Manuel Charr Looks Confident Ahead of Saturday Clash Vs. Vitali Klitschko

Charr (right) didn't look scared as he stared into Vitali's soul on Tuesday. But a staredown is a different deal than fightnight, isn't it?

Manuel Charr is the least well-known of any Vitali Klitschko challenger since Ismael Youla got the gig, back in 1999, it could be argued. Youla* got stopped in round two against the older Klitschko brother, but fans of drama, and the underdog, and variety are hoping that Charr, a 27 year-old German-based boxer of Lebanese descent, does a might better than that.

Vitali (44-2, 40 KOs) and Charr (21-0, 11 KOs) appeared at a press conference today to talk about the Saturday clash pitting the WBC World Heavyweight Champion Klitschko against contender Charr at the Olimpiyskiy arena in Moscow. HBO subscribers can watch that clash on Saturday evening.

Vitali Klitschko offered his typical boilerplate stuff, telling fans and potential viewers that his challenger is no dog. “Manuel Charr is one of the toughest opponents right now,” said the 41 year-old hitter. “He is young, aggressive and strong. I am sure it will be a real battle on Saturday. My training camp was very good and I am in good shape and can’t wait to step into the ring again.”

Manuel Charr sounded confident, though one doesn't know how hard his heart was beating as he said, “I know Vitali’s trainer Fritz Sdunek and I worked with him. Therefore I know how he has prepared Vitali. I have my tactics against Vitali and I am 1000 percent sure that my tactics will be better. I will be the new WBC world heavyweight champion.”

Would have been nice to hook Charr up to a polygraph to see if he truly believed that boast…

At the very least, Charr and the champ offered up a solid staredown at the Tuesday press conference.

Readers, could this be the time? Could this be the upset special of the weekend? Could the Klitschko hold on the heavyweight division be broken on Saturday, in Moscow?

*=Youla fought just once more after the Klitschko loss. The Frenchamn retired after five years as a pro with a 12-3 mark.

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