I still think he could have donemso much more though. Instead of dropping to the floor every time wlad put wait on him he should have been fighting his way out of the clinch and throwing some bombs on the inside. Easier said than done of course
What's ridiculous is the fact that you've decided to create such a thread when you already hold a strong an opinion on the matter.
Spot on sir :good although this does set out loopholes like how suddenly tyson wasnt prime because he lost to an incredibly determined fighter in Douglas
This is a good point, but what Wlad showed against Sanders was simply put a lack of abillity to fight uphill. I think he still has this weakness, regardless of who he trains under. He is just so skilled no one can exploit it no more. Haye should have been the man, but was barely able to touch him.
Peak and prime are not synonymous, or at least an argument could be made to differentiate them. A fighter could be in his physical prime (fastest, strongest, most stamina etc) but not yet gained the experience or refined the style to be the best he can become. Wlad definitely had the experience but his style had holes which were only corrected later, making him an overall better fighter. So yes, Sanders did KO a physically prime Wlad, but not necessarily the best version. I don't really see why it's such a big deal. Sanders was a very dangerous frontrunner who had just the right attributes to expose Wlad's deficiences. Wlad came back from the fight, corrected his errors, and is now the premier heavyweight on the planet. Pretty good learning experience IMO.
Doesn't that say something though? Wlad's clearly improved in leaps and bounds since that night against Corrie (and later Brewster). He's a far more mature fighter, even if he's lost a bit of speed, and the blistering offence he used to possess.
I'd say when you talk about "prime" you need to specify whether it's general prime or physical prime. The two don't always coincide.
Lots of fighters had the power to "KTFO" Wlad. Peter, Rahman, McCline, Mercer, Brewster (already did it). Haye's nothing that those guys aren't.
Of course Wlad wasn't prime. He was an unfinished product at that point. But Sanders was a bad ass. Not sure Wlad ever wanted a piece of that again.
"Prime" Physically, but nowhere near "Prime" Mentally, or from a Technical Perspective. So really, in this context, "Prime" means little.