Vitali Klitschko: "Peter literally ran away from me"

Vitali Klitschko: Peter Can Hardly Look Me In The Eye Anymore 08.10.08 - by James Slater - As fight fans know, this past Monday's Berlin press conference for the Vitali Klitschko-Samuel Peter fight got quite heated at times. Current WBC belt holder Peter, getting annoyed because his challenger was trying his best to hold the actual belt in his hands, grabbed at the strap and pulled it away. Well, according to an interview Klitschko conducted with BILD earlier today, "Dr Iron Fist" believes these actions by the man he is going to face on Saturday are proof that the occasion has got to him. Speaking with BILD, the 37-year-old spoke about Peter's current mental state, the upcoming fight and who his absolute "dream fight" would be against. When speaking about Saturday's big fight, Vitali spoke of how the fight is now, and has always been, a psychological battle. "Our fight started weeks ago," Klitschko said. "It's a psychological battle. And I notice Peter is getting more nervous every day.. At the press conference, he almost completely lost his nerve. He was almost kicking off and I was ready for a punch-up! Then he literally ran away from me. He's practically on the edge. He can hardly look me in the eye anymore. And we know that eyes are the mirror to the soul." So, is Klitschko correct, has the fight got to Peter? If it has, and "The Nigerian Nightmare" is indeed psyched out, the Klitschko brothers' chances of making history will get a big helping hand on Saturday night. A nervous fighter can also be a dangerous fighter, however, and it would be foolish to write Peter off, even if he was acting weird on Monday. Speaking further about the mental aspect of the upcoming fight, Vitali spoke of how he plans to further unsettle his opponent. "Your mind is the best weapon in a fight," Vitali continued. "There are all sorts of world champions setting records every week but when it comes down to it, they bottle it. I, however, can surprise my trainer in practically every fight. And now I have two more chances to put pressure on Peter before the fight - at the open training and at the weigh-in. I've thought about it, but obviously I'm not saying anything." Does Klitschko plan to jump on Peter when he sees him next? Or does the self-proclaimed master of psychological warfare have some other unexpected thing in mind to further intimidate Peter? We will soon know. In another answer to a question in a very interesting interview, Vitali spoke about his absolute "dream fight" opponent. Asked who he would fight if a time machine were acquired, Vitali answered as follows. "Lennox Lewis is still alive. I can still take my revenge!," Klitscho said. "I wouldn't want to fight Schmeling, he's my idol. Fighting Ali might be interesting though."