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Ukrainian heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (L) hits Italian-born challenger Francesco Pianeta during their IBO, IBF, WBO, WBA title fight in Mannheim. Picture: Daniel Rowland Source: AFP

WORLD heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko has defended his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts, outclassing challenger Francesco Pianeta with a sixth-round knockout to register the 60th win of his career.

Although German-Italian Pianeta, who survived testicular cancer three years ago, came into the bout undefeated from 29 fights, he was outclassed by the 37-year-old champion at Mannheim in south-west Germany.

“I want to thank my opponent. There are a lot of challengers who talk a lot, but he got in the ring and fought bravely,” said Klitschko.

After Pianeta fought on, despite first hitting the canvas in the fourth round, the champion paid further tribute to the challenger’s courage.

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Ukrainian heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (L) hits Italian-born challenger Francesco Pianeta during their IBO, IBF, WBO, WBA title fight in Mannheim. Picture: Daniel Rowland Source: AFP

 

“After the battle he has had against cancer, he deserves respect,” said Klitschko.

“He tried everything to hit me. If he had landed one of his big punches, I wouldn’t have got up.”

Pianeta made an ambitious start with one huge right-hand coming over the top of Klitschko’s guard but failing to connect, while the champion responded with two heavy jabs which found their target.

Klitschko relied on his jab in the opening three rounds as the challenger landed several heavy shots, but a big right from the Ukrainian put Pianeta on the floor in the fourth round.

From then on, the challenger was struggling to stay in the fight and, although he showed plenty of heart by fighting on, he was down again in the fifth, but managed to survive the count.

With his coordination compromised, it was only a matter of time before the fight was brought to an end.

With his trainer ready to throw in the towel, Pianeta did not come up again after hitting the canvas after 2mins 52 seconds of the sixth round following a brutal left-right combination which floored him.

“I’m ok, just very disappointed and sad,” added Pianeta after receiving treatment in the ring.

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Ukrainian heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (L) hits Italian-born challenger Francesco Pianeta during their IBO, IBF, WBO, WBA title fight in Mannheim. Picture: Daniel Rowland Source: AFP

Victory gave Klitschko the 51st knockout of his career, but the last of his three defeats came nearly a decade ago.

For his next fight, Klitschko has been ordered by the World Boxing Association to face Russia’s Alexander Povetkin in Moscow on August 31.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/more-sport/wladimir-klitschko-defends-four-belts-against-francesco-pianeta/story-e6frfglf-1226635391257

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B:  Mike Chiari

Boxing fans and pundits everywhere fully expected Wladimir Klitschko to successfully retain his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring Heavyweight Championships against Francesco Pianeta on Saturday, and that is precisely what happened as “Dr. Steelhammer” won by way of sixth-round knockout.

The fight, which was staged at SAP Arena in Mannheim, Germany, had a party atmosphere and was packed to the guilds. Klitschko simply has that type of drawing power in Europe, as David Haye so eloquently put it for ESPN UK.

Pianeta entered the fight with an impressive 28-0-1 record, but many of his victories were over low-level talent or former stars past their prime such as Oliver McCall and Francois Botha. Klitschko was the bigger man as he always is and he used the height and weight advantage to perfection.

With the win, Klitschko picked up his 60th career victory — 52nd by knockout — and was successful in a title defense for the 14th consecutive time. According to ESPN Boxing, Klitschko has now won the third-most world heavyweight title fights of all time with 21.

Here is how each of the six rounds broke down as Klitschko was dominant yet again, but Pianeta showed plenty of heart ind defeat.

GermanyBoxingKlitschkoPianeta_crop_north

Round 1

Klitschko and Pianeta set the stage for a cat-and-mouse affair in the first round as there was plenty of gamesmanship involved. The Italian challenger attempted to get inside and land some meaningful punches, but the 6’6″ Klitschko used his jab to hold Pianeta at bay.

Whenever Klitschko landed a couple strong blows in a row, Pianeta made sure to wrap him up and prevent further damage. While neither man was overly impressive in the round, the champion clearly looked better.

