SAY it quietly, but world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko may finally have a real fight on his hands.
On Saturday, the Ukrainian will be seeking his 17th successful title defence against unbeaten Kubrat Pulev of Bulgaria - a man known as "Big Messi" on account of his skills and technique.
Pulev is little-known beyond the confines of boxing's hardcore devotees, but in accumulating 20 straight wins he has engineered some outstanding performances - chiefly against top-10 fighters like Tony Thompson and Alexander Ustinov.
Fight fans will be hoping that Pulev can mix it with Klitschko, whose dominance is such that even when he beats opponents fans complain about his mechanical, over-cautious style.
With 52 knockouts in 62 wins, "Dr Steel Hammer" can bang, but he is not explosive or electrifying in the manner of a Mike Tyson or Gennady Golovkin. Klitschko's method is slow poison, administered via the most formidable jab in boxing.
Pulev brings the one quality to the fight that most of Klitschko's opponents have lacked: size. At 1.95m, he is just 6cm shorter than Klitschko and will likely outweigh him when they square off in Hamburg. He is not a knockout artist, but he has legitimate heavyweight power and genuine toughness.
Has Klitschko finally met his match?
SAY it quietly, but world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko may finally have a real fight on his hands.
On Saturday, the Ukrainian will be seeking his 17th successful title defence against unbeaten Kubrat Pulev of Bulgaria - a man known as "Big Messi" on account of his skills and technique.
Pulev is little-known beyond the confines of boxing's hardcore devotees, but in accumulating 20 straight wins he has engineered some outstanding performances - chiefly against top-10 fighters like Tony Thompson and Alexander Ustinov.
Fight fans will be hoping that Pulev can mix it with Klitschko, whose dominance is such that even when he beats opponents fans complain about his mechanical, over-cautious style.
With 52 knockouts in 62 wins, "Dr Steel Hammer" can bang, but he is not explosive or electrifying in the manner of a Mike Tyson or Gennady Golovkin. Klitschko's method is slow poison, administered via the most formidable jab in boxing.
Pulev brings the one quality to the fight that most of Klitschko's opponents have lacked: size. At 1.95m, he is just 6cm shorter than Klitschko and will likely outweigh him when they square off in Hamburg. He is not a knockout artist, but he has legitimate heavyweight power and genuine toughness.
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