BERT SUGAR'S PRE-FIGHT ANALYSIS

by Bert Sugar

STRENGTHS OF BOTH FIGHTERS

WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO

- The man called "The Steel Hammer" comes by his nickname honestly, possessing arguably the best right hand in the heavyweight division since Lennox Lewis--for references, see Calvin Brock and Chris Byrd.

- Up to recently "Vlad" has been an one-handed, right-handed, fighter. But trainer Emanuel Steward, preferring the legal limit of two, has taught him to use his left and he has used it to good advantage as he did in his last fight against Tim Austin when he used it exclusively, without a right in the carload, to knock out Austin in two.

- Although robotic in his body movements, Klitschko has faster hands than they appear to be.

- Brewster provides Klitschko with added motivation, not only to prove that he is the best of the heavyweight lot, but also to avenge his devastating knockout loss to Brewster three years ago.

LAMON BREWSTER

- A powerful puncher, Brewster can throw punches from both sides and from anywhere, inside or outside.

- With what are referred to in "boxingesse" as "great whiskers," Brewster has been able to withstand enormous punishment, as he did in both the first fight with Klitschko and in his loss to Sergei Liakhovich.

- Brewster knows he can both hurt and beat Klitschko, as he did in their first fight.

WEAKNESS OF BOTH FIGHTERS

KLITSCHKO

- In previous fights Klitschko has had trouble defending himself, especially when forced to go backward. But under Steward's tutelage he has learned to hold on when in trouble, which he did against Sam Peter.

- Overly cautious, sometimes even skittish as if afraid of being hit--almost as if he hadn't read the small print in the contract--Klitschko seems hesitant to uncork his right hand.

- Robotic in his movement, Klitschko sometimes experiences difficulty coping with given situations, most times merely returning to his Lawrence Welk a-one and a-two style.

- Klitschko cannot fight going backward, as evidenced by his full-flight retreat in his two-round loss to Corrie Sanders.

- And, there still remain questions about his chin--having been knocked down three times by Sanders and the same number by Sam Peter.

BREWSTER

- Has not fought since his loss to Sergei Liakhovich in April of 2006--15 months, if you're counting--and the sound you might hear in the early rounds might be his "ring rust" falling off.

- Suffered retinal injury in his fight with Liakhovich and underwent an operation for a detached retina, which might psychologically have him protecting his eye at the expense of his overall defense.

- That said, Brewster's defense is , at best, adequate, sometimes reminding us of George Chuvalo, whose best punch was described by Larry Merchant as being "a left jaw to the right glove."

- Brewster has experienced stamina problems in the latter rounds, looking bone-tired down the stretch against Liakhovich.

WHAT EACH MUST DO TO WIN

KLITSCHKO

- Klitschko must use his jab to set up his right hand, not just jab, jab, and jab some more. His jab alone will not keep Brewster off him.

- To win, he must unsheathe his right hand. And a lot earlier than he did against Calvin Brock when he didn't use it until the fifth round, and then to good effect.

- If hurt, he must tie up Brewster much as he did Sam Peter and not go into retreat where he is vulnerable.

BREWSTER

- Lamon must break up the rhythm of Klitschko's jab-jab-and-jab style, getting inside to trade punches and test Klitschko's chin.

- Brewster cannot afford to, as he has done so many times in the past, set up shop on the ropes and let Klitschko bombard him with punches, particularly his "steel hammer" right.

- Brewster needs to alter his punches, going more to the body, which even Tim Austin in his pathetic performance managed to do, bringing down Klitschko's hands and bringing his 6'6"-plus chin into range.

Bert Randolph Sugar is the co-author with Angelo Dundee of the forthcoming book, "My View from the Corner," out in November.