Round 2

Klitschko had his way with Pianeta in the second round as he measured him with his left hand constantly and landed right hands up the middle. He seemed to rock Pianeta at one point as the challenger backed into the ropes, but Pianeta gestured toward his arm to suggest that Dr. Steelhammer didn’t hurt him.

Although Pianeta tried to battle back, he couldn’t break through with anything of note. There wasn’t as much clutching and grabbing, as Pianeta was more aggressive but it didn’t work to his advantage.

Round 3

Although Klitschko was once again the better fighter in the third round, Pianeta acquitted himself much better. Rather than waiting around and allowing the champion to pick him apart, Pianeta started to throw more punches. Most of Pianeta’s attempts were wild bombs, but he did manage to catch Klitschko flush in the side of the face with a left-hook haymaker.

Klitschko didn’t appear to be hurt, but it did seem to surprise him. If nothing else, it probably woke him up a bit and reminded him that he needed to be careful with a power puncher like Pianeta.

Round 4

Pianeta hit the canvas twice in the fourth round, but he was able to survive Klitschko’s barrage. The first came early in the round, but it was ruled a slip. Klitschko caught him with a strong right a little while later, however, for the first knockdown of the fight. Pianeta looked more frustrated than hurt as he got back to his feet.

Klitschko backed Pianeta into a corner, but rather than going for the kill, he seemed to back off over the final 30 seconds or so. He probably could have finished Pianeta off, but he decided to play it safe with a big lead.

Round 5

Klitschko knocked Pianeta down once again in the fifth, but the challenger found a way to make it to the sixth round. Pianeta wasn’t rattled by the knockdown, but his will appeared to be broken as he went in defense mode for the rest of the round. Rather than trying to battle back, he was simply trying to survive.

There were one or two occasions when Pianeta tried a couple wild haymakers, and he was lucky that Klitschko didn’t make him pay. It was hard to imagine that Pianeta could go on like this for much longer than he already had.

Round 6

After playing with fire for a few rounds, Pianeta finally got burned in the sixth. The challenger did everything he could to mount a comeback, but Klitschko’s reach was too much to overcome. In fact, his constant measuring with his left hand was illegal, yet the official never made him stop. Even so, it’s unlikely that Pianeta could have done much against the champion.

Klitschko seemed to knock the wind out of Pianeta with a body shot and then he finished him off with a combination. Pianeta was clearly dazed, but he tried to get to his feet anyway with help from the ropes. He seemed willing to continue, but the referee did the right thing by stopping it.

It was blatantly obvious throughout the fight that Klitschko had the upper hand and was landing the better punches, but everything was truly put into perspective by CompuBox. According to the statistics, Klitschko landed over 90 more punches than Pianeta did over the course of the bout.

Pianeta often had to resort to wild haymakers due to Klitschko’s length advantage, and very few of them ultimately landed. The challenger only connected with one loud shot, but he was unable to follow it up with anything of note, so Klitschko pressed forward.

Despite being 37 years of age, Klitschko continues to dominate the moribund heavyweight division. There don’t seem to be any viable contenders out there, so it will be interesting to see what Klitschko does moving forward.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1628999-wladimir-klitschko-vs-francesco-pianeta-round-by-round-highlights-and-recap

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By  –

Photo:  Dennis Grombkowski –

Wladimir Klitschko once again had no trouble in the ring, as he powered through Francesco Pianeta in six rounds today in Germany.

It went as expected in Mannheim, Germany, as Wladimir Klitschko easily retained his WBA, IBF, and WBO world heavyweight titles against overmatched Francesco Pianeta, winning a sixth round stoppage after his third knockdown of the fight.

Klitschko (60-3, 51 KO) was clearly better than Pianeta (28-1-1, 15 KO) from the get-go, handling the first three rounds as he always does, looking mainly to use his jab, or his poking, extended left hand, to set up a right hand bomb. He first knocked Pianeta down in the fourth round on a right, then again in the fifth on a left hook, and he finished the Italian late in the sixth round, beating Pianeta down to the canvas.

