It's not often that a heavyweight bout features a doctor fighting a banker. But Vladamir Klitschko and Calvin Brock are not ordinary fighters. And when they square off Saturday night at New York's Madison Square Garden, one of them will leave the ring with a little more bragging rights.

Klitshcko, 46-3 (41), who owns a PhD and speaks several languages, has come a long way since being toppled by Corrie Sanders in 2003. The Ukrainian's heart and stamina have been questioned in his devestating losses to Sanders and Lamon Brewster, but Klitschko has come back admirably, picking up quality wins against hard-hitting wrecking ball Samuel Peter and Chris Byrd, against whom he won the IBF trinket. While not looking as invincible as he once did while crushing Ray Mercer and Charles Shufford, Klitshcko seems to have restored at least part of his confidence under trainer Emanuel Steward. A victory over Brock will place him one step closer to having a chance at unifying the titles.

Brock, 28-0 (22), a banker with considerable knockout power, has a victory over Jameel McCline in a fight which saw MacCline floor Brock. Despite his devestating knockout of Zuri Lawrence on the Mosley-Vargas I undercard, Brock is sloppy with his punches and does not look anything other than above average. However, Brewster - a sloppy, heavy-handed slugger like Brock - was able to outlast Klitschko in their April 2004 bout, adding a certain level of intrigue to this matchup. Add to that Brock is a smarter, seemingly better conditioned athlete than Brewster, and the odds get a little more even.

But despite a complete physical and pyschological breakdown on Klitshcko's part - which is not at all impossible (he still claims he was poisoned prior to the Brewster loss) - the Ukrainian should stop his smaller opponent in the later rounds. Brock has fast hands and can punch, but he is certain to get clocked while trying to get inside, and Klitschko hits a lot harder than Jameel MacCline.

A Klitschko victory sets up a fight with Oleg Maskaev, or perhaps Shannon Briggs, who came up with a huge win last week by stopping Sergei Liakovich with one second left in the 12th round (and who appeared as if he just finished doing a bench press seconds before entering the ring). Both fighters are Klitschko's size, and he should be able to beat either one. It's the little guys - save Byrd - that have given Klitshcko hell.

Which makes Klitshcko-Brock all that more interesting.

Prediction: Klitschko TKO 9