By Rick Reeno

The battle for heavyweight supremacy will continue on November 11 at Madison Square Garden, when undefeated Calvin Brock meets IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. Brock, considered by most as the best American heavyweight in boxing, is set on capturing his first world title from the fighter that many consider the best heavyweight.

"The terms are done agreed upon, our side and K2 (Klitschko's promotional company) agreed on all the terms. The contracts were drawn up, there had to be some alterations, but the last thing we have do is sign the contracts. The fight is going to happen on November 11. I will be the heavyweight champion of the world," Brock said.

For years, numerous insiders have considered Brock one of the best prospects in the sport. How high a heavyweight can go in today's era, usually depends on their ability to handle adversity in the ring. Brock's coming out party was in April 2005, when he met Jameel McCline on the undercard of ESPN's first boxing pay-per-view.

In the fight with McCline, Brock was outweighed by 47-pounds, but the size advantage did not play a role in the fight. In of the most exciting rounds of 2005, Brock was knockdown for the first time in his career in the eight round. After Brock beat the count, McCline jumped on him with power punches. Usually a heavyweight would have grabbed his opponent and held on until the round came to close, Brock did the exact opposite. He went on the attack with his own power punches, landing with consistent accuracy and by the end of the round - it was McCline who appeared to be on the verge of being stopped. The ten round decision Brock earned that night, proved that he not only had the heart, but also possessed the mental toughness to win fights.

In his most recent ring effort, Brock picked up a ten-round unanimous decision over undefeated prospect Timur Ibragimov. The HBO televised bout showcased the boxing skills of Brock, but also made for a very uneventful fight.

"His style was a contrast to mine. He was very cautious of being hit, always moving away. In the 6th or 7th round, I rocked him, he was hurt but not too hurt. He had a very good defense and was able to roll with punches. He surprised me because I didn't expect him keep his movement up for the whole fight. I thought at some point he would break down, but he kept running," Brock said.

Brock has been labeled in some boxing circles as the best hope for American heavyweights to reclaim some of the footing they lost in the last two years. As will be the case with many fights involving highly touted American heavyweights, the media will focus more on the nationalities of the fighters, which may add mental pressure to some fighters .

"I'm looking at this as just another boxing match. There is no added pressure. It's always do or die in the ring. You always have to go out there and win. The press will only make me a bigger name, a bigger fighter," he said.

Hasim Rahman, after a title losing effort to Oleg Maskaev last month in Las Vegas, admitted that American heavyweights have gotten lazy, and that not enough focus is put on their amateur careers or working to maintain their professional careers. Brock agrees with Rahman that American heavyweights need to invest time in their amateur careers if they want to become successful pros.

"A lot of heavyweight start fighting too old, after they fail at other sports.  I had a great amateur career and went professional with a lot of experience. I fought a lot of fighters with different styles as an amateur, and that's why I can adapt to the styles I fight, he said.

Originally, the opponent for Klitschko was veteran contender Shannon Briggs. The deal with Briggs went sour as the veteran spent weeks on the sidelines wondering if he would be the fighter to face Klitschko, or would Oleg Maskaev take his place. Tired of waiting for an answer, Briggs signed with promoter Don King. Klitschko quickly turned his attention to Brock, an udefeated fighter that holds a wide decision win over Briggs' conqueror Jameel McCline.

"I'm more deserving than Shannon Briggs. I'm the highest rated contender in the world. I don't think he ran from Shannon Briggs. I think the deal just fell apart. People are more excited about me fighting Klitshcko, than they are about Shannon Briggs fighting Klitschko," Brock said.

Wladimir Klitschko has been able to fight his way back to the top of the heavyweight division. Brock meets the biggest test of his career, not only in size, but also in skill. The style of Klitschko has frustrated many opponents, particularly his long and accurate jab.

"I can adopt to every style. He's big like Jameel McCline, but a better fighter. I will beat him and become the heavyweight champion of the world. Klitschko has a good jab, but they also said Timur's best weapon was his jab. I have a good jab myself. I can adapt to anybody's style, anybody's strength and turn their weapon against them," he said.

Brock is much smaller than Klitschko, but at the same time he is also regarded as a hard puncher. Only 7 of his 29 opponents have been able to last the distance. Klitschko on the other hand, while known as a hard puncher, is also known for having a suspect chin. After tasting the canvas in bouts against Corrie Sanders, Lamon Brewster, Davarryl Williamson and Samuel Peter, the chin of Klitschko has been dubbed as his weak spot. Brock does not share the same thinking as the press, and thinks Klitschko's chin is overly criticized.

"I don't know if his chin is a bad as people say it is. You have to look at the people that knocked him out. Corrie Sanders was one of the biggest punchers in the heavyweight division. Samuel Peter knocked him down and is also a very big puncher. His loss to Lamon Brewster, another big puncher. It really doesn't matter if his chin is good or not because whoever I get in the ring with, their chin will get checked," Brock said.

"I'm not the biggest puncher, but I can punch. My record shows that I have a very good knockout ratio. Unless he runs like Timur, I'm going to check that chin."

While many people are happy that Brock is landing the shot at Klitschko, not everyone is celebrating. During a recent Interview with WBO heavyweight champion Sergei Liakhovich, the champion revealed to BoxingScene.com that he knocked out Calvin Brock during a sparring session 5-years-ago. Liakhovich was upset with Klitschko's choice of facing Brock, and felt Brock had no business being in the title fight.

"I knocked this guy (Brock) out in the gym five years ago with headgear and gym gloves. He was out. When they picked him up he was wobbling and shaking, his legs were gone. Imagine what would happen in a real ring. Don tried to make a fight with me and Brock, he didn't want to fight me. Klitschko should be a man and fight me. I know I want to unify the world titles, I don't know what Klitschko wants," Liakhovich said.

After hearing the words of Liakhovich, Brock immediately said that the facts of what happened during the sparring session were being distorted, and took offense at Liakhovich stating that he should not have been given a chance at the title. Brock gave his version of the events that took place 5-years-ago, sending a message to Liakhovich in the process.

"He never knocked me out. That's a lie. The day we sparred, had to be back in 2001. I was out all day in the hot sun looking to buy a car. At the time I out of shape. He caught me with a good shot to the temple that screwed up my equilibrium. My feet came from under me and I went down to a knee and got right back up. My trainer at the time, Pops Anderson, Samuel Peter's trainer, thought I slipped. I told him no, that Liakhovich just caught me with a good shot. I got up, finished the round and then we sparred another round," Brock said.

"For him to say I don't deserve a shot, he was ranked 13th by the WBO when he got a shot at Lamon Brewster. He was knocked out by Maurice Harris, a fighter that lost 14 times. He beat Lamon Brewster, and I like Lamon, but who is Lamon Brewster. Lamon lost to Clifford  Etienne, Charles Shufford, barely got by Kali Meehan who Hasim Rahman stopped in two rounds. Liakhovich is unproven. He can't draw, nobody even knows him.  I am an undefeated fighter and he got knocked out by Maurice Harris, a fighter beaten at least 14 times."