Pianeta did get to his feet, but referee Ernie Sharif rightly called a halt to the bout, which had become, as usual, completely uncompetitive in Klitschko’s favor.

From here, Wladimir will likely move on to a September bout with Alexander Povetkin, possibly in Ukraine. Vladimir Hryunov’s $23 million purse bid makes that fight seem probable, if indeed he can put down that sort of money. And if not, Klitschko’s K2 Promotions came in second on the bid, meaning they’d have the rights to it.

http://www.badlefthook.com/2013/5/4/4300764/klitschko-vs-pianeta-results-wladimir-dominates-again-scores-sixth

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El campeón mundial pesado de la Federación Internacional de Boxeo (FIB), la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB), y la Asociación Mundial de Boxeo (AMB), el ucraniano Wladimir Klitschko , se enfrentará al invicto italiano Francesco Pianeta, intentando defender por decimocuarta ocasión su corona FIB, décima la OMB, y cuarta la AMB, en el combate estelar de la velada que se desarrollará en la noche del sábado en el SAP-Arena de Mannheim, Alemania, y que será televisada en vivo por DirecTV Sports (canal 610 de DirecTV) desde las 16 para Argentina y gran parte de América.

A los 36 años, el menor de los hermanos, Wladimir (59-3, 51 KOs), intentará revalidar su condición de monarca ecuménico que ostenta desde abril de 2006 (cuando conquistó el cetro FIB), ante Pianeta (28-0-1, 15 KOs), 8 años menor, criado en tierras germanas y radicado en Gelsenkirchen, Alemania, quien tras haber sido monarca europeo EBU completo y ser el actual N° 7 del ranking mundial pesado OMB, N° 12 AMB, y N° 15 en la FIB, -no figura en el Consejo Mundial de Boxeo (WBC)-, tendrá su primera oportunidad mundialista.

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En la tarde del viernes, ambos superaron lógicamente la ceremonia de pesaje, dejando todo listo para su enfrentamiento. 

Klitschko registró 113 kg. -249.1 libras-. 
IMG_1757 En tanto Pianeta marcó 109 kg. -240.3 libras-.

Cabe remarcar que Wladimir recibió permiso especial de la AMB -que lo tiene como súper campeón mundial- para realizar esta defensa, dado que previamente había ordenado que se enfrentara al ruso Alexander Povetkin, actual monarca mundial regular de la entidad, con quien debe medirse en pelea mandatoria para designar al único campeón completo de su organismo. El permiso se concedió bajo la condición de recibir, en las oficinas de la AMB, el contrato firmado por Klitschko y Povetkin que tenía como fecha límite el 28 de febrero de 2013. Una vez hecho esto, la batalla entre ambos deberá ser fijada como máximo el 31 de julio.

  El menor de los hermanos Klitschko, nacido en Solnechnoye, Kazajstán, hace 36 años, pero nacionalizado ucraniano, irá por la cuarta defensa de los tres cinturones, luego de retener en fallo unánime sobre el polaco Mariusz Wach, el 10 de noviembre en Altona, Alemania, liquidar en seis capítulos al estadounidense Tony Thompson, el 7 de julio en Berna, Suiza, y noquear en el tercer asalto al francés Jean Marc Mormeck el pasado 3 de marzo en Düsseldorf, Alemania. Y previo a ello, le había arrebatado al inglés David Haye su cetro AMB, en un combate unificatorio donde también defendió el FIB y el OMB, el 2 de julio de 2011 en Altona, Alemania. Pero su historial como monarca data de mucho antes, dado que el 22 de abril de 2006 conquistó su cinto FIB, noqueando técnicamente en siete a asaltos al estadounidense Chris Byrd. Tras retenerlo ante los también estadounidenses Calvin Brock, Ray Austin y Lamon Brewster, se alzó con el OMB, al destronar al ruso Sultan Ibragimov, el 23 de febrero de 2008 en el Madison Square Garden de Nueva York. Luego llegaron las defensas frente a los estadounidenses Tony Thompson y Hasim Rahman, el uzbeko Ruslan Chagaev, el estadounidense Eddie Chambers, el nigeriano Samuel Peter, hasta el mencionado duelo ante Haye.

