Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko realizes he is a big favorite every time he steps into the ring, and he will be again when he defends his unified titles against former cruiserweight world champion Jean-Marc Mormeck.
Klitschko will make the 11th defense of his second title reign against the 39-year-old Mormeck on Dec. 10 at the ESPRIT Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany.
“I know that I am the favorite in all my fights but I also know that each opponent is motivated to be in the best shape ever when he fights me,” said Klitschko, who is 17-2 in world title bouts and will be participating in his 20th title fight. “Mormeck is one of the most experienced fighters I have ever faced. He has had many world title fights, has a very good technique, can take a lot of punches and is very intelligent inside the ring. To underestimate him would be a fatal mistake.”
Mormeck acknowledged his underdog status. “I can imagine what the odds will look like for me against Wladimir Klitschko, but I know my skills.”
The fight will be the first for the 35-year-old Klitschko (56-3, 49 KOs) since a landslide decision victory against titlist David Haye in their heavily hyped July 2 bout in Hamburg, Germany.
In 2007, Haye, also a former cruiserweight champion, went to Mormeck’s native France, survived a fourth-round knockdown and rallied to knock him out in the seventh round to win the cruiserweight title.
After the loss, Mormeck (36-4, 22 KOs) took nearly two years off before returning as a heavyweight. He has won each of his three heavyweight bouts against second-tier opposition: Vinny Maddalone, Fres Oquendo and Timur Ibragimov.
“I had Haye on the canvas and shortly before a knockout, which Klitschko could not do,” Mormeck said. “What I missed out against Haye I will now do with him. Wladimir has a glass chin which I will break. He cannot stand punches. Against his brother (fellow heavyweight champion) Vitali I would have thought longer about fighting him, but against Wladimir I believe I have very good chances. On Dec. 11, I will travel back to Paris with a suitcase full of championship belts. I enjoy being the underdog in this fight and I will shock the boxing world.”
Mormeck’s accomplishments have primarily been as a cruiserweight. He stopped Virgil Hill in the eighth round to win a belt in 2002. He defended it four times, including winning a decision against Wayne Braithwaite to unify two titles in 2005. In his next fight in 2006, Mormeck met O’Neil Bell to further unify the division and was knocked out in the 10th round at New York’s Madison Square Garden Theater.
Two fights later, Mormeck gained revenge when he won a decision against Bell in France in the rematch. In his next fight, Mormeck was knocked out by Haye.
WRITTEN BY: Dan Rafael is the senior boxing writer for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter @danrafaelespn & FULL STORY HERE
