Interview: The Klitschko Brothers

13.03 - Wladimir Klitschko (37-1, 35 KOs) will make his third WBO title defense against Frans Botha (44-3-1, 28 KOs) on Saturday, March 16, in Stuttgart, Germany. Vitali Klitschko (31-1, 30 KOs) will probably face the winner of a Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson fight...

Could you give us some opening thoughts?

Vitali: I had my last fight one month ago against Vaughn Bean. As you know, I was the first boxer to knock him out. I am looking forward to fighting in the United States. Right now, I have a good position in the world rankings. I hope I will have a chance to fight in the United States in my next fight.

Wladimir: I am very happy to be here and have a connection with America. I find it disappointing that my fight with Frans Botha will not be shown in America, but I am hopeful that my next fight and my brother's next fight will be in America. I am happy that I am fighting this Saturday night because my last fight was eight months ago. I have recovered from my shoulder injury and I feel perfect. I am ready to fight. Botha said he wants to knock me out. I did not want to make a big deal of his comments. I would rather let my fists do the talking.

Are you looking to knock out Botha the same way Lennox Lewis did when they fought?

Wladimir: A lot of people think I have to show a much better result against Botha because Lewis knocked him out in the second round. Tyson went five rounds against Botha and needed a lucky punch to knock him out. I do not feel any pressure. It is more important for me to win this fight and successfully defend my championship. It is not important which round I end the fight in. Boxing is very interesting because nobody knows which round the fight will end. If it ends early, I do not think it will be as interesting for sports fans.

Do you feel any pressure knowing that there has never been a heavyweight champion from your part of the world?

Wladimir: In Europe, we have been doing everything. We need to fight in the United States

Vitali: We have been fighting for a long time in Europe and we have beaten everyone. We must fight in the United States. In the United States, we can both be champions. We prepare everyday for the big fights in America.

Are you thinking of fighting John Ruiz before the Mike Tyson-Lewis winner?

Vitali:  I do not want to wait for the Lewis-Tyson fight. I will fight my next fight in May or June in United States. Against who is a difficult question. I would love to fight Ruiz. I am ready to fight Ruiz. It is a great question for my promoter.

Wladimir, would you ever fight Vitali?

Wladimir:  We get a lot of questions like this. We promised our mother a long time ago we would never fight each other. We see no reason to fight each other. We love our mother too much. Why fight each other and break her heart?

Vitali:  There are four big titles. We have big dreams to unite the titles between the both of us; two titles for Wladimir and two for me.

Fritz, who do you think is the stronger fighter at this time?
 
Sdunek:  Both are very strong. Vitali is the older brother and he is the boss. Wladimir is the more successful. They have different styles, but both are fighting with spirit. They both have the same big heart. It is very easy working with both brothers because they learn techniques easily and work very hard studying videos.

Some boxers are afraid to fight in Europe for fear they will have their food tampered with, or something will happen to them. Is this true?

Bernd Bonte (PR mananger for the Kltschkos): I have to tell you this is complete nonsense. I have never heard about that. This is a rumor coming from especially Roy Jones, Jr. This is one of the excuses he uses not to come over here to fight. It is absolute nonsense.

Do you feel Tyson has paid his dues for a title shot or do you think he has skipped over you to fight Lewis?

Wladimir: Tyson has made history in the last 10 years and he deserves to fight Lewis. A lot of fans want to see the fight. It will happen soon. It is very important they fight against each other so we can fight them after that. We want Tyson and Lewis to be very soon.

Vitali: I doubt Tyson can beat Lennox Lewis. Tyson is the biggest name in boxing. The fight will be very interesting for boxing fans. It is such a big money fight. I have dreams of me and Wladimir fighting against Tyson and Lennox Lewis.

Fritz, what do you have to do to get the brothers ready for the big fights?

Sdunek: I think they are both ready for a big fight right now. Wladimir's preparation for the Botha fight was great. Both brothers are in fantastic condition. They are both very fast. They are both very good at combining offense and defense and you can prepare them for each opponent easily because they are very intelligent. They really have a great fighting heart and are ready for each fight. They are really drilling themselves in the training. The only thing we need right now is the chance to fight the biggest-named guys.    

How would you describe to American fans the impact the Klitschko brothers have in Germany?  

Bonte: The impact they have in Germany is huge. It is as big as Axel Shulz. The people love them. It is very special in general because both are from the Ukraine. This really is the first time the German public has fallen for two foreigners as if they were Germans. They have made appearances at all the big television shows in Germany. It is really special. The dream is to have the same success in the United States as they have in Germany. Their promoter has promised them both that their next fights will be in the United States. Both fighters are looking forward to having success inside the ring, as well as outside the ring.
 
Who are you picking between John Ruiz and Kirk Johnson?

Wladimir: I think it is a 50-50 chance. I think they are at the same level.

If you could improve one area of your boxing, what would it be?

Wladimir: Nobody is perfect. I do not talk about areas I need to improve. We are working very hard to get rid of any weaknesses.