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En tanto Pianeta, nacido en Cosenza, Calabria, criado en tierras germanas y radicado en Gelsenkirchen, Alemania, fue campeón europeo pesado EBU al vencer por nocaut técnico en el octavo asalto al galés Scott Gammer, el 30 de agosto de 2008 en Prenzlauer Berg, Berlín, Alemania, cetro que defendió sobre el francés Johann Duhaupas (DU 12), el polaco Albert Sosnowski (empate) -quien fue noqueado por Vitali Klitschko, y el inglés Matt Skelton (KOT 8), el 19 de septiembre de 2009. Tras ello, hilvanó nueve victorias consecutivas, ante rivales de menor envergadura, entre los que se destacan el veterano ex campeón mundial estadounidense Oliver McCall (DU 10), el experimentado ex retador mundialista sudafricano Frans Botha (DU 10) -noqueado en ocho por Wladimir-, y el argentino Nelson Domínguez, a quien noqueó técnicamente en el primer round, el pasado 16 de noviembre en Magdeburg, Alemania, en lo que fue su última presentación.

Las autoridades designadas son: el árbitro será el estadounidense Ernest Sharif. Los jueces serán los estadounidenses Patricia Morse Jarman y John Lawson, y el puertorriqueño Roberto Ramírez Sr. El supervisor de la OMB para este encuentro será el propio presidente de la entidad, el puertorriqueño Francisco “Paco” Valcárcel. En tanto el supervisor de la AMB será el danés Jesper Jensen.

En el otro combate titular de la noche, la campeona mundial mediana de la OMB, la invicta alemana Christina Hammer (13-0, 7 KOs), subirá de división y se enfrentará a la imbatida húngara Zita Zatyko (15-0-1, 11 KOs), en disputa del título mundial supermediano de la OMB, que se encuentra vacante.

 

En combate complementario, que se desarrollará en categoría pesado, el invicto radicado en Cork, Irlanda, Mike Pérez (18-0, 12 KOs), se medirá al estadounidense Travis Walker (39-9-1, 31 KOs), a la distancia de diez asaltos.

 

Resultados del pesaje:

Wladimir Klitschko 249.1 lbs. vs. Francesco Pianeta 240.3 lbs.

Christina Hammer 162.5 lbs. vs. Zita Zatyko 166.5 lbs.

Título mundial supermediano OMB vacante

Mike Pérez 234 lbs. vs. Travis Walker 260 lbs.

Hizni Altunkaya 205 lbs. vs. Gyuli Bozai 196 lbs.

Moritz Stahl 169.7 lbs. vs. Oleg Fedotovs 77 169.7 lbs.

Escenario: SAP-Arena de Mannheim, Alemania.

Promotor: K2 Promotions y Sport Events Steinforth.

TV: DirecTV Sports (Argentina y parte de América), RTL (Alemania) y EPIX (Estados Unidos).

http://www.notifight.com/artman2/publish/Reporte_7/Wladimir_y_Pianeta_pesados_en_Mannheim.php

francesco-pianeta (6)CROP2-horz

El campeón mundial pesado de la Federación Internacional de Boxeo (FIB), la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB), y la Asociación Mundial de Boxeo (AMB), el ucraniano Wladimir Klitschko , se enfrentará al invicto italiano Francesco Pianeta, intentando defender por decimocuarta ocasión su corona FIB, décima la OMB, y cuarta la AMB, en el combate estelar de la velada que se desarrollará este sábado en el SAP-Arena de Mannheim, Alemania.

