bunce...an embarrassment

Wlad's jabs caused more hurt than anything Haye did, imho. I'm not saying that Wlad was perfect - I hoped that he would step on the gas in the tenth and take Haye out - but he boxed to a plan, hurt Haye with the jab and got a comfortable win from it. If a popular British boxer boxed to such a plan and put that performance in in a world title fight we'd all be very happy with him, as it's Wlad everyone has decided that he is boring before they do the ring entrances.

 

In fairness, Simon, Wlad really didn't want to engage and he had no reason not to as the 12th proved. With all the advantages he held, it was a sensible but tedious tactic.

I don't remember much of note landing on either side. It was very cagey. I remember Haye getting wobbled (6th) and Wlad getting wobbled (12th) and that was it.

 

Both were scared of getting knocked out. Thats the bottom line.

 

I completely agree with your first para, yes - as I said I had hoped, when watching it, that Wlad would step it up in the last three once it was clear that he had the stamina to get there and that he had seen enough of Haye by then to realize that that really was all he was facing. So I was disappointed in Wlad, I just don't feel, watching it back, that people should come away with the illusory impression that Haye doled out most of the hurt. He postured and threatened, but did very little hurting, so I feel that the jab from Wlad was comfortably the most effective tool in the fight, in terms of hurting as well as scoring. Wlad was wobbled once, Haye wobbled once (as you say), plus Haye took the jab a fair bit otherwise, while Wlad probably had a sense of mounting surprise, so spent the fight - regrettably - scared of something that was never going to come.

Anyway, this has become a tangent and I sense that we broadly agree.

 

We do. I agree Wlad did more (the jab being the big thing) but nothing notable.

I try not to think about that godawful fight. We raced to the hotel so I could see it live and it was a dreadful let-down.

 

I know - I had both my father and father-in-law round, my wife, several friends, the booze was flowing, the anticipation building. My wife and I are comfortably the biggest fight fans in that group, so we had really bigged up the occasion to draw everyone in... in fact, our living room that night was a microcosm of the wider issues with drawing casual fans to the sport at this point.

The previous fight my father had watched with us was - and I can barely say the words out loud - Haye-Harrison. We watched all the buildup, the amateur rivalry... one jab later he stated that he was glad that I had paid the ppv cost.

You can imagine what my father thinks of boxing right now. For one horrible minute I thought my wife was going to give up on it all, too. Fortunately she's not that fickle, even got a babysitter this weekend so we could watch Angulo-Kirkland in peace. But I think we have hosted our last big boxing occasion for a while, sadly!

Apologies for the appalling ramble!!

 

Wlad landed **** all to be honest. The odd job, nothing of any substance really. Perhaps one right hand I remember that Haye took well. Certainly wasn't a classic or great performance as claimed. More or less won it on activity and ring generalship.

 

It was tense. Haye hurt in more ways than simply having an Ali-like swollen jaw.

Adios

 

lol at the klitschko hate

u cant be 6ft7 and just decide to go gunho and start charging at everyone u stupid ****s, have any of u ever actually thought about boxing ffs

 

Bunce is cool, but I laughed hysterically when he said he'd put Clev in with Dawson.

 

I would put Nathan in with Chad tomorrow. Honest, trust me.

Adios.

 

What did Clev do to offend you, B?

 

It's not that bad.

Chad fighting 3 minutes a round... :yikes

 

Two completely different levels of fighters, honestly.