HOPE OR HYPE? By Jeff Mayweather

On December 7th, at the Mandalay Event Center in Las Vegas, more than a prizefight will be taking place.

On that date we'll witness the sequel to a match many feel had a controversial conclusion between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and José Luis Castillo, for the WBC Lightweight Championship of the World. Also in store, the heavyweight battle between Vladimir Klitschko and Jameel McCline for the WBO version of the Heavyweight Championship of the World. There is a lot more at stake in this fight, as the winner could possibly become the most valuable commodity in the Heavyweight Division.

Let's assume the winner happens to be Wladimir Klitschko; what will have then emerged is another Great White Hope, except that unlike White Hope predecessors Axel Schultz and Francois Botha, whose reigns were extremely short lived and with little public appeal, Klitschko might just have what is needed to legitimize his claim to the throne. This White Hope can really fight.

Let me clarify that I'm not about to jump the gun and crown him the Next Real Heavyweight Champion just yet, but this is what I see in this contender: he is very skilled and can punch. He brings a lot to the table, does little things in that ring which only the trained-eye can appreciate, like the way he creates space between himself and his opponent while in close quarters by using his shoulders to create a window of opportunity to land a big shot as he did against Charles Shufford, and Ray Mercer as well.

He has an excellent jab which he is not afraid to use to set up the big right hand that has clearly affected most opponents. His weakness is his defense, and there is a gray area out there that says he might not be able to conquer a Lewis or maybe even a McCline. His wins over Charles Shufford and Ray Mercer are nothing to rant and rave about. Shufford fought better in his role as George Foreman in the movie "Ali." He appeared to be terrified when the lights, camera, action became a reality and there was no one yelling "cut." Ray Mercer was old enough to be Klitschko's father and had not been in a real meaningful fight in well over eight years, yet he still managed to find a home for his jab in Klitschko's face. Boxing world let's not forget the loss to journeyman Ross Purity.

The win over Chris Byrd I'm impressed over because Chris can fight. He's not the most entertaining guy to watch, unless you're like me and can truly appreciate boxing in it's purest form. Chris Byrd is the Willie Pep of the Heavyweight Division, but the words Heavyweight or better yet Super Heavyweight in this day and era, are the exact reason Chris fell short of glory against Vladimir. He was physically too small, without a punch to equalize the contest. Yet, styles make fights, and because of Klitschko's good boxing skills as well as heavy punching ability he was able to overpower his much smaller opponent; had Klitschko been a plodder he would have fallen prey to Chris Byrd.

I believe there is a lot more Hope than Hype in Wladimir Klitschko. He certainly can ascend to the throne with today's crop of Heavyweights, maybe after Mr. Lewis decides it's time to pack it in or maybe he too can find a home in Lewis' chin as did journeyman Oliver Mc Call and Haseem Rahman.

I think that this Klitschko has mass-appeal and can fight and if he's able to wrest the Heavyweight Championship from Lewis, his financial reward could possibly surpass Tyson's, Holyfield's and Lewis', but he must first get by McCline. If McCline comes to fight as he did against Shannon Briggs, Lance Whittaker and Michael Grant he has a great chance of turning the Great Hope into the Great White Hype.

I lean toward Klitschko to win but would not be surprised if McCline emerges victorious as he has in his previous fights in which he was the underdog. I'm sure if he does he won't be the least bit surprised; only those who have already crowned Klitschko as the 'Next Coming' will be astounded if he doesn't prevail. The world will keep turning as usual but many promoters and advertising agencies with proposed endorsement deals waiting to have the Ukrainian's name attached to their products will surely be disappointed.

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