Klitschko aims to please

STUTTGART, Germany - Heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko hopes to impress the lucrative American market when he defends his WBC title against Cuban defector Juan Carlos Gomez on Saturday.

The 37-year-old Ukrainian's bout is being shown live at 4 p.m. on ESPN, the traditional home of boxing's signature division where interest has waned since Lennox Lewis retired five years ago.

Klitschko, whose younger brother Wladimir holds the WBO and IBF versions of the heavyweight title, is making a mandatory defense against the 35-year-old Gomez, who is based in Germany.

"I like Juan a lot. He's a real nice guy and a good buddy of mine," Klitschko said. "It's a real pity that I now have to beat him up."

With an eye on future fights that could be marketed in the U.S., Klitschko hopes to record an impressive win and then take on the WBC in a courtroom battle for the right to choose his next opponent.

The sanctioning body wants to force Klitschko to fight Russian Oleg Maskaev within four months because of a past deal it struck when the 40-year-old former soldier was champion.

Klitschko (36-2, with 35 KOs) has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland to avoid that prospect.

He prefers a challenger more attractive to broadcasters, such as Chris Arreola, an unbeaten 28-year-old from Los Angeles.

However, the 6-foot-7 Klitschko must first get past Gomez, a former cruiserweight world champion.