Klitschko Ready To Defend WBO Title Against Sanders Saturday On HBO

06.03 - "I am really looking forward to defending my title and fighting on HBO again. Like all my fights, this one is very important. I have trained to go 12 rounds. I do not expect an easy fight and certainly will not underestimate my opponent. I hope I can put on a good show for all my fans around the world.''

The young man doing the talking was Wladimir "Dr. Steelhammer" Klitschko (40-1, 37 KOs), who defends his World Boxing Organization (WBO) heavyweight title against Corrie Sanders (38-2, 28 KOs) of South Africa, on Saturday in Hannover, Germany, on HBO (9:45 p.m. ET/PT). It will be Wladimir's sixth title defense, and third in a row televised on HBO.

"Sanders has won 23 straight fights, but I am sure he is looking at this fight as his last big chance, and that he is going to fight very hard," the popular 6-foot-6, 26-year-old Klitschko said. "Sanders has 18 first-round knockouts so I look for him to come out very strong and try to win by early knockout. But I will be ready for anything he has to offer and, of course, am confident I will win.''

The 1996 Olympic Games gold medalist, Klitschko captured the WBO title with a totally dominant, one-sided 12-round decision over Chris Byrd on Oct. 14, 2000. In an impressive performance against an elusive southpaw boxer most heavyweights are reluctant to get in the ring with, Klitschko scored knockdowns in the ninth and 11th rounds en route to winning by the lopsided scores of 120-106, 119-107 and 118-108.

In his last defense, Klitschko registered a 10th-round TKO over mandatory challenger Jameel McCline on Dec. 7, 2002, in Las Vegas. At the time of the stoppage, the defending champion was ahead by the scores of 99-90 twice and 98-91. He knocked down McCline in the 10th. In his other title defenses, Klitschko defeated Derrick Jefferson (TKO 2), Charles Shufford (TKO 6), Frans Botha (TKO 8) and Ray Mercer (TKO 6).

While Wladimir readies himself for Saturday's title defense, his older brother, Vitali (32-1, 31 KOs), continues to wait to see who he will be fighting next. A former WBO heavyweight champion, the 6-foot-9, 32-year-old is currently ranked No. 1 in the World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Association (WBA) and No. 5 in the International Boxing Federation (IBF).

"I really hope that Vitali gets the next fight against Lennox Lewis because I am sure he can beat Lewis," Wladimir said. "I am more than sure, actually. All he needs is the chance.''