How Many Previous Champs Does Wlad Beat?

Many others could beat him...its all about getting past that jab...if they can do that he hasnt got much.
The standard of boxing at HW has been so poor whilst he has been around.Thats not his fault....
I would take Bowe to find a way.
Tony Tucker at his prime and Tokyo Douglas.
The Ray Mercer that fought Lewis.

 

I would like to be the first to say both A. He never beat anyone as good as any of these guys and he'd have his weak chin shattered against the lot once his stamina gave out on him, and B. He knocks all of them out early because he's so big and modern and handsome. For a boxer.

 

I think he beats all except Lennox Lewis, Foreman, Bowe and Tyson. I could easily see him outboxing Foreman and Bowe though. Ali and Holmes may beat him but his jab is thrown at a higher workrate. Louis he picks apart I think. Anyone pre Louis doesn't stand a chance. Marciano/Dempsey are too small to bother him. He probably outboxes Holyfield but Prime Holyfield's workrate and inside game would be hard work for him.

 

Stylistically I like Wlad over Lewis. His right hand is faster, straighter and just as hard as Rahmans and harder than McCalls. He is also more gifted athletically and has better footwork than Lewis.
Stylistically I always thought prime Tyson would be nightmare for Wlad. He closes the gap so fast he would be inside and I think he could hurt a shell shocked Wlad before he could tie him up.
Dempsey and Louis could both destroy big men but I think Wlad is too technically sound as opposed to the men of their era of his height. He likely dispatches both of them.
Foreman is tricky. Because he is clearly better than Peter who did pose problems for Wlad in the first fight. However Wlad was nowhere near the confidence level he now enjoys. Foreman was also slow of foot, kept his hands down, and tired fast. I would give him a chance I go back and forth on this match up.
Bowe while skilled just doesn't have the defense. He also lacks quality fighters on his resume to properly judge how he would fare. I have to go with Wlad.
Wlad destroys any post 1995 version of Holyfield. Early Holyfield with his fast combinations and good movement may pose problems.
I don't like Ali in this match up. While I rate Ali greater I think Wlad's good handspeed and great advantages in size and strength coupled with his jab is a major problem for Ali. This is not Liston or even Foreman in the ring. So far Wlad has demonstrated that he handles fast and elusive boxers relatively easily. Byrd, Haye, Chambers, Ibrigamov etc.
I have to say Wlad although boring to watch and a killer for the division's popularity is probably one of the most effective heavies h2h ever.
So I would favor Tyson ( I know a lot don't including Dan Rafael)
I would consider Foreman 50/50
I would give a young Holyfield a good chance.
Lewis would have a punchers chance.

 

Agreed. We'd see mostly dominant one-sided draws where each man has a legitimately legit claim for being robbed.

 

I've seen your posts on this match up in other threads. You like Lewis's natural fighting instinct and his ability to "meet fire with fire" over Wlad. That is fine opinion and ****ysis. I disagree with it but I certaintly see where you're coming from.

 

out of your first list, Bruno is the only one that i'd give a chance to win. maybe even favour him. if Bruno comes forward with the jab, Wlad with his inability to counter or fight off the back foot in any way, could see him bombed out with that big right hand from Frank.

Dempsey has a chance, but he is small. his speed and power against the genuinely frightened Wlad could be enough though.

Joe Louis is far too slow. Wlad has this one.

Ali doesn't have the ability to land much (horribly overrated that he is) Wlad would just do what he did with Haye. he'd limit his output and just look to control things from the outside in a boring decision win.

if Wlad is allowed to cheat against Frazier, then Joe has no chance. if the Ref is legit, then it's possible, but i'd favour Wlad again.

the others you listed would KO Wlad, not one doubt in my mind. you can also add in the Bowe from the first Holyfield fight (when he actually focused and prepared properly) to get the job done within the distance. Vitali in 4 rounds in a mismatch is an easy pick for obvious reasons.

Wlad is one lucky little cheat that he has bums around him and barely any good fighters, and fights the way he does in corrupt Germany, otherwise we would view him as a laughing stock.

 

Without listing anyone ( in an effort to avoid the, " if sanders could beat him" argument ) I think he'd have his way with a lot of past champions. He's learned to be very protective of his chin, has tremendous size, great conditioning, good ring smarts, and devastating power... That's a tall order for anyone really.

 

I agree with your description. But the big difference between the two men are Lennox Lewis got into a couple of wars in his career. And aside from the one punch from Rahman and the one punch from McCall, which apparently caught Lewis just right, Lennox didn't mind taking a couple of shots to land one of his bombs. Lewis took thousands of hard shots to the head in his career, and most didn't bother him at all.

Wlad Klitschko is a totally different story.

If you go back to a fight like Wlad-Mariusz Wach ... after Klitschko lands, lets say, a 100 blows, Wach lands one hard shot to Wlad's head at the end of the fifth round, I believe, and Klitschko just gets wide-eyed and grabs and holds.

Wlad seems terrified of getting hit in the head. And by terrified I mean the moment he's hit in the head he abandons everything he's doing and immediately starts grabbing.

It's amazing to me. Wlad can hit an opponent a 100 times in five or six rounds, and most opponents absorb terrific punishment. But if Wlad takes even one head shot, he just drops everything he's doing and starts hugging the hell out of the guy. He could never take the shots he's dishing out to others.

So, if Lewis and Wlad fought, I think it would play out like the Wlad-Corrie Sanders fight. Lewis would go after him early and Wlad would just panic and get blown out in a round or two.

That's why, even though he's clearly superior to the likes of a Bermane Stiverne or Deontay Wilder, let's say, I believe if either Stiverne or Wilder went after Wlad early, Klitschko would likely come apart.

Wlad is a physically gifted fighter. He deserves all the credit he gets. Most fighters his size weren't remotely as good as he is.

But, IMO, if he was even slightly shorter, and therefore got hit more often to the head, Wlad Klitschko wouldn't have been nearly as successful. Because head shots scare the hell out of him.

 

So the consensus is that Wlad's chin is just as weak as when he lost against Sanders and he's just learnt to protect it so he doesn't get hit? Is that really realistic to think that? to say that in the 10 years or so since he last lost that no one has managed to land a powerful punch flush against his chin? Surely that can't be right?

 

It's not like they are going after a sitting target Lewis never mind Wilder and Stiverne couldn't just wade in carelessly because they would be caught and probably knocked out, you need to have a great chin to beat Wlad, these guys do not.

Though obviously Lewis has the style to break him down on the outside i think it could be a KO either way both will know they are at risk.