Wladimir Klitschko vs. Jean-Marc Mormeck: 10 Things You Need to Know

On Saturday, March 3, 2012, Wladimir Klitschko, 56(49)-3(3), will put his WBO/WBA/IBF and RING heavyweight championship titles on the line against Jean-Marc Mormeck,36(22)-4(2), in Dusseldorf, Germany. 

It will be the younger Klitschko brother's first fight since winning a unanimous decision over David Haye last July. Mormeck, on the other hand, has been inactive since December 2010, when he beat journeyman Timur Ibragimov, 30(16)-4(1), by split decision.  

Ibragimov, as a point of reference, was last seen in action in December 2011, when he was blown out in two rounds by American heavyweight prospect Seth Mitchell. 

I realize the Klitschko brothers have essentially shredded the division in recent years and are left casting about the wreckage for worthy opponents, but I have to think Wladi could have done better than this. Mormeck lacks the ferocious, heavy-handed excitement of a Dereck Chisora, or even the attention seeking antics of a David Haye.

Ideal opponent or not, in less than a week's time, Mormeck will get his shot at what is still regarded in some circles as "the biggest title in all of sports." 

This Is a Fight for European Fans

Just as with older brother Vitali's defense against Dereck Chisora last week in Munich, this fight will not be broadcast on any American television network. But while it will go largely ignored on this side of the Atlantic, in Europe it will be big-time sporting event.

I once met a bass player who occasionally played complete dive bars in America but routinely played arenas in Germany. Similarly, while the Klitschko brothers' fights are at best streamed over the internet in the United States, in Germany they are huge, packed-to-the-rafters spectaculars, complete with rock concert style lights, pyrotechnics and WWE-like vignettes.

Mormeck is perhaps the top active French fighter.

Thirty-five of his 40 career fights have taken place in Europe, three in the United States, one in Venezuela and one in South Africa.  

Mormeck Is a World Class Talent...at Cruiserweight

Jean-Marc Mormeck spent much of the first decade of this century near the very top of the cruiserweight rankings. Between 2002 and 2007, the Frenchman was 7-2 in world title fights at 200 pounds.

Since moving to heavyweight in 2009, he has gone 3-0 against veteran journeymen Vinny Maddalone, Fres Oquendo and Timur Ibragimov.

These are marginal names in the division-respectable opponents for a contender on the move up but not even remotely in the same class as Wladimir Klitschko.

There's no doubt that, on Saturday, Mormeck will face a challenge far more difficult than anything he has every faced before.  

Mormeck Is Almost 40

Wladamir Klitschko is not only much  bigger and heavier than Mormeck, but younger, too. Mormeck will turn 40 in June. 

In today's world of modern sports medicine and training methods, 40 is not quite as ancient as it used to be, and Mormeck does appear to be very much a physical specimen. 

But boxing is a sport where reflexes and speed are paramount, especially when you are giving up the size advantage that Mormeck is giving up against Klitschko. Thirty-nine, pushing 40, is long in the tooth for a heavyweight title challenger, no matter how you cut it. 

Taken as part of the package, Mormeck's age is one more factor that makes this fight less than compelling to the average fan. 

Mormeck Was Knocked out by David Haye

As previously mentioned, last July, David Haye lost a one-sided unanimous decision to Wladimir Klitschko. The fight was never remotely close. As Klitschko now prepares to fight Jean-Marc Mormeck, I feel a certain journalistic obligation to point out that in 2007, Mormeck was knocked out by Haye in seven. 

Mormeck is actually among the more impressive victories on Haye's resume, certainly among his best at 200 pounds. 

It is always important to remember that just because fighter A beat fighter B and fighter C beat fight A doesn't necessarily mean fighter B has no chance against fighter C.

However, in this particular case, when David Haye is fighter A, Jean-Marc Mormeck is fighter B and Wladimir Klitschko is fight C, the equation starts to look like more of a foregone conclusion. 

Mormeck Is Likely to Make for a More Exciting Fight Than Haye Did

Mormeck is a press-ahead fighter. He is much more likely to move into range and exchange with Klitschko, and not likely to play Haye's strange game of darting into range and then flopping to the ground to avoid getting hit. 

This is a lottery ticket type of fight for Mormeck. If he can possibly find a way to win, he will be one of the most unlikely heavyweight champions ever crowned. 

Expect him to make a more honest effort of it than David Haye did. 

Mormeck Probably Doesn't Have the Punching Power to Knock Klitschko Cold

The chin will always be a lingering question for the younger Klitschko brother, no matter how dominant his run at the top of the heavyweight division. All three of his career losses were by TKO.

With 22 of his 36 wins coming by stoppage, Mormeck has a decent KO ratio. However, the majority of those are TKO's rather than highlight reel, one-punch show-stoppers.

His nickname is "the marksman," and his general mode of operation has been to stalk opponents and pound them down over the course of rounds. 

That will be a tough game plan to pull off against Klitschko, who towers above him.

If Mormeck can manage to rock Klitschko at any point, he will need to be prepared to follow up aggressively. 

Mormeck Is Not Hard to Hit

Mormeck is a pressure fighter who likes to keep the distance close and the action constant. He has good head and shoulder movement but a bad habit of squaring up in front of his opponent. 

At just under six-foot tall, he is even on the short side for a cruiser. But at 200 pounds, he generally looked to be the sturdier, stronger fighter, able to impose himself physically. 

That will be a more difficult game plan to deploy against the six-and-a-half foot tall Klitschko than it was against such foes as Virgill Hill, Wayne Braithwaite and O'Neil Bell (who KO'd Mormeck in 10 in their first fight). 

To pull off the improbable and defeat Klitschko, Mormeck will need to employ his usual pressure style while consistently avoiding the champ's punishing lead left and devastating overhand right. 

Klitschko Will Look to Dominate with His Jab

Wladimir Klitschko's jab is among the best in the history of the heavyweight division, a dangerous weapon on its own, even as he uses it to set up his thudding straight right. 

If Klitschko can establish that jab early against Mormeck, the French challenger may never be able to get into the fight at all.

In this respect, it will be like most of Wladimir Klitschko's fights. Anybody who fights the six-foot, six-inch Klitschko is forced to solve the problem of his jab, before he can even hope to do anything back in return.  

Klitschko Will Be Patient but Ready with the Big Right Hand

If Klitschko can deploy his jab to stifle Mormeck's forward attack, he will begin to move laterally, looking to get the angle for his straight right. It's a pretty simple game plan, but one that Klitschko has been dominating with for years. 

I have not seen a lot of Jean-Marc Mormeck, but based on what I have seen, I just don't think he's going to be the guy who comes along after all these years with the tools to derail Klitschko's brutally efficient game.

Mormeck Was Made to Order for Klitschko to Knock out

Mormeck will be giving up nearly 30 pounds in weight to Klitschko, and more crucially, over half-a-foot in both height and reach.

It's very difficult to imagine him having the ability to overcome Klitschko's physical advantages.

This fight has "early night" written all over it.

Wladimir Klitschko has a career KO percentage of 83 percent. Jean-Marc Mormeck should end up another one of Dr. Steelhammer's victims.