Another absolute stinker from Wlad ,fighting the 40 years old Thompson, Wlad approached his tentative opponent as thought he were ,Liston/Foreman/Tyson ,all rolled into one. It resembled two neighbours arguing about their joint parking space, both making half hearted threatening gestures ,but afraid to actually throw anything lest they cause their opponent to lose his temper and get serious. Thompson was a 40 years old body, containing zero ambition, and maximum trepidation. How on earth did he merit a second chance at the title? In contrast the Tyson Fury /Vinny Maddalone scrap, though not high quality ,was at least entertaining and earnestly contested with Maddalone showing guts ,and commitment that shamed Thompson's meek" effort". Wlad fought to his usual snoring mode. Tentative half arm leads ,and retreating at the first sign of a reply.He looked as gunshy as usual, built like Hercules, with the mindset of a Woody Allen. In the UK, the referee would have cautioned both men for the lack of action after the first two rounds,and slung them out for not trying after the 5th.They would have been booed out of the small halls that still promote the noble art. It just goes to show, you can fool those Germans all of the time. An absolute travesty of a title fight ,and the next time Wlad is in an exciting one will be his first. What real boxing fan outside Germany, paid to watch that ****?
I've said it for years and people still argue? sure these guys are good fighters some even great, BUT make them do it monthly and always against top opposition, and see how many would fall away. that IS the difference, why do people want to save these fighters and stick them in ATG lists? Too many are continually shown up to even dispute the comparisons to past masters!
I've more or less come to accept Wlad for what he is...he'll never excite the masses, he'll always err on the side of caution, and he'll never be a big draw in the USA. But he is good. In this fight, I really blame the powers that be more than anything. I believe Thompson was the #1 contender for one of those belts of Wlad's. If so, then I can't really blame Wlad for taking this fight again. That said, Thompson is as limited as they come, and was negative throughout the fight. I thought Wlad at least looked a bit more aggressive than usual, but I agree overall the fight was yet again another stinker. I sympathise a bit with Wlad sometimes, but HBO are in part justified in not broadcasting his fights.
Also let's not forget, Wlad is the only champion who have been floored something like 15+ times. For a HW, that is surreal. You got to excuse his lack of aggression because there is no way he can get over that mental block. So he's gonna jab jab jab and grab for the reminder of his career. The primary issue with that is if somebody finally come around similar to a Prime Lewis or Prime Tyson and put some pressure on him. It will be a meltdown of the most epic proportions, and with the critics these days that might erase all his past achievements in a heartbeat.
Someone rated in the top ten by The Ring , whom he has not already beaten ,and who is not 40years old perhaps?atsch
Thompson was in the RING top ten. Here's the list today : Wlad Vitali Povetkin Adamek Pulev Helenius Boytsov Chagaev Arreola Fury Thompson .... some of those guys (the younger ones) won't even accept a fight with Wlad yet, or ever. A couple of them may be already as washed-up as Thompson. Most of them aren't any more active than Thompson. But anyway ..... who on that list would you be most pleased with agreeing to fight Wlad ?
The problem with Wlad/Vitali is they end up fighting half of the deserving because the other brother is taking care of the other half The HW division is terrible at the moment but that makes the situation worse Still Wlad is 1 of the greats, a boring systematic great, but 1 of the hardest to beat in his current form. He's sort of the anti-Dempsey if you will, who was technically poor, small, pretty beatable but very exciting
(Imported post) - I went on a rant about this elsewhere... This content is protected Wlad can't box for ****. Anyone who pretends he can DKSAB. Period. I can't believe anyone is pretending this guy is an ATG. He is a joke. The more I watch his fights. The more I SMH. His corner between rounds sounds like an amateur corner with Manny saying the same thing over and over like Wlad is a ****** or something. "The jab! The jab! The jab!" The Jab" - The jab!" The-- jab! - The jab!" Manny comes between the ropes at the end of a round saying "The jab!" and jumps out of the ropes saying "The jab!" The damn microphone is moving away and the last thing you catch is Manny saying "The jab! The jab! The jab" I'm hardly even exaggerating. ("The jab!") Ali doesn't need to be in his prime to beat this clown, neither does Frazier..neither does Lennox, neither does Holyfield, hell neither does Tyson. Its ridiculous. Its pathetic. Its utterly unbelievable. Stop acting like this guy can fight, he cant. The more you watch this guys fight the more shameful it becomes. He can't jab. I repeat. The man can't jab. He can not jab for ****, he doesn't jab because he can't. Its like he's never had any amateur fights at all. He can't hook. He cant throw an uppercut. What can he do? One........... One. .. One.. Two! TWO!....one.....t....t.....o.o..o.one.....one..TWO!.....................................................................TWO!:blood And people think this guy can beat Ali? Frazier? Norton? Hell, Foreman? Frazier is Wlad's worst nightmare. Wlad can't move if he was on a treadmill that was on a escalator, that was on ferris-wheel..and this clown is suppose to beat the GOAT or any ATG? I can't get over it. Did Thompson throw one hook? I have never seen a southpaw...not throw any meaningful hooks whatsoever against a conventional fighter.....Did no one else notice this? A southpaw..without a left hook? Wlad was practically begging for it all night. :-( Wlad-fans who think this guy is an ATG are of the silliest pedigree. This content is protected I got nothing against Wladimir personally I like his personality and he is actual cool to listen to in interviews, but this guy is no boxing genius, he isn't an ATG and his competition is disgraceful. Keeping it real.
Wlad fought Thompson because he's the mandatory for one of the straps. He's decided to play that game. Maybe he's wrong, maybe he's right, but if there were four strapholders he'd be getting **** for not unifying the title. Dude can't win - not as long as Vitali is around.
I suspect there is a very real chance that Wlad will be the nearest thing we have to a unified champ over the next 20-25 years. That being the case his stock can only rise.
Yeah Wlads alright.Cant blame him for the crap his fans spout.Just a shame he wont fight his brother.
Why can't Wlad only fight ATG heavyweights ranked number 1 and easily dominate them all to a 1st round KO with zero caution like a rabid mental patient with Ray Robinson's skills? I hate him and hope he gets priapism! :bart