klitschko is the No. 1 contender and was supposed to be on the undercard of the Lewis-Johnson fight. His bout against Cedric Boswell was canceled.
Klitschko is part of a famous boxing family. His younger brother, Wladimir, a former World Boxing Organization champion, filmed a scene with Lewis in the movie Ocean's Eleven. Wladimir has relayed to his brother what he believes are helpful hints, gained from his film bout with Lewis.
Lewis has laughed off such notions. He clearly has little respect for either man and once joked he wanted to eat a Klitschko brother for breakfast and another for lunch.
"Each fight you fight is different, but I do not believe there are any big guys as good as me," Lewis said. "Klitschko does not have my skills or experience, so I have to take advantage of those things. I am inclined to agree that Wladimir might be a better fighter than Vitali, but different styles make different fights."
Vitali Klitschko won his own WBO belt in 1999 and defended his title twice before losing to Chris Byrd in April 2000. In that fight Klitschko tore the rotator cuff in his left shoulder in the fourth round and declined to come out for the 10th. Since then Klitschko has gone 5-0 with four consecutive knockouts.
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