Steward: "Wladimir is Ready For Brock"

By Rick Reeno

While boarding a plane to head back to Detroit, Wladimir Klitschko's trainer Emanuel Steward contacted BoxingScene to give his take on the recent situation with Klitschko's November 11 return to ring, in New York City's Madison Square Garden.

BoxingScene.com: We first heard Shannon Briggs, then Oleg Maskaev, now Calvin Brock. Is Brock the next opponent for Wladimir?

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Emanuel Steward: That's what I'm hearing. I don't think it's signed, but I think it's going to happen. It's all pretty new. As early as yesterday, I spoke with Wladimir and he was going to give Maskaev another day or two to make up his mind and then he was fully prepared to fight Briggs.

BoxingScene.com: Wladimir actually wanted to go forward with Briggs?

Emanuel Steward: He was ready to fight Briggs, but the whole thing with Maskaev was holding things up. Then we found out Shannon signed with Don King and is going to fight Sergei Liakhovich (WBO heavyweight champion). I heard Briggs already signed for the fight, but Liakhovich has not.

BoxingScene.com: Do you think Briggs made the right move?

Emanuel Steward: Shannon was frustrated and I don't blame him. All the waiting around to see what would happen. I don't blame him because he was very frustrated with the situation. Wladimir really wanted to fight Maskaev because he wanted to win the title that his brother Vitali and Lennox Lewis once had.

He wants to fight the other champions more than anything else. Wladimir wants to unify the division.

BoxingScene.com: Right now he has an undefeated fighter in Calvin Brock on deck.

Emanuel Steward: Wladimir will be ready for Calvin Brock. I don't think any fighter in the division can beat Wladimir Klitschko. He's fighting the best possible opponents available. This will be his third undefeated fighter in four fights. He fought Castillo who was undefeated, then Samuel Peter and now Calvin Brock.

BoxingScene.com: Would unification be the next step after Brock?

Emanuel Steward: Nobody respects the heavyweights and Wladimir wants to unify the heavyweight division to give them a champion to respect. The public has to demand these fights and make them happen.

BoxingScene.com: Don King has two of the four champions in his stable. Are you worried that Don may want options on Wladimir, holding those fights up in the process?

Emanuel Steward: Wladimir will never sign a contract with options. The same situation happened when Don wanted options with the Chris Byrd fight. He lost a lot of money because of that situation. I think the fights will happen. I think in 2007 a heavyweight will finally emerge on top of the division and that fighter will be Wladimir Klitschko.