I was not impressed by Wladimir's perfomance versus Rahman

The ref stepped in and stopped the fight for prime Wlad versus as well past it Rahman in round 7 whereas a prime Lewis stopped a prime Rahman in 4 rounds.

He should have put Rahman away far earlier & when you at it from this perspective it was a very dissapointing performance no matter how good his jab was.

Thoughts?

(For the record I'm positive Vitali would have beaten Rahman in 2/3 yesterday)

 

The difference is that Wlad did not need two bites of the cherry, to de-pip Rahman did he. I seem to remember Lewis getting brutally KTFO by Rahman, or was that just a dream?

Your Vitali comment is hilarious.

 

You can go full circle and also say that Lewis was ko'd against Rahman aswell.

I know where you are coming from i thought Wlad beat Rahman in a far more complete manner than Lewis....but Lewis finished Rahman quicker and more decisive. i.e. brutal knockout.

In both fights with Lewis Rahman fought well giving Lewis trouble with his jab, but in the Wlad fight Rahman was never at the races.

 

Spot on.

I made the exact same point in an earlier thread. Credit where credit is due, he dominated the fight and got the win, but on the whole I just cannot warm to his safety first style especially when his opponent is there for the taking. Critics used to give Lewis **** for being passive believe it or not, the same critics wwho now rave over Wlad.

 

what'd you expect? the whole world knows Wlad fights scared...he dont want that glass jaw to get broken again, and this is how he must win fights

 

Comparing what two men do against one man, has always been a pointless exercise due to two reasons - styles make fights, and time changes fighters.


The only comparison to make in this sense is what two HW champions have been able to do against a limited and over promoted HW challenger.

Rahman's whole career has come off the back of Lewis being KTFO by him, due to complacency.

 

The Rahman we saw last night was not 1/4 the Rahman that fought Lewis Sir James, this is my point Wlad should have had no issue whatsoever putting him away; all he did was throw stiff 1/2's and the odd left hook he didn't even use his footwork to strike from the side when Rahman was up against the rope!

And why is my Vitali comment so far fetched? Rahman was there for the taking - all night in fact.

P.S. You make some great points KCD

 

I have to say I expected it to be over in 2-3 rounds. On the other hand I suppose he and Steward knew Rahman would wilt sooner or later and fought accordingly.

 

I think Wlad will suffer also as Lennox did until he retires.

Remember when Lewis got panned for blowing out of his arse after having to go 12 rounds with Mavrovic?

When he got panned for taking him 8 rounds to beat the corpse of Mike Tyson?

When he got panned for being overly cautious and safety first against Tua?

When he got called for allowing Holyfield to go 12 rounds with him?

When he gets slammed for allowing 2 c level fighters to starch him inside the distance?

But since Lewis has retired people have sat down and taken notice of what he achieved and i think the same will happen for Wlad.

 

I totally agree, Wlad is a jab and grab bum, whos fights are about as exciting as watching the grass grow.

He refuses to throw the right hand until he has jabbed his opponent to death and he is ready to fall over.

 

Vitali still fights cautious of punching himself out, with a figher in front of him, sometimes paying possum, he is not going to go all out for the early KO.

Vitali would have closed the show in 4-5 rounds last night. I think 2-3 rounds is too soon.

I agree that Wlad is way too limited in what he throws, and that is why I was excited about Vitali coming back. However, you have to remember that he is not going to take risks, due to what has happened to him before....Wlad is what he is because of his previous losses, so just accept it and the way he fights. If you dont like it, dont watch him fight.

 

Somehow....I can relate to this.

 

He did what he had to do! The challanger had to do better!

 

He was fighting at 100% security to win, why should he give Rahman a chance he doesn't have? Lewis did and he got knocked out. Wlad did all he had to do; not his problem that Rahman couldn't make it a fight. He tried to lure Wlad into right hands from the ropes (which is how he knocked down Sanders), but Wlad didn't take the bait. He's an intelligent fighter who is extremely hard to beat, right now.

 

I can understand the point being made, but Wlad does what he has to do within his limitations.

No doubt he would be more attacking if he was backed up by a McCall-esque beard, but every fighter has their weaknesses.

You have to agree that Wlad makes the most of what he has - a ramrod of a jab and exceptionally long reach.