If Wlad were "Exciting"...

I don't see how any true boxing fan doesn't consider Wlad "exciting". This **** has really spiraled out of control from the Wlad vs Ibragimov fight. I have never seen anything like it.

 

Horses for courses, if you enjoy it then more power to you.

 

I am a true boxing fan. Of course I enjoy seeing a master boxer set the pace of the fight with his jab, dominate his opponent with good footwork and controlling the distance.... as the fight goes on he picks them apart more and more, opens up more and more...beats them down physically and takes the fight out of them mentally... and then knocks them out. What sort of true boxing fan wouldn't enjoy that?

 

see mayweather-baldomir...
Same situation almost!

 

I can co-sign on that!..I like boxing masterpieces as well...most casual fans and some die hard boxing fans don't however...therefore they get the term "boring"

 

Difference... Wlad wasn't backing away or "running" from Ibragimov. It was Iggy who refused to make a fight out of it, as Wlad stood right in front of him and boxed his ears off. Iggy was the one playing defense and leaning down back and away so that the much taller Wlad would have had to drape himself overtop of Iggy just to open up. Wlad is too smart for that trap.

 

Totally agree. However, that description doesn't fit the Igbragimov fight.

Yes, by opening up on Igbragimov, Wlad would have been more open himself...but that was the whole point. Seperates the good from the great. I'm not saying he would have to fight like it was Gatti-Ward, though.

I don't think Wlad has to be "more exciting" by neglecting defense totally and getting "KO'd more". I find almost all boxing to be exiting, especially tactical battles. I'd rather watch Calzaghe-Kessler than Gatti-Ward.

For example, Wlad should not have taken 7 rounds to stop Rahman. Rahman is way past his best, was underprepared (late replacement, 10lbs heavier than his previous fight). Wlad should have done the job in about 3 rounds.

If you are gonna domnitae in a weak era, then you need to go undefeated and win a lot of fights in impressive fashion. It's that simple.

I would take Joe Calzaghe as a good example. He went undefeated and put on the performances when it mattered most. Look at the **** he catches for dominating in a weak era.

I think this is a fair assessment. Wlad is supposedly gonna be ranked as an ATG heavyweight, then he needs to be held to high standards.

 

Rahman weighed in with at least 8 pounds of clothes on. Rahman simply never was that great, it doesn't have anything to do with being past his best. He fights just like he always has and he has never had anything more than a good but underused jab and a good right hand.

Once again... people clining to the Ibragimov fight as if Wlad hasn't had over 50 other fights or something. Only two of his fights have gone the distance in the last 8 years and he has a greater knockout ratio than the likes of Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowe, David Tua, Evander Holyfield, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, ect.... The standards set upon Wlad are outrageous.

 

Floyd won his fight 12-0 in a shutout..he outboxed baldomir as well..he would throw the right hand lead than move

 

Thye KO ratio doesn't matter a huge deal...when you bring percentages into it. But WHO you knockout DOES matter.

The only 'top' opponents he KO'd were:

Brock - decent win and good finish.
Byrd - decent win.
Botha - perennial contender, KO'd in 2 by Lewis and 5 by Tyson, took Wlad 8.
Thompson - average heavyweight contender, stopped late.
Brewster - Brewster offered little resistance and didn't seem to want to even be in the ring, but this was avenging a loss so it's a decent win.
Barrett - contender, OK win.
McCline - Contender, OK win.

Now come on, that is a crap list in ATG terms.

 

I use to be a big Wald fan but ever since he hired Steward he's been boring. He's winning fights but I'm dying to see it. The pre Steward Wald who mounted an aggressive offense was amazing. Now it's like whatever.

 

I agree. The Iggy fight, if anything, showed how good of a boxer he is. He didn't even get touched and won every round. Iggy ran away from him the entire fight, no wonder Iggy didn't get Koed - chicken.

90% of his fights are KOs and they are powerful KOs. He ended Bewster's and Brock's careers.

 

Wlad's style is a little boring at times, but truth be told, I haven't missed a Wlad fight since 2002, so I can obviously live with it. I think since the addition of Emanuel Steward in his corner, he has learned how to deal with having a weak chin by clinching, tighter defense, and not taking any chances in the ring. This too many, is seen as being scared by some and cautious by others.

I feel Wlad would be more exciting if he chose to take more chances, and go toe to toe with his oppenents without excessively clinching, panicking, or falling several times. I find it funny alot people talked **** on Lewis for not going to war/toe to toe with his oppenents, but if you watch him against Mercer, Briggs, Vitali, Bruno, and even Mirovic, he did just that and won all 5 matches, knocking out 3 of 5 of them.