CHARLES SHUFFORD HAS LITTLE CHANCE AGAINST WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO By Chris Robinson

The Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort will be host to a good doubleheader come August 4th, and despite what Don King might say, the best heavyweight of the night will be throwin' down in Vegas, not in China.

Wladimir Klitschko, 36-1, 33 KO's, will be fighting a solid pro in the main event of HBO's great Boxing After Dark series. This is Klitschko's third attempt in a row at knocking out a contender on U.S. television, coming off KO wins over Monte Barrett, (7th round), and Derrick Jefferson, (2nd round). Throw a lopsided decision over Chris Byrd in between those 2 "W's" and Wlad has been on a good winning streak, convincing many that he just may be the best heavyweight in the world.

To the plate steps Charles Shufford, who hails from Las Vegas, sporting a 16-1 record with 8 kills. My first glimpse of Shufford was what I thought was an ordinary fighter, who in return went on to get knocked down and almost shut out by fellow prospect Robert Davis over 10 rounds. I didn't expect to hear much of anything from Shufford after that loss, and was surprised to later see him pop up on HBO's "KO Nation" against "Relentless" Lamon Brewster.

"Relentless" was looking to rebound from a previous KO Nation beatdown by "The Black Rhino" Clifford Etienne, and perhaps Shufford was thought of as an opponent that day. To his credit, Shufford boxed beautifully, picking his spots and winning about every round, showing technique lacking in most heavyweights. I was impressed, and my opinion of Mr. Shufford changed a bit. My friend Stephen, (BigCat123 online), had always told me Shufford looked great in the gym and that he was one of the better heavyweight prospects down in Vegas and I could see a little of what he was saying, Shufford's performances against Davis and Brewster were night and day.

But facts are facts. Despite how good Shufford boxed the last time out, he's in with a completely different monster in Wladimir Klitschko. Word in Vegas is that Klitschko is looking like a beast, breaking punching bags open and tearing up the carpet with the leverage he's getting on his shots. It's easy to think that Shuff's best bet would be to get inside of Wlad's range if he is hoping to win this fight. But I don't feel that Shufford has a big enough punch to keep Wlad honest, and he would be going into the jaws of the lion.

Given the fact that Shufford can box his arse off when he wants, you could also look at it that his best bet would be to stay outside and try to out jab Klitschko. But there lies several other problems as Klitschko is the bigger man, with the greater reach, and a face-busting jab to boot. That's when the equation seems to solve itself. Shufford doesn't appear to have much of a chance in this fight. He isn't a big banger, and he's in with a giant who is gonna be hell to out box.

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