CLASSIC FIGHT NIGHT THREAD:Wilder-Fury II

Nice post .. good comparison to Vitali ..

Look .. there is no reason to **** all over Wlad .. he had a terrific run, he rebranded himself after his career almost ended and has always shown up in shape and conducted himself with dignity .. he'd be a terrible match up for most guys based on his size and skills .. last night he lost because of Fury's speed, size, stamina, intellect and his own age .. it was part Clay/Liston in Miami and part Holmes/Spinks 1 ..

I have no idea how long Fury will reign .. I have not followed him .. I'm not sure if he'll improve or if he'll go Bowe, balloon up and never be in the same shape again .. whatever, he had this night and he's in the books and I like him.

 

I agree.
If Wlad had not resorted to his usual holding and had not been allowed to turn his back so much I don't think he would have lasted the distance.
Fury would have been able to inflict a lot more hurt upon him in those later rounds by moving the fight to the inside, which he seemed to attempt a bit at that stage but was prevented by Wlad's stalling tactics.

 

someone will emerge out of the pack, Fury is better than some but a great fighter will clean up the bunch, will it be Anthony Joshua, Joseph Parker, or the 6" ft. Oscar Kaboom" Rivas? Fury can box from the outside but got a little shook in the last rd, the first time Vlad landed a few. Fury has a style that can bring him success if he stays in condition but he may also lose to a fighter that would have no chance against Vlad.

Credit to Fury, brash as Ali, good family strength, Irish Gypsy pride and strong Catholic. I would like him to make his mark. Vlad slipping but lets face it always suffered from the lack of oil on his trigger finger, too cautious. I still think he is the most fit 39-40 yr old, he is not fighting the level Foreman fought,Fury is better than Saverese,Briggs and Moorer and that was Foremans best but if Vlad sticks around he will add some loses to his record unless he fights 20 guys of the Foreman opponent quality then he can fight until his 50's

 

By the way did the Europeans get stronger or are the Americans getting weaker and weaker. Wilder is the best America has to offer and he seems very talented but time to unify the titles and have one mandatory, the best need to fight the best or boxing will die and heavyweight boxing is the showcase of the sport

Fury took a little from the book of Floyd and touched and moved but put a few power shots in to keep Vlad careful

 

Well, Wlad did beat the **** out of Wach and Pulev who were about the same size (Pulev) or bigger (Wach), so Fury wasn't the first big guy he fought. He likely was the best, though.

 

when a fighter gets older there weakness become apparent, Holme KO by Tyson, Walcott vs Joe Louis, Dempsey vs Tunney, Ali vs Leon, Holyfield vs Toney....little things make a big difference and even a conditioned fighter loses timing with age

 

Agreed. His first few defenses will likely be soft touches and someone like Joshua ( a fellow countryman ) will probably be a highly demanded fight and one fury could possibly lose.

 

Crucially Pulev and Wach fought at a Klitchko pace and that's suits Wlad. Within his comfort zone Wlad and any giant sized guy can box and use leverage. However, if you up the tempo against most super heavyweights they start looking like Primo Carnera.

The panic on Wlads face was evident in the first round. He knew he would lose half his skill set at that tempo. And so did Fury to be honest, he couldn't land anything worthwhile either but with a better work rate he could at least keep Wlad off balance and touch home more often with the last inch of a prodded poke or glancing cuff more often.

 

If there were a score cards for fouls, Fury had at least 4 of them, Wlad just one. Fury fought dirty, that's for sure. The rabbit punches were intentional.

Wlad is one of the cleanest champions of all time. Fouling is not in his nature.

Fury won the fight, but it rather uneventful save final rounds.

 

I agree with this in athletes below 220. However the SHW is almost a new and seperate sport where different rules apply.

The pace allows for a slower tempo that suits older guys. With experience to draw on and without being rushed to the same extent timing can be offset by added girth. Combinations are nit even required or seen as an advantage. Jab and grab. It works and who better to do it than old timers?

Age has not been such a disadvantage among giants for about 20 years. It's only a factor that size can often overcome.

Tempo is the real killer. But how often does a guy of the right size have a greater tempo than the champion?

 

If Manny Stewart was in Wlad's corner, he might have given him confidence and the right advice to win on his worst night at age 39. Banks, I thought was terrible. He was asking Wlad to go to the body vs a mover type with the longer reach. Really???

The better advice is to throw at least 30 jabs around, and work your way in behind it. Fury's not going to counter Wlad's jab if he committed to it.

One clean hook from Wlad would have ended it, and Wlad has always had a good 1-2. If Fury circles one way, step up and throw the hook. If he has his hands low behind his back, quick straight punches. WTF was Banks thinking and saying?

The other possibility is Wlad is completely shot ( Mentally and spiritually as fighter ) , and has aged in dog years since his last victory. His form in this fight was terrible. I'm pondering if the delay in the fight due to a calf injury was just a mask for Wlad slipping badly in camp and needing more time.

Should Wlad re-match? Maybe if he gets rid of Banks and hires an offensive minded trainer like Brooks. Wlad at 75% of what he was is more than enough to beat Fury. Last night Wlad wasn't a quarter of the fighter he used to be. I think Wlad is lucky to be in there with Fury. A better puncher would have finished him last night.

 

Manny is not giving Wlad more tempo. For Wlad to beat Fury he needed Furry be a lot smaller and/or slower than he was. A trainer is not doing that for Wlad. It's impossible.

 

No, it is not impossible.

It's up to Wlad. A good trainer, not some guy along for the ride I think could quickly establish Wlad's jab and right hand behind it and condition Wlad to throw these punches at least 30 times a round

Wlad lost because he was gun shy, threw very few punches, and got the wrong type of advice. Much of that was on him. He's a smart fighter.

If some fire is still there, the right trainer could help ignite it.

 

Good post.

 

I agree with this. Fury had the tools to exploit the limitations in Wlad's skill set but they won't necessarily serve him as well against some of the top pressure fighters and more dangerous sluggers in the division.