En la tarde del miércoles, en la sede del combate, ambos exhibieron sus habilidades en un entrenamiento público realizado en el Centro de Entrenamiento Olímpico de Heildelberg, Alemania. Ante cerca de 800 fanáticos, ambos se movieron durante largo tiempo luciendo su buena forma y movimientos, y se mostraron respetuosos pero sumamente seguros de cara a su duelo titular donde se espera un lleno total.

A los 36 años, el menor de los hermanos, Wladimir (59-3, 51 KOs), intentará revalidar su condición de monarca ecuménico que ostenta desde abril de 2006 (cuando conquistó el cetro FIB), ante Pianeta (28-0-1, 15 KOs), 8 años menor, criado en tierras germanas y radicado en Gelsenkirchen, Alemania, quien tras haber sido monarca europeo EBU completo y ser el actual N° 9 del ranking mundial pesado OMB, N° 12 AMB y N° 23 del Consejo Mundial de Boxeo (WBC) -no aparece ranqueado en la FIB-, tendrá su primera oportunidad mundialista.

Cabe remarcar que Wladimir recibió permiso especial de la AMB -que lo tiene como súper campeón mundial- para realizar esta defensa, dado que previamente había ordenado que se enfrentara al ruso Alexander Povetkin, actual monarca mundial regular de la entidad, con quien debe medirse en pelea mandatoria para designar al único campeón completo de su organismo.   El permiso se concedió bajo la condición de recibir, en las oficinas de la AMB, el contrato firmado por Klitschko y Povetkin que tenía como fecha límite el 28 de febrero de 2013. Una vez hecho esto, la batalla entre ambos deberá ser fijada como máximo el 31 de julio.

“Tengo un gran respeto por Pianeta. Es joven y es un zurdo incómodo con un gran espíritu de lucha”, dijo Klitschko sobre el italiano, quien sufrió un cáncer en los testículos a principios de 2010, y este será su octavo combate desde que superó la enfermedad.

“Pianeta ha hecho todo lo posible por alcanzar sus objetivos. Ya me han advertido y estoy preparando el combate seriamente con mi equipo”, agregó el nacido en Solnechnoye, Kazajstán, pero nacionalizado ucraniano, quien viene de derrotar en fallo unánime al polaco Mariusz Wach, el 10 de noviembre en Altona, Alemania.

En tanto el retador, agradeció la oportunidad y dejó en claro que llega listo para dar la sorpresa y llevarse la corona a casa.

El menor de los hermanos Klitschko, irá por la cuarta defensa de los tres cinturones, luego de retener en fallo unánime sobre el polaco Mariusz Wach, el 10 de noviembre en Altona, Alemania, liquidar en seis capítulos al estadounidense Tony Thompson, el 7 de julio en Berna, Suiza, y noquear en el tercer asalto al francés Jean Marc Mormeck el pasado 3 de marzo en Düsseldorf, Alemania. Y previo a ello, le había arrebatado al inglés David Haye su cetro AMB, en un combate unificatorio donde también defendió el FIB y el OMB, el 2 de julio de 2011 en Altona, Alemania. Pero su historial como monarca data de mucho antes, dado que el 22 de abril de 2006 conquistó su cinto FIB, noqueando técnicamente en siete a asaltos al estadounidense Chris Byrd. Tras retenerlo ante los también estadounidenses Calvin Brock, Ray Austin y Lamon Brewster, se alzó con el OMB, al destronar al ruso Sultan Ibragimov, el 23 de febrero de 2008 en el Madison Square Garden de Nueva York. Luego llegaron las defensas frente a los estadounidenses Tony Thompson y Hasim Rahman, el uzbeko Ruslan Chagaev, el estadounidense Eddie Chambers, el nigeriano Samuel Peter, hasta el mencionado duelo ante Haye.

