Jameel McCline looked like he was having a panic attack in the moments before the opening bell against Wladimir Klitschko. And his mental state deteriorated from there.

McCline fought what we call in boxing a "scary" fight. No sooner did the bell ring for the first round, than McCline began throwing nervous jabs, one after another, at Wladimir. The jabs seemed not to be thrown with the intention of landing as much as with the intention of keeping Klitschko at bay. None of the jabs landed.

Klitschko laid back in the cut, picked his shots and systematically broke "Big Time" down over the following 10 rounds. By the end of the 10th, McCline was on the canvas, unsure whether he wanted to continue. He rose and braced for Klitschko's follow-up, but the bell sounded before Wladimir could race across the ring.

In the corner before the start of what would have been the 11th, McCline's trainer Jimmy Glenn correctly observed that whatever fight McCline had in him coming into the bout had by that point been beaten out of him. Jimmy told referee Jay Nady that the fight was over.

The entire fight was an amazing example of how a fighter's confidence affects his ability to perform in the ring. McCline, who has no amateur background to speak of, and has only been boxing for the last seven years, doubted himself from the beginning and could hardly lay a glove on a big target that was standing right in front of him for half an hour.

Klitschko, on the other hand, had a storied amateur career, which culminated in an Olympic super heavyweight gold medal. He has been boxing since he was 12 years old, and has faced every form of fighter imaginable as an amateur. Wladimir entered the ring calm and confident. He parleyed his obvious intimidation of McCline into an easy stoppage win.

It was an impressive domination over a big, highly rated heavyweight. Given his age (26), size, pedigree and wins over Chris Byrd and now McCline, Klitschko is clearly Lennox Lewis' leading contender.

Unless Evander Holyfield beats Chris Byrd this Saturday.

That's right, Evander Holyfield. Should he beat Byrd (and I do not think he will - but if he does), Holyfield will have beaten Byrd, Hassim Rahman and (though he officially got the draw) John Ruiz in consecutive fights. If Wladimir Klitschko's status as the leading contender to Lewis' heavyweight throne is primarily based on his wins over Byrd and McCline, and Holyfield beats Byrd, then the question becomes: what is worth more, a dominant win over McCline for Klitschko, or a draw most thought Holyfield won against Ruiz (who then beat Kirk Johnson), and a solid win over Rahman (who had recently beaten Lennox Lewis).

Yeah, you're right, I probably just beat myself in an argument. Still, it is interesting that a case can be made for Evander.

Let's not forget that if we rewind to before his three fight series with Ruiz, where he went 1-1-1, Holyfield had a close fight against Lennox. More than a few observers believe that Holyfield actually won that fight.

Evander poses a threat to anyone. However, by considering the Holyfield argument, I have probably once again made the case for Klitschko as the most deserving of a shot at Lennox. Evander already had two shots at the champ and could not get it done. Wladimir has not yet had a crack at the very top.

No matter. At 26, he will get that title shot eventually. His brother Vitaly is next for Lennox, and even if he wins, and the brothers refuse to fight each other, Wladimir's time will eventually come.

When it does, he will perform well. He is obviously a very good, very big fighter. But does he have the look of potential greatness? At this point he still looks vulnerable to me. McCline occasionally looked good in spots in spite of himself against Klitschko. What about a more experienced McCline type who comes into a fight with Wladimir brimming with confidence?

Then again, a savvy, experienced, 6-6, 263-pound McCline-type brimming with confidence would himself be a candidate for all-time greatness, so obviously Wladimir Klitschko has already set the bar extremely high for himself. We already expect great things from him.

***

"Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweayther Jr. beat Jose Luis Castillo more convincingly this time around than last. He closed the show strong and proved himself the best 135-pounder in the world.

Still, he did not look like the same guy who so dominated Diego Corrales at 130. Pretty Boy's problem has always been that he throws one punch at a time. He is talented enough to stay on the outside, make his opponent miss, and pot shot.

Last Friday in an interview on Friday Night Fights I asked Floyd if he felt that his subtle defensive moves are sometimes too subtle for observers to appreciate. How could he ensure that a decision in the Castillo rematch would correctly go in his favor if punches Castillo missed were sometimes scored by the judges as having landed? Floyd said he would be sure to throw more combinations than he had in the first Castillo fight. Combinations are easy for the judges to see and therefore score.

Combinations are also more effective in terms of breaking an opponent down. Mayweather's stiff left jab to the body went a long way towards softening Castillo up, but some more multi-punch combos, instead of the one-punch-at-a-time pot-shots, might have taken Castillo out. Floyd has never moved his hands in combination enough, and without Roy Jones-level punching power, it has kept him from fulfilling his potential as Roy's pound-for-pound heir.

Max Kellerman is a studio analyst for ESPN2's Friday Night Fights and the host of the new show Around The Horn.