Wladimir Klitschko, Samuel Peter Each Predict Early KOs

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- When he meets Nigerian-born Samuel Peter on Saturday night, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight champion, Wladimir Klitschko predicts that he will earn his 13th straight victory and his 10th knockout during that run since losing to Lamon Brewster by fifth round knockout in April of 2004.

And the 34-year-old Klitschko (54-3, 48 knockouts) believes that the fight will end quickly.

Nicknamed "Dr. Steelehammer," Klitschko advised his fans not to go to the refrigerator to pick up a beer because they may miss the knockout punch that he hopes to deliver.

Klitschko says that he is a much better fighter than he was five years ago, when he was sent to the canvas three times before surviving to win a unanimous 12-round decision over Peter.

But the 30-year-old Peter (34-3, 27 KOs) is equally confident of a quick victory, having earned four straight knockouts since losing a 10-round majority decision to Eddie Chambers in March of 2009.

Peter is coming off of a March, second-round stoppage of Nagy Aguilera, who was fresh off of a first-round knockout of former world heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev.

"It [Peter] was one of the most difficult and important fights I had at the time. It was a milestone in my career," said Klitschko, who was later dethroned as WBC champion via eighth-round technical knockout loss to Wladimir's 39-year-old brother, Vitali Klitschko (40-2, 38 KOs), in Oct. 2008.

"But what doesn't kill me, only makes me harder," said Wladimir Klitschko. "I've become much more harder over the years, and much more consistent in implementing my game plan of how to control a rival."

The Klitschko brothers remain a big draw in their adopted homeland of Germany despite their often unspectacular cautious styles. The fight at Frankfurt's soccer stadium is expected to draw 40,000.

Peter called Klitschko's style "girls' fighting," and said the Ukrainian brothers were destroying the heavyweight division with the way that they fight.

Both brothers like to take control of a fight by using their height and reach to jab away at an opponent and not risk going for a knockout at any price.

"What they do belongs to lighter divisions, not the heavyweight," said Peter, a Las Vegas resident who failed to come out for the ninth round against Vitali Klitschko.

Nicknamed "Nigerian Nightmare," Peter turned 30 on Monday, and is a much slimmer and seemingly fitter version of the fighter who could not win despite flooring Klitschko three times in their first bout.

"I have a lot to prove. I have a chance to redeem myself from the 2005 fight. I am getting another chance to prove that I am the best heavyweight champion in all," said Peter.

"There will not be a decision this time around. This time, he will not get up from my left hook," said Peter, who is promoted by Top Rank Promotions. "This time around, anyone I touch will not be standing up. So I don't think Wladimir will not be able to stand up to me after four rounds."

At nearly 6-foot-7, Klitschko has a big height advantage over the 6-2 Peter. Klitschko's trainer, Emanuel Steward, said Wladimir has the power to knock out anyone with either hand.

"Based on Wladimir's state of mind and the way that he's trained for this fight, he will punch harder sooner," said Steward. "It will be the first time that Peter gets completely knocked out."

The Associated Press