01.09.06 – By Rev. Marc Axelrod: Why do I say this, especially in light of the ups and downs he’s had in the past few years (and I mean this quite literally)? Because styles make fights, and the tall, rangy Ukranian has the size and the skills and the jab and the clinching ability to keep James Toney from getting off. All the other heavyweights that James has battled against have made the dumb mistake of playing to his counterpunching strengths..
But I see Wlad keeping the fight on the outside, throwing that jab from all angles, tying the blubbery burger king up on the inside, and occasionally whacking James with shots to the body.
James of course will try to lure Wladimir forward, and his success in this matchup hinges on how often he can get Klitschko to fall into his trap.
It will also be interesting to see if Klitschko’s confidence has returned. Hopefully, his recent decimation of Chris Byrd and his decision over Sam Peter were the shots in the arm that he needed.
Wladimir is the only top ten heavyweight I would pick right now in a matchup against James Toney. Not because James is all that as much as it is because the heavyweights SUCK!!!!!