En tanto Pianeta, nacido en Cosenza, Calabria, criado en tierras germanas y radicado en Gelsenkirchen, Alemania, fue campeón europeo pesado EBU al vencer por nocaut técnico en el octavo asalto al galés Scott Gammer, el 30 de agosto de 2008 en Prenzlauer Berg, Berlín, Alemania, cetro que defendió sobre el francés Johann Duhaupas (DU 12), el polaco Albert Sosnowski (empate) -quien fue noqueado por Vitali Klitschko, y el inglés Matt Skelton (KOT 8), el 19 de septiembre de 2009. Tras ello, hilvanó nueve victorias consecutivas, ante rivales de menor envergadura, entre los que se destacan el veterano ex campeón mundial estadounidense Oliver McCall (DU 10), el experimentado ex retador mundialista sudafricano Frans Botha (DU 10) -noqueado en ocho por Wladimir-, y el argentino Nelson Domínguez, a quien noqueó técnicamente en el primer round, el pasado 16 de noviembre en Magdeburg, Alemania, en lo que fue su última presentación.

Las autoridades designadas son: el árbitro será el estadounidense Ernest Sharif. Los jueces serán los estadounidenses Patricia Morse Jarman y John Lawson, y el puertorriqueño Roberto Ramírez Sr. El supervisor de la OMB para este encuentro será el propio presidente de la entidad, el puertorriqueño Francisco “Paco” Valcárcel. En tanto el supervisor de la AMB será el danés Jesper Jensen.

http://www.notifight.com/artman2/publish/Reporte_7/Wladimir_y_Pianeta_con_todo_para_s_bado.php

wladimir-klitschko (6)CROP-horzPIANETA

Mannheim, Germany – Undefeated challenger and cancer survivor Francesco Pianeta has vowed to shock undisputed world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko when the pair meet on Saturday night with the Ukrainian’s four world titles on the line.

The 37-year-old Klitschko will defend his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts in Mannheim, south-west Germany, against German-Italian Pianeta, from Gelsenkirchen, who survived testicular cancer three years ago and has an unblemished record of 28 wins and one draw.

“I will bust my backside to get those belts. I am sure that everyone is beatable,” said the 28-year-old Pianeta, who has a tattoo bearing Julius Caesar’s famous phrase “veni, vidi, vici” – “I came, I saw, I conquered”.

Klitschko is looking for the 60th win of his career and having put in 143 sparring rounds in preparation, he said he is ready.

“I’m as ready as I always am, but I will not underestimate him,” said Klitschko, who has used Pianeta as a sparring partner in previous years and has a record of 59 wins, 50 KOs, and three loses.

“It is the opportunity of a lifetime and he has already won his toughest fight, because he has defeated cancer.”

A crowd of 13,000 is expected in Mannheim and the fight will be broadcast in 150 countries, but Klitschko wants a quick knock-out.

“I will give everything for a clear win,” he said.

A Klitschko victory, and one for ‘regular’ WBA belt-holder Alexander Povetkin of Russia, would see the pair meet in Moscow on August 31 at the city’s 60,000-seater Olympic Hall.

Russian promoter Vladimir Hryunov won the purse bid to stage that bout with a staggering $23.33 million bid last week.

As the real champion, the Ukrainian is entitled to 75 percent of that figure, which would give him a career-high $17,250,000 purse.

Confusingly, Povetkin is the ‘regular’ WBA champion and Klitschko the organisation’s ‘super’ champion – an honour bestowed on him when he united the WBA belt to his three others following a victory against David Haye in 2011 – but they are obliged to fight in order to leave just a single WBA belt-holder.

The two former Olympic champions were due to clash twice before but Povetkin pulled out in 2008 because of injury and then backed out inexplicably a second time in 2010.

Klitschko has banned any questions about the possible Povetkin fight – ”I am not going to answer any more questions on this subject. That would be disrespectful to Francesco” – and has said his dream is to fight at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Having won super-heavyweight gold at the 1996 Atlanta Games, Klitschko will have turned 40 by the time the next Summer Olympics come round, but the World Association of Amateur Boxers (AIBA) has not ruled out the idea, even though he will be too old to fight under the current rules.

