Who's the Smallest-Ever Fighter You'd Pick to Beat Current Wlad 6+ Times Outta 10?

Fair point, though Wlad may have some areas where he is better. His left hook is better, for instance. He is more consistant with the jab and might be better against a small defensive boxer like Byrd. Byrd might just win a round against Lewis, something he wasn't able to do in 19 rounds with the big Ukranian.

 

But it's Wlad's questionable chin, his discomfort with pressure and occasional (but not lately) panic attacks that are the problem.

Offensively he's fine, but he's got quite serious drawbacks that would be exploited by quite a few elite fighters.
Basically, he's molded a style around his weaknesses, which tells you something.

 

Sure, his style is very much a product of what works best for him, but isn't that what all boxers do... or in fact, any sane man would? Tyson wouldn't win the championship if he tried to jab off his toes like Ali did. Similarly, Ali would never be successful in a bob-and-weave style.

Wlad fighting tall has his weaknesses, but the style combined with his footwork, size and firepower sure is a ***** to beat. In four years time, Peter is the only one who really was even competitive with him. And if not for those two knockdowns from blows to the back of the head, it would've been a whitewash.

 

What I mean is that he changed from being a guy actively looking to get you out of there with a wonderful arsenal of power punches, to someone that fights with a safety first attitude.
The way he fights now is different to the way he used to fight, and it's a result of some rather major drawbacks.

Some fighters may alter their style over the years, but rarely is it to such a large degree as Wlad has done it.
You can say it works sure, but who has he fought over that time to really put it to the test? He can only beat who's in front of him I know, but I'm hoping to see someone really push him soon. Maybe Haye will be that man, maybe not.

Wlad is a fighter I'd like to like. Every time he fights I'm hoping to see some fire and brimstone, and every time after the fight I wonder why I bothered to watch it.

 

His style ain't always crowd-pleasing, and I too would like to see a Dempsey/Frazier/Tyson style fighter come out of the woodwork. But that latter style is not going to come from a 6-6 fighter. All that said, he tends to take his opponent out in his own style.

 

The same Wlad that couldn't put away Ibriganov and fought SCARED as hell?

That one?

 

Seamus, Bonavena would be a tough assignment for both Klitschko Bros, Holyfield, Lewis, Tyson, Moorer and Riddick Bowe, who were correct me if I'm wrong, the heavyweight champions post Larry Holmes. The second tier heavyweight contenders and the fringe title holders of the past 20 years wouldn't even make it to round 10 against a prime Oscar Bonavena.

Don't tell me guys like Chris Byrd, Frans Botha, John Ruiz or Oleg Maskaev would handle Bonavena easy, as you politely suggest in your post, because it wouldn't happen. You are discrediting Bonavena by writing him off that quickly and not even recognizing him as one of the best heavyweight contenders who never won a title. Who then, after Larry Holmes would handle Bonavena with the relative easy you suggest?

Bonavena was no supermidget heavyweight from yesteryear.

Agree with you though, nothing personal, just your opinion on one of the great South American fighters.

 

this is the prime example of a man talking outta his ass. look, you live in portugal, you obviously don't know **** about the NBA/NFL/MLB nor its participants nor the american scoiety nor its history nor its people's tendencies

 

I live in the USA and boxed 7 years amateur and ran track scholarshipped on the collegiate level. I lived in Portugal for a job that paid me richly but have returned stateside.

I have met more Argentine boxers than you can name. I have seen championship matches on 3 continents, reported for a couple magazine you might be able to name.

I ask again, where is the analogous heavyweight fighter to Bonavena in the last 20 years? 5 foot 10 and 200 pounds with a brawler style?

 

I bet Kaki feels like a tit now.

 

Ibrigimav was the undefeated WBO heavyweight champion. Wlad nearly shutout ibrigamov in a Unification Match. Sure he wasn't his usual aggresive self, but he put on a boxing clinic on a undefeated titlist.

 

Joe Frazier was a mediocre athletic talent. Stamina is not a function of athleticism, it is a function of conditioning and genetics, just as strength is. No one's doubting Frazier was in great shape, he just wasn't a good enough athlete to compete in, say, MLB or NFL.

:rofl

They're not heavyweights, that's all. Jack Dempsey would be a cruiserweight today, or even a LHW. Marciano would be a cruiser or even a heavyweight, but he'd be huge and nothing like the Rocky we knew. Training and styles have changed, you still see small men, they just stick to lower and lower weight classes. This does not mean small men of times past could not compete with modern big men.

I don't think it's a talent issue as much as an issue of people trying boxing and realizing that it's ****ing hard. Other sports aren't as brutal, so people choose them instead. Boxing is a brutal, difficult sport and it takes tremendous discipline. Furthermore, the pro stage is corrupt and schismatic and marketing is wanting. This is why people choose other sports.

Agreed.

 

Yes i agree with this, but he is not a joke, I respect any fighter that steps in to the ring. However to even mention his name in the same room as Muhammad Ali´s is wrong.
I wont joke either when i say that if he fought Ali from the 70´s 10 times he would loose 10 times.
If he fought Ali from the 60´s he would loose so big each time that he would never touch a boxing glove again.:yep
He´s just not good enough to beat Muhammad Ali.
IMO
The predator

 

Yeah, because Ali in the 70's was so unbeatable, huh?

 

A lazy, out of shape 37 year old Corrie Sanders blew him away in 1 1/2 rounds. Slow fat Sam Peter floored him several times. He's been down against bums and tomato cans too. The idea that top 10 ATG heavyweights could not beat him is ludicrous. Even smaller fighters like Marciano and Dempsey would win 8 or 9 out of 10 fights, most by early KO, vs Wlad.

Wlad is glass-jawed and has poor defence (maybe average now under Steward). In the weakest division for 100 years he's been shown up 3 times by fighters who weren't special, and been exposed temporarily by nobodies. He has a good offensive arsenal vs punching bags, but that's no use if you are on the canvas in the first 2 minutes of the fight, which he would be against any genuinely great opponent from the heavyweights.

I can even think of light heavies who would have an excellent chance e.g. Ezzard Charles, Archie Moore, Spinks, maybe even prime Roy Jones Jr.