Should Wladimir Klitschko be afraid of Kubrat Pulev?

Wlad shouldn't be afraid of Pulev, he doesn't have the power to take him out with one shot. But he shouldn't take him lightly either.

Pulev is a good contender, bit of a herky, jerky style but when he does let his hands go he shows some nice technique and decent speed, I think he can get to Wlad if he fights more aggressively than usual.

I think Pulev can make it reasonably competitive and win a few rounds. But I see Wlad winning he does everything better than Pulev.

 

Not everything. Pulev is an infinitely craftier body puncher. And he performs the Bulgarian twist about six and a half times better than Klitschko ever has.

 

Yes you're right I was exaggerating. Wlad is hardly perfect, he has many flaws, lack of body punching, uppercut, inside skills and I think he foot work is not as good as many make out, fighters that are aggressive don't usually have much of a problem getting in close which is why he has to clinch so much.

But the way Pulev fights, from range, using his height plays directly into Wlad's style. If he tries to outbox Wlad he'll lose a one sided fight. He'll need to be more aggressive if he is to be competitive.

 

So, you do agree that in a Bulgarian Twist competition, it's not competitive even, let alone in Wlad's favour?

 

I don't know the technique you are referring to, can you describe it?

 

It's a bit like a Chubby Checker thing mixed with twerking. Only Bulgarian.

 

I don't know Wlad got some pretty nifty dance moves, check it out :happy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wJxtqDEE7g

 

how do you get out of shape in a month?

 

I-...I-



...I'm leaving. :bart

 

Yeah, he does have a good sense coordination and distance in the Ring. That jab he throws is very awkward and he shoots it from down by his waist, with speed.

IDK about this. His legs are fast but he seems like he needs to reset his feet to get in position. Eg. he jumps around alot in the ring.

I believe this too. He has stopped guys that never been stopped before like Ustinov. But there also seems to be a "Brutish" side to him as well. I've seen him hit guys illegality with Forearms and rabbit punches before. He has a real nasty side to his personality as well. Nether good or bad.

 

I disagree with this. One of the things which impresses me the most about Pulev is how well he reacts when hurt/buzzed/stunned.

Unlike some fighters he doesn't panic, doesn't throw wild shots or try & run away. He keeps his composure & usually does the right thing by staying inside & clinching.

 

This.

 

I love how people miss context and forget certain things and overplay other things when trying to justify their reasoning. About the Thompson fight, the context is as follows:

1. Pulev had been inactive for 11 months.
2. Thompson coming out from 2 KO wins vs 2012 ESPN prospect of the year.
3. Thompson being an awkward as **** southpaw(which is a recipe for disaster when your best weapon is your jab), who was hell to deal with even to Wlad for quite some time in their first fight.
4. Thompson's 'advanced' age and questionable conditioning.
5. Pulev starting slow in numerous fights, giving away the first couple of rounds while he adjusts and find his range.

From there on we can comment on the fight. Thompson won the first 3 rounds not because he was "dominating" Pulev - if you look at those rounds you'd be hard pressed to find Pulev in any sort of trouble, he was simply getting tagged by single shots while trying to adjust to the awkwardness of Thompson. Thompson won those rounds simply on Pulev's inactivity, wariness and caution, which were completely justified having in mind that Thompson had just knockout out cold Price twice in the span of several months. Once he felt like he'd had enough of testing the waters he simply switched gears and pummeled Thompson for the rest of the fight. It is so clearly visible, I have no idea how anyone can mistake it for Thompson wearing out. Thompson's demise started the moment Pulev decided he was ready to engage, which was at the beginning of round 4. Unless you think Thompson gassed exactly at round 4, there is simply no case to be made about the reason for Thompson losing being him running out of gas. Yes, gassing out helped in the later stages of the fight, but the writing was on the wall long before that. This fight was fought by design by Pulev's team and nothing more. It was as routine as they come. If you were in his shoes what would you do - would you be cautious in the first rounds having in mind Thompson's awkwardness and power? Would you use your supreme conditioning against an aging fighter, or would you rush in to trade in the beginning of the fight?

I think a lot of people underestimate Pulev's conditioning and strength. He's been in with some huge dudes and he's brought them to submission in the later rounds. Of all the rounds past round 8 he's fought, I don't think he's ever lost even a single one of them. He usually looks better in those later rounds than he looks in the first 3.

I still count Wlad as overwhelming favourite against Pulev, but I think he'd be able to present some difficulties to Wlad and will give him a good fight.

 

I do wish Wlad would go to the body again, he has it in his arsenal... just chooses not to use it.