After so many years of dominating the heavyweight division, so many one-sided title defenses against all comers and having earned tens of millions of dollars, champion Wladimir Klitschko, a pro for 17 years, could be forgiven if he had lost some of his zest for the fight game.

Nothing could be further from the truth, however, for the 37-year-old Klitschko, whose title reign of more than seven years became the second longest in history this past summer when he moved ahead of Hall of Famer Larry Holmes on the list. The only man to hold a heavyweight championship longer than Klitschko? The legendary Joe Louis (nearly 12 years).

Klitschko still enjoys sticking to his training camp routine, having the same team surround him and keeping the same daily schedule in seclusion in the mountains in Austria.

"Sometimes I lose track of things because it's always the same schedule, the same place, the same cabin, but I do love it," Klitschko said. "It's exciting and it's always challenging because there is always someone new to face, somebody new to get ready for. There are some differences because [late trainer] Emanuel [Steward, who died last October] is not with us anymore. But I've known [new trainer and Steward disciple] Johnathon Banks as long I knew Emanuel.

"He does things like Emanuel, but we also try to work on new things. I am not just a hamster in a hamster wheel. There are always things to experiment with and that is keeping me young even though I am a seasoned fighter."

If there had been any signs of boredom for Klitschko before any previous defense, Klitschko didn't let on, and there certainly doesn't seem to be any as he prepares for No. 15, a long-awaited showdown with undefeated Alexander Povetkin of Russia, one of Klitschko's mandatory challengers and a secondary titleholder.

Wladimir Klitschko has been a pro for 17 years and heavweight champ for more than seven, but he is showing no signs of losing interest in his craft. AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev

It's a fight that has been a long time coming -- this is the third time it has been scheduled -- and will finally happen on Saturday (HBO, 3:30 p.m. ET/PT, replay at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT on the Miguel Cotto-Delvin Rodriguez telecast) at the SC Olimpiyskiy Arena in Moscow, where Povetkin will be fighting on his home turf.

Klitschko is looking forward to finally tangling with Povetkin.

"I was always dreaming about this fight," Klitschko said. "I would talk to Emanuel about it. For right now, in the heavyweight division, it's the best fight I could have."

It is that rare match between Olympic super heavyweight gold-medal winners. Klitschko powered his way to gold at the 1996 Atlanta Games, and Povetkin did the same at the 2004 Athens Games.

"That's exciting to me, because I'm a fan of boxing as well as being a boxer," Klitschko said. "It's exciting to find out who is the better Olympic champion, the one from 1996 or the one from 2004. That's the headline of this fight -- two Olympic champions fighting for the world heavyweight championship."