By John Hively

Vitali Klitschko is finally coming back on October 11 to do battle with WBC heavyweight champion Samuel Peter. A lot of people think Vitali will win this one, but I don’t know why they are going in that direction. Vitali is nearly forty-years-old and hasn’t fought in nearly four-years. If Samuel doesn’t stop this guy then he will become another heavyweight with the label of "overrated." 

Vitali has the iron chin and a great punch, but figure Peter will eventually wear him down. I’m not saying that the elder Klitschko can’t win this fight; he had all the tools four or five-years-ago, and if 90 percent of the old Klitschko shows up, he can win, possibly by stoppage. However, it is difficult to believe the fragile old guy has 90 percent left, and inactivity has left him ring rusty. I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes stamina challenged during the bout after coming back from so long without even a tune-up. Peter will stop him if he takes the challenger seriously and I'm sure he views this as the biggest fight of his career.

If Kelly Pavlik fights a smart battle he’ll stop Bernard Hopkins on October 18 and send him into retirement. If Kelly fights behind his jab and targets the head with just as much focus on Bernard’s body, he should wear down the veteran and possibly stop him. If Pavlik places all of concentration on the head of his opponent then Ancient Bernard could pull off the upset.

Let’s face it, Pavlik isn’t going to land a lot of head shots until the clever veteran is forced to protect his body. When and if that happens, so long as it doesn’t occur too late in the bout, then it’s all over for Hopkins.

Alexander Povetkin stopped Chris Byrd and sort of got lucky when he slipped by Eddie Chambers. Those battles made him a real contender, but they also showed us that Alexander is an easy guy to hit, more or less. That suggests the outcome of his battle with Waldimir Klitschko will be determined by how many power shots he can take before Waldimir stops him. This fight might go seven-rounds, but it will likely end sooner. Povetkin might get a lucky shot in and win, but it is highly unlikely.

John Ruiz is heading into Nikolai Valuev’s German backyard on August 30th. Valuev is a better fighter than when they first met, so he should win a close decision. I can see where Ruiz might edge it, but the backyard judges will likely give it to Nikolai in a tight fight. In order to win, Ruiz needs to score a knockout and I don’t see that happening.

Joe Calzaghe battles Roy Jones at Madison Square Garden on November 8. This is really a tough fight to call, and a likely bore snore. Joe should be the favorite only because he accomplished quite a bit more than Jones during the last four-years. This fight is really about speed and reasonable power versus speed and reasonable power.

Neither guy has faced a pugilist with the speed of the other. Joe can take a better shot than Roy, or at least it seems so based on their histories. Joe looks to be more dedicated than his foe, if the recent past is any indication, but Roy has more speed than Joe, if just a little. But I think Roy will be motivated for this battle, giving the bout the potential of being a humdinger, although it’s likely to be a chess match, so you should have time to grab a beer from the refrigerator and go to the bathroom between punches during any round.

I think Roy has a good shot at winning this fight, but I predict Joe will come out on top by a narrow margin.