coming from a fan's perspective I think he should retire. he's the superior fighter in the division clearly, and people gun for him, and refuse to fight each other. if he retires, closer matched fighters with more fan friendly styles will elect to fight one another. no disrespect to wlad, he's a great fighter, as well as his brother, but I want to see them leave boxing because of the reasons I just stated. hopefully they will soon.
Boxing on the outside is not the way to beat the Klitschko's. Nobody has done it that way yet. :roflatsch
When has Wlad fought a young up-start? Him retireng wont change anything. This is a good time for him as there are good challenges out there. He has opportunities to beat young contenders who could go on to achieve great things. His legacy will be determined by what he does next.
I wonder where the fight will take place, my guess is Moscow. Povetkin will fight a kill or be killed approach imo....and get killed. Simply trying to survive and run isn't in him. Let's use the worst version of Povetkin that has ever stood inside a boxing ring to predict things, how objective. People always cry about guys not trying to fight Klychko on the inside. Povetkin is the best inside fighter he'll have ever faced, very good combinations, short fast hooks and uppercuts and decent pop. When he's on the outside he's a good counter puncher and is alot more competent at working his way inside than Haye is. Haye has very good raw handspeed but throws wide shots which negate some of it, very good at closing distance quickly and solid power but is riddled with flaws himself like his technique, balance and doing anything to get inside aside from just relying on his footspeed. Point is every fighter has flaws but Povetkin's strengths present a interesting obstacle much like Haye's did. He also has the best resume at HW among the contenders.
That's what I said. ...although I didn't lump the two Klitschkos together. Why would I? One is a good boxer, the other is a lumbering oaf with the agility and footwork of a hippo. The two are nothing alike stylistically.
No referee will ever let an opponent work on the inside against Wlad. He'll hold them and when he does, the referee will break them apart immediately, which is bad officiating. Wlad won't get punished even if he holds excessively, meaning no matter who he fights, his opponent won't be able to work on the inside. I agree with you, Povetkin is better than most on the inside. However, he will be held whenever he gets past Wlad's jab, the referee will break them up instantly and force the fight to be on the outside, which suits Wlad. It's biased cheating, of course, but nobody seems to really care.
Inside fighting is boxing. Its disgraceful he is allowed get away with it. Thats a career built on fraud. It will hurt him in the long run when time forgets him like it did Ottke. Another mope who had the fef constantly bail him out of trouble.
Really hope it happens. Wladimir should put a beat-down on Povetkin. It'll be a display of devastating straight right hands.