Brothers Dreaming Big

LAS VEGAS —  Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko will never fight each other. That’s done, settled, never to be argued about, no matter how many millions are thrown at the Ukrainian brothers.

“We don’t want to break our mother’s heart,” Wladimir said. “It would be too painful.”

So instead of trying to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, the brothers have settled on another goal -- titles for both.

Luckily for the Klitschkos, the days of one heavyweight champion are long gone.

“Our dream will be true if we both are champions,” Wladimir said. “The reality is we’re not talking about flying to Mars. It is very real.”

It might become even more real Saturday night when Wladimir, a 26-year-old Olympic gold medalist, fights Jameel McCline in a battle of two massive heavyweights that will go a long way toward making clear just how good Klitschko really is.

And it will become very real in the spring, when Vitali is scheduled to fight Lennox Lewis in his bid to become the first of the brothers to win a major heavyweight title.

“The feeling is that it is so close,” Wladimir said. “We’re like five minutes before 12 o’clock. It’s not 12 o’clock yet, but it’s very close.”

Boxing has never seen anything like the Klitschko brothers, who own advanced degrees, speak four languages, respect their parents and do everything together.

Wladimir was in the corner last month in Germany when Vitali stopped Larry Donald in the 10th round to set up his fight with Lewis. And Vitali will be in the corner Saturday night when Wladimir meets McCline in a scheduled 12-round fight for his lightly regarded WBO heavyweight title.

The fight, televised by HBO, is expected to begin about 11 p.m. EST. It tops a card that also includes Floyd Mayweather Jr. defending his WBC lightweight title against Jose Luis Castillo.

“We don’t need to talk to each other. It’s eye language,” Vitali said. “I’ve known my brother 26 years and we know each other like a coach. Sometimes we can give good advice without even talking.”

Wladimir (39-1, 36 knockouts) is a 4-1 favorite over McCline in a fight that matches two of the biggest heavyweights around. Klitschko is 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, while the chiseled McCline is 6-6 and 263 pounds.

McCline (28-2-3, 16 knockouts) has won a series of fights to come into his own at the age of 32, but the younger Klitschko brother is eyed by many as the heavyweight champion of the future.

Klitschko has a stinging left jab, power in both hands and an increasing reservoir of ring savvy he began building after winning the 1996 super heavyweight Olympic title for his native Ukraine.

Chris Byrd, who fights Evander Holyfield for the vacant IBF title, fought both Klitschkos in Germany, beating Vitali when he didn’t get off his stool after the ninth round because of a shoulder injury and losing a decision to Wladimir.

Byrd was impressed by both.

“They can both flat out fight,” Byrd said. “They have the size and now they have a lot of confidence they can beat American fighters.”

McCline, who will make $1 million and has the potential to make a lot more if he can win, said he believes Klitschko may be reading his own press clippings a bit too much.

“I think he may be overlooking me,” said McCline, who had only one amateur fight after spending five years in prison and is a late bloomer in the ring. “They’ve got a great publicity team pumping them up. Every thing you read it’s Klitschko this, Klitschko that.”

The Klitschko fight was moved to the top of the card originally scheduled to be headed by the Mayweather-Castillo fight at the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino. The change was made by HBO, which is in the third fight of a six-fight, $12.5 million contract with Mayweather but has been unhappy with the fighter as an attraction.

Mayweather, who beat Castillo in a disputed decision in April to take the lightweight title, refused to show up at the prefight press conference, saying he was tired of negative things being written about him.