AP News, January 19th, 2007
Jameel McCline has had big fights. If he hopes to have more, he has to win a WBA heavyweight title bout against 7-foot champion Nikolai Valuev on Saturday.
The American challenger was stopped by Wladimir Klitschko in the 10th round of a 2002 WBO title fight. Two years later, the former No. 1 contender lost to IBF titleholder Chris Byrd. McCline's decline was then confirmed by losses to the promising Calvin Brock and the less-talented Zuri Lawrence.
"In 13 months, I fell from top 10 to No. 72 _ I was destroyed mentally, physically," McCline said. "I want to be back because I'm still a good fighter. I've never been motivated like this before."
The 6-foot-6 McCline weighed in at 268 pounds and will fight the 322-pound Russian in Basel, Switzerland, in what promoters are billing as the heaviest title bout in history.
"My soul is tired of losing the big one," McCline said. "I've had some big fights, Klitschko, Byrd, Calvin Brock. I want to be on the winning side for once _ I desire this more than anything else in the world."
The 33-year-old Valuev (45-0 with 33 knockouts) is already looking past McCline (38-3-6 with 23 knockouts).
"You can't compare Jameel to any of my previous opponents in terms of his size, weight and experience, but I will be triumphant," Valuev said. "I'm hungry _ I want to win two or three world titles."
McCline, who has beaten Michael Grant and Shannon Briggs, had fought for just five years when he took on Klitschko and now says he was intimidated.
"Not by Klitschko, but the magnitude of the whole thing," McCline said. "I didn't have the experience against Klitschko, a dominant fighter then and now."
The 36-year-old McCline, who has boxed 97 rounds with sparring partners in training, knows his career could be over if loses.
"I have never trained this hard in my life," he said. "I am a fighter, that's what I do. If I can't win this fight, I don't think I can go any further."
Valuev will face a mandatory bout against Uzbekistan boxer Ruslan Chagaev if he wins Saturday. But although the Russian wants to break Rocky Marciano's record for an unbeaten heavyweight champion at 49-0, there is one opponent he would risk it all for.
"My goal is to break that record _ but if Klitschko will fight me now, then I am ready now," he said.
