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Wladimir Klitschko reportedly is not taking Italy's Francesco Pianeta lightly, with manager Bernd Boente saying there's no overlooking this challenger, and that Wladimir has worked harder than he did in 2011 to get ready for David Haye:
"Pianeta is being taken very seriously. We saw him in action during the sparring sessions with Wladimir before the fight with Tony Thompson, so we know how strong he is. To get ready for this fight, Wladimir spent the greatest amount of time in sparring than ever before, and that includes the preparation for the meeting with David Haye. On Saturday we will see that Klitschko is 100% ready."
Klitschko (59-3, 50 KO) is the enormous favorite against Pianeta (28-0-1, 15 KO), and the real interest in the fight is mostly focused on Wladimir winning and perhaps facing Alexander Povetkin in September, a fight already being negotiated after Povetkin's manager Vladimir Hryunov put down a $23 million purse bid for the bout.