Wladimir Klitschko vs. Sergei Liakhovich: What If?

23.04.06 – By Jim Amato: I personally think that Wladimir Klitschko is a fine boxer for a big man, but he lacks what his brother Vitali had – an iron constitution. This is a trait that Sergei Liakhovich proved he had when he fought and beat a very tough boxer named Lamon Brewster.

If and when Wladimir fights Liakhovich, I predict that Sergei is going to out gut Wlad. He will force his will on Wlad. From my perspective, Klitschko is a great front runner, who is great while he’s dishing about the pain. However, once he reaches a “danger” point, he has a tendency to abandon his fight plan. In essence, he panics, causing him to lose focus and then his skills quickly begin diminish under duress. This is why, in my opinion, he lost to Corrie Sanders and to Brewster, neither of which are remotely as skilled a fighter as Wladimir, I feel.

Wladimir could handle Chris Byrd, however, because Byrd posed no serious danger of hurting him or putting pressure on him. A bold Wladimir Klitschko is a hard fighter to beat, nevertheless. Hurt him and take away that boldness and he becomes a rather ordinary boxer. Sergei has the ability to do this and I predict that he will, if given the chance. I don’t know about you, but I think Sergei has the tools, and considering that he’s already been battle tested under fire, he will win this match.