Andy 'Pops' Anderson is the 69 year old trainer of rising heavyweight sensation and power slugger, Samuel Peter (24-0; 21 KO's). Anderson, a former fighter himself from Pittsburgh, PA, has been working with Peter since his 5th pro fight 4 years ago. Both live in Las Vegas and are currently training in Reno, NV. On Saturday, the Nigerian born Peter will square off against Wladimir Klitschko (44-3; 40 KO's) for the #1 heavyweight ranking within the IBF and WBO sanctioning bodies. Their fight not only looks to be an extremely compelling match up, but a very high risk-high reward fight for both men. Should Peter be victorious, it will place him on the brink of stardom and make him a savior of the heavyweight division.

Fightnews spoke to Anderson:

There's no doubt that Wladimir will use his jab to keep Sam away from him. What's your game plan in getting past that jab? What are you focusing on in camp?
Well, we're focusing on making sure that Sam's basics are intact - like keeping his hands up and making sure his balance is o.k. As far as what the game plan is... that ain't too good to be tellin' that one! (Laughs). I'll discuss that one with you after the fight! But I'll tell you this, Sam is focused on knocking Wladimir out!

Who is Sam sparring with?
He's sparring with Ray Austin, Maurice Harris and Al Cole. We've got him sparring 5-7 rounds every day and he's looking great.

After his disastrous loss to Corries Sanders, Wladimir has had two confidence building fights before another big loss to Lamon Brewster. Since then he's had two more 'confidence-builders.' Even though Wlad and Sam are fighting for the #1 position, do you feel it's too soon - and career threatening - for him to be facing a power slugger like Sam?
Of course it's too soon! If I was Wladimir's trainer, I would keep him far, far away from Sam! But because Wladimir is ranked where he is, he's the guy to fight. I really do think that he wanted to skip around Sam, but he knows he has no other choice. So, they'll just have to get it on. But I'll tell ya, after September 24th... Sam will end Wladimir's career as a fighter.

What did you think of Wladimir's performance against Sanders and Brewster?
It was terrible! Their styles were very bad for Wladimir. All I can say is I just hope they don't come up with the same excuses they did in the Brewster fight. Too much Vaseline... poisoned water.... please!

What strengths and weaknesses do you see in Wladimir at this point in his career?
As far as his weakness, it's his chin. Definitely his chin. As for his strength... well, he's a pretty tall guy and has a good jab. But that's it. Sam won't have any problem with Wladimir's height or his jab. He's 100% ready.

Some people feel that Sam leaves himself wide open after he punches and are predicting that Wladimir will score a knockout in this fight. Your thoughts?
I don't have any thoughts on that. Sam says he's gonna knock him out and that's what he's gonna do. Every fighter that Sam has fought has said something negative about him: 'Sam's too slow... Sam's too big... Sam's inexperienced... He's this... He's that.' Then all of a sudden, you see those guys laying on the canvas.

Manny Steward has said that Sam 'struggled' in his fights with Jovo Pudar and Charles Shufford and that's why those fights went the distance. What happened in those fights?
A lot of people figured that Sam couldn't go past 5 rounds and if he did, he would fade. So, Sam just decided that he would prove them wrong. And... he did. He showed that he could go the distance without fading. He did it not once but twice, in back to back fights... just to prove a point.

So, how do you anticipate this fight with Wlad playing out?
Sam is very explosive. He has different angles and different ways to accomplish what he has to do. So, whatever Wladimir gives out, Sam is going to take it and use it against him. I don't know what Wladimir is going to do when he gets out there. All I know is what Sam is going to do... and that's control the fight, take the fight and knock the guy out.

What if a knockout doesn't happen?
Oh... it'll happen.

Many people are wondering if Sam has more than just a punch and are looking to see him get tested in the ring. Has Sam ever gotten dropped in sparring? Has he ever shown you that he has the mettle to get up off the canvas?
First of all, Sam has never been dropped in sparring. He has an excellent chin. I know that because Jeremy Williams hit him square on the chin in the first round and Sam acted like he never even felt it! But, I've never really had anyone to test him in that area... where he was put on the canvas. In fact, no one has ever REMOTELY beat him up!

Sam just turned 25 years old and has only had 20 amateur fights and 24 pro fights. That really doesn't seem to be enough to gain the right amount of experience. How ready is he to conquer the heavyweight division?
All I can tell you is that Sam is very focused and very ready to meet the challenge of fighting every heavyweight fighter that's out there. He a very mature fighter. He trains hard and does what we tell him. He knows what he wants and he's going after it. But the most important thing is that he enjoys what he's doing. He's been fighting every 2-3 months and he enjoys it.

When you first started working with Sam, what was your initial impression of him?
I thought he was awesome! I knew right then and there that he was something special. The way he punched, moved and his overall ability. I just knew he was something special.

Did you think you had a 'Mike Tyson-like' fighter on your hands? A guy who had the strength and ferocity of Tyson?
Yeah. And, I think that's what a lot of people see too. That's why he's gaining a lot of popularity. Let me tell you, Sam is a mean guy. A very mean guy. When he steps in that ring, he's in a whole different other world. Sam is no joke. Believe me when I tell you this. Sam is no joke.