Big Fight Preview

On Saturday, he faces off with the unheralded Ray Austin in what looks to be a showcase for the big Ukrainian.

But according to multiple sources, Austin has been training like never before, and is looking to take the champion into deep waters, a place where he has been drowned before.

Klitschko, as his trainer Emmanuel Steward has long maintained, is one of the most talented heavyweights ever to lace gloves. He is physically huge, extremely athletic, and possesses fluid boxing skills coupled with natural punching power. His meltdowns to Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster however, indicated a vulnerability that makes his fights even more compelling to watch. Klitschko has not reacted well to pressure, and has fallen apart when hit solidly on the chin or pushed to extremes of fatigue.

But, he is past all that, insists Steward, and what we have today is the almost finished version of an all time great. And true to the legendary trainers word, Klitschko has performed brilliantly of recent. He out boxed and systematically took apart IBF champ Chris Byrd in early 2006, knocking the American out for only the second time in his career, then bludgeoned the very capable Calvin Brock in disciplined performance later in the year.

In Ray Austin, he faces a man equal to him in terms of height and physical stature. The 6ft 6 American is a good heavyweight with above average boxing skills and a very good chin. Austin has been in there with some good names, and has always acquitted himself well. In his last fight, he held the talented Sultan Ibragimov to a draw, fighting with the Russian heavyweight tooth and nail all the way through. Austin is a born competitor, and does not come to make up the numbers. He has recently teamed up with the excellent Stacey McKinney, who claims Austin is in the best physical shape of his career. They have also been working on his balance and punch technique, and have promised that we will see a different fighter on March 10th.

The fight, broadcast live exclusively on SecondsOut.tv, should be a cracker. With two men both over 6ft5 and 240lbs, there will almost certainly be fireworks, and we can expect to see a competitive fight for as long as it lasts.

With Klitschko in his current form, the smart money would obviously be on him, but we cannot count the challenger out for several reasons.

The first is that Austin will not be physically intimidated by Klitschko. The American may even be a little taller than the Ukrainian, and will look to impose himself quickly as the bigger of the two. The second reason is that Austin really does come to fight. When hit, he will come straight back at Klitschko which could cause the champion some real problems. Austin has fast hands, and can bang enough to hurt Klitschko should he connect cleanly. Thirdly, Austin has McKinney in his corner, the man heralded for Samuel Peter"s transformation in the rematch with James Toney.

McKinney managed to turn the lumbering African into a combination punching boxer, and gave Toney the worst beating of his life. He brought Peter"s weight down, and clearly gave the Nigerian some vital lessons in footwork and agility.

If McKinney can do half the job with Austin that he did with Peter, Klitschko could have a real fight on his hands.

However, we must remember that Klitschko will have ideas of his own. After all, he did not win an Olympic Gold medal, and catch the attention of every worthwhile trainer in the game for nothing.

When mentally and physically prepared, Klitschko is nothing short of awesome. His defence has improved immeasurably under Steward, and he has been boxing brilliantly behind his ramrod like jab. Klitschko has developed, as far as we can tell, into a far more complicated fighter, employing subtle tricks of the trade taught by Steward, who can train heavyweights like no other.

More importantly, Klitschko"s superior athleticism should define his game plan against Austin. Klitschko is simply the better athlete, and he must show this as quickly as possible. He is stronger, faster and more versatile than Austin, and he must impose these attributes quickly to let Austin know who the boss is.

Klitschko is very, very dangerous when threatened, and will most likely be at his peak when fighting such a large man. If he lets his hands go, Austin may find himself in a situation he has never faced before. It is hard to see how he will cope with Klitschko"s jab, and even harder to see how he will cope when Klitschko begins to find range with the right.

Austin will no doubt fight back as best he can, but he may simply find himself out speed, out thought and out gunned. We should expect to see a bit of a punch up, but if Klitschko comes properly prepared, we will most likely see an impressive display of controlled aggression.

Austin"s resilience will keep him in there for a few rounds, and he will try and unsettle Klitschko by coming forward and attacking. However, class almost always tells in the ring, and the champion probably has too much of it to lose on Saturday.

Expect an impressive Klitschko victory inside 9 rounds.