Klitschko brushes off 'whiner, softie' jibes

World heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko dismissedaccusations of being a 'whiner' and a 'softie' from an ex-sparring partner ahead ofSaturday's world title fight against Australia's Alex Leapai."Of course I'm a softie and a whiner, didn't you know that already?" Klitschko toldSID, an AFP subsidiary.Klitschko's former sparring partner Sherman Williams told Wednesday's edition ofGerman daily Die Welt how Leapai can bring the world title home to Australia.The 34-year-old Leapai has vowed to "go to war" with reigning champion Klitschko,38, who will be defending his WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO belts in Oberhausen, Germany."I can only advise Alex that as soon as the first round bell sounds, go courageouslystraight at  Klitschko," Williams, 41, told Die Welt."Hit him with left and right shots to the body and then hit him on the chin with theright."I guarantee that if Alex fights the way I tell him to, Klitschko will throw his armsaround like an octopus."He doesn't like being hit on the shoulders and back and Australia will have a newworld champion."Williams was one of Klitschko's ten sparring partners at his Austrian training campin preparation for the Leapai fight.But Klitschko's manager Bernd Boente said the US-based fighter had been releasedearly after poor performances in the ring against the champion."Williams was so bad in sparring that he was like a living punch bag," Boentedismissively told SID, an AFP subsidiary."He came totally overweight to the camp and was then sent home, so this is no morethan tit for tat from him." Source: AFP