The head trainer of world champion Wladimir Klitschko, former pro Johnathon Banks, says Alex Leapai is a man without a plan as the Australian tries to produce one of the sport's great upsets in Germany on Saturday night.
After the pre-fight circus surrounding US heavyweight Shannon Briggs had calmed down, the Klitschko camp turned its attention back to Leapai, who almost became a side story after Briggs theatrically stormed a press conference in Dusseldorf.
Banks, a decorated amateur and former IBF and IBO cruiserweight champion, said there would be no underestimating Leapai but the 34-year-old Queenslander was likely to find himself in far too deep against a man that hasn't lost for 10 years.
He said he doubted Leapai had any real idea how to make inroads against Klitschko, a towering fighter that will take a considerable reach, height and experience advantage into the historic bout, one in which Leapai becomes the first Australian heavyweight contender in more than a century.
"Alex Leapai has made several statements. I don’t think Alex Leapai knows what he is going to do in the opening bell. He never came to the table with a plan. The only thing he says is ‘I want to win’. But what is this guy’s strategy? What’s he going to do? I don’t know and guarantee he don’t know either," Banks said.
"All he knows is he wants to win. Does he have a strategy? No. To hit you – that’s not a strategy.
"I think Alex Leapai is going to just come out and see what he can do. He’ll be like: ‘Ok, I'm here. I’m in the casino. I don’t have any money but I’ll see what I can do'."
Banks and the Klitschko team aren't taking Leapai lightly by any case, even if they firmly expect their undisputed champion to retain all of his belts with considerable ease. Banks compared the fight to when Lennox Lewis lost to Hasim Rahman in 2001, a bout in which he believed Lewis didn't give enough credit to his opponent.
He said Klitschko won't be making the same mistake that saw Lewis hit the canvas at the hands of a rank outsider.
"I think anytime you have a motivated guy in the other corner, you’ve got a problem. This won’t be an easy fight. I told him [Wladimir], this is going to be your most dangerous fight in five or six years. He said 'why’s that?' I told him it’s because this guy has nothing to lose.
"I think Leapai is going to put it all on the line. And he should put it all on the line. This is the chance of a lifetime – so why not?
"Let’s say he goes five or six rounds, people are still going to take their hat off to him.
"But Wlad has been into big-time boxing for a very long time. Winning or losing, he’s still been on the biggest stage. And for the last 10 years, he’s been undefeated. This is the hardest task Leapai is going to have. He's a great guy, a humble guy, but he's never been on this level."
Leapai's back story, one of struggle, prison and running battles with alcohol an drugs, has been given plenty of play but Banks said it would be foolish to think the man from Logan was the only one entering the bout with reserves of motivation.
He said Klitschko was fighting for his homeland of the Ukraine, where his brother Vitali was heavily involved in politics in the strife-torn region.
"Wladimir is motivated to the point where he’s putting his focus into the fight but his heart is in the Ukraine. He knows the more success he has, the better chance things can improve in his home country," Banks said.
Klitshcko was a picture of steely calm and determination as he faced off with Leapai in Dusseldorf. He enters the fight impeccably prepared, in supreme shape and with a desire to dominate the division for years to come.
"You talking about failure? Failure is not an option," Klitschko told an Australian journalist who asked if he'd even considered he could lose to Leapai.
"I don't know what it is. I don't even know what you are talking about. This loss 10 years ago against [Lamon] Brewster made me stand here today. I am sure I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have that motivation.
"I am actually a very pissed off person inside. I took this with me and I want to have this payback. I am not done yet.
''He’s a great guy, a very humble guy. But he’s never been on this level before.''
