Former world heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman, who will fight Vitali Klitschko on November 12 for the WBC championship belt, is confident that his opponent will not last more than nine rounds. "We will both be landing strong punches on each other," predicts Rahman, "and I am confident that my punches will prove stronger than all those he has received before. We'll see how he withstands them. The first four or five rounds will be total war. After the fifth round he will be mine. He will throw in the towel somewhere between the fifth and ninth rounds."
Vitali Klitschko refused to comment on Rahman's words or to engage in a war of words with him, promising to give him an answer in the ring. At the same time, Vitali acknowledges that Rahman is a strong opponent who punches, and in a duel with him everything can be decided by one punch. Klitschko also stated that he has missed boxing during the long break caused by injuries, and he can't wait to get back in the ring.