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(a fragment from http://sport.guardian.co.uk/boxing/story)
Encouraging words have reached Williams from former champions including Evander Holyfield and Larry Holmes, who said: "Klitschko is not a good champion. He falls back as he throws his jab and is only awkward because he is so big. People build him up because he gave Lennox Lewis a hard fight, but Williams can win this. And he will be a different man after beating Tyson. Williams goes in knowing he is a winner and that makes a big difference."
Holmes has been savagely critical of Lewis on numerous occasions, saying he could not have lived with the top heavyweights of the 70s and 80s, and the old champion is insistent that a strong, heavy-punching heavyweight with decent boxing skills should always be able to prevail over Klitschko, whom he dismisses as "limited and mechanical".
Klitschko, 33, has probably earned the right to be regarded as the leading light of a modern heavyweight division which may be as weak as at any time since Rocky Marciano retired almost 50 years ago. His only defeat apart from that by Lewis in a professional career that began in 1996 was when he was forced to quit against Chris Byrd four years ago with a damaged shoulder, an injury requiring surgery, and his power is underlined by a professional record which has 34 victories, set against his two defeats, with 33 of those wins inside the distance.
Encouraging words have reached Williams from former champions including Evander Holyfield and Larry Holmes, who said: "Klitschko is not a good champion. He falls back as he throws his jab and is only awkward because he is so big. People build him up because he gave Lennox Lewis a hard fight, but Williams can win this. And he will be a different man after beating Tyson. Williams goes in knowing he is a winner and that makes a big difference."
Holmes has been savagely critical of Lewis on numerous occasions, saying he could not have lived with the top heavyweights of the 70s and 80s, and the old champion is insistent that a strong, heavy-punching heavyweight with decent boxing skills should always be able to prevail over Klitschko, whom he dismisses as "limited and mechanical".
Klitschko, 33, has probably earned the right to be regarded as the leading light of a modern heavyweight division which may be as weak as at any time since Rocky Marciano retired almost 50 years ago. His only defeat apart from that by Lewis in a professional career that began in 1996 was when he was forced to quit against Chris Byrd four years ago with a damaged shoulder, an injury requiring surgery, and his power is underlined by a professional record which has 34 victories, set against his two defeats, with 33 of those wins inside the distance.
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