“The AIBA has heard the dream of Wladimir Klitschko,” AIBA spokesman Sebastien Gillot told SID, an AFP subsidiary.

http://www.boxingscene.com/w-klitschko-says-he-not-underestimating-pianeta–65047

wladimir-klitschko (10)

Wladimir Klitschko and Francesco Pianeta held their open work out at the Olympics Training Center in Heidelberg (Germany). Over 800 fans showed up to watch both fighters showing off their boxing skills in preparation for their heavyweight championship fight this Saturday, May 4. IBF, WBA, WBO, IBO and “Ring Magazine” Champion Klitschko and his contender Francesco Pianeta will face off at the SAP arena in Mannheim, Germany.

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The fight will be shown live on RTL in Germany. EPIX will show the fight in the US.

francesco-pianeta (3)

Remaining tickets for the fight night are available on www.saparena.de and via phone under +49-621-18190-333.

http://www.boxingnews24.com/2013/03/burns-v-gonzales/

 

klitschko-pianetta (9)

Wladimir Klitschko’s fight with Francesco Pianeta is live on ESPN this Saturday. Click here for details on how to subscribe

Wladimir Klitschko has vowed not to underestimate Francesco Pianeta on Saturday night – but promises to teach the Italian a lesson in the ring.

The Ukrainian puts his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles on the line in Mannheim, Germany, on May 4, but has refused to take his challenger lightly despite being the heavy favourite to emerge victorious from the contest.

“I don’t want to and I won’t underestimate Francesco Pianeta,” Klitschko, who has produced 50 knockouts throughout his career, insisted. “I have prepared how I’ve should, because I know what to expect.”

Pianeta – based in Germany – has yet to lose in 29 bouts, and Klitschko is wary of the threat the 28-year-old will pose, but is determined to extinguish his opponent’s hopes of triumphing on the night.

“He’s a young chap who of course doesn’t know his limits. They have to be shown to him in the ring,” Klitschko added.

Klitschko enters the ring for the first time since November where he defeated Mariusz Wach by a unanimous decision, and “Dr Steelhammer” revealed he finds himself in a situation he has grown accustomed to since establishing himself as the champion he is.

“He’s very ambitious I understand. I was in the same skin and this is familiar to me, and therefore what is in his head and in his team’s is that this is the chance of his life, and of course he’ll give everything to win this fight,” he said.

“This is familiar to me, and as I’ve already said, I have been through this and seen it in others who have fought against me. They see the weaknesses in themselves, and I wish them luck with that.”

KLITSCHKOV.PIANETAPROMO

WBO Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel announced today the referee and judges who will work this Saturday’s world title fight between Wladimir Klitschko and Francesco Pianeta to be held at the SAP-Arena in Mannheim, Germany in a K2 Promotions presentation. The referee will be Ernest Sharif from United States. Judges will be Patricia Morse Jarman and John Lawson, both from United States, and Roberto Ramirez Sr., from Puerto Rico. The WBO supervisor will be Paco Valcarcel himself.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/klitschko-pianeta-officials-191765

klitschko-pianetta (2)

Wladimir Klitschko (59-3, 51 KOs) and Francesco Pianeta (28-0, 15 KOs) participated today in the fight week press conference at the SAP arena in Mannheim to talk about their fight on May 4. IBF, WBA, WBO, IBO and “The Ring Magazine” Heavyweight Champion Klitschko and his undefeated Italian contender Pianeta will face off next Saturday at the SAP arena Mannheim, Germany.

Wladimir Klitschko: “I know that Francesco Pianeta will have a fight plan but there is the famous quote by Mike Tyson that says: ‘Everyone has a plan until he gets hit’. Pianeta will be super motivated and wants to use his big chance but I am very experienced and will show him his limits.”

Francesco Pianeta: “I had a very good preparation and am highly motivated. It will be my son’s birthday four days after the fight and I would like to give him the belts on this day.”

For the second time, the press conference was also broadcasted on the official Klitschko Brothers’ Google+ page ( www.google.com/+Klitschko ). Fans and journalists worldwide were thus able to follow Klitschko and Pianeta five days before their fight.

http://www.boxingscene.com/photos-klitschko-pianeta-face-face-final-presser–64977