In the light of all the b****ing about Wlad...

I'd like to know - what do you guys want/expect from a heavyweight champion?

I do NOT want people to simply regurgitate a name from the past. I want people to come up with specific characteristics - whether based on personality/mindset or in-ring attributes, or hell, ethnicity if you're so inclined. I want people to tell me exactly why Wlad warrants the rabid criticism and hatred that he receives from some quarters.

 

Fighter's mentality, Killer Instinct. Soul. Passion. Fire.

Wladimir is a huge guy, very athletic and fit. His appearance gives an impression that he would be capable of destroying (not just dominating) guys in the ring with the tools that he has (size, speed, strength, agility), yet he fights with such a methodical approach and is so calculated and cautious that it makes what he does look worse than it is. Everything he does seems so rehearsed and it doesn't appear natural. He doesn't seem like he is a natural fighter (mentally).

 

All reasons why we will see Wlad one day as a happily retired ex - champion with his health and finances intact and a meaningful life after boxing. "Natural fighters" unfortunately all to often are just that, they only know one way to live. I don't need to see another delusional Holyfield who gets his head punched in, dreaming about being undisputed champ once more, a self - destructing Tyson, a speech - slurring Toney. I am very happy if boxing can shed the scent of the ghetto and be a sport not so different from other sports, where great champions are likely to be happy, balanced people.

 

Well said. But I do long for the more offensive minded Wlad of old.

 

Bump....Come on people, tell me why you dislike Wlad.

 

It most be his natural athletism or how easy he beats his opponents.

 

I think one of the reasons people dislike him is the fact that he is eastern European. That isn't my gripe- he is extremely effective with what he has and I wouldn't care if he was from Antarctica to be honest. That said, my perfect HW would have these attributes:

EXCITING: Gets hit a lot and dishes out the punishment in an entertaining manner.

PERSONALITY: HW boxing has lost all of it's characters- people always love a showman, nice guy or a villain. They keep people both watching and talking.

ENTHUSIASM: Enthusiasm to fight the best rather than hide behind insipid mandatories.

HEART: The ability to come up trumps when everything is against you.

That's my criteria in a nutshell.

 

People expect him to stand in front of an opponent, get hit a ton of times like Gatti and have a prime of 3 years, when he can dominate his opponents on his own terms.

 

Silly fanbase who talk rubbish about him endlessly, make him out to be better than he his and exaggerate how good his awful competition is in this pathetic era for heavyweights.

 

Now that the heavyweight division is more international, cultural differences are surfacing. In Europe, boxing in known as a gentleman's game, and people even box in parlours to demonstrate their skill. This is in contrast to the "I'm goin' to moider da bum" mentality. However, I think we do all want to see Wladimir dig deep in his heart when he faces adversity and come up swinging like his brother. This almost happened in the Sam Peter fight, and when he had Peter reeling in the last round, had he finished him off in brutal fashion, that may have turned the tide of American boxing fan opinion.

 

He's not American. It's as simple as that. If there was a ripped 6'7" American, who beat the crap out of everyone in the division, no one would call him "boring".

 

All fights finished inside of 4 rounds....all fights ending with the guy on his back...something that Tyson could not do, all the time.:admin:admin

How do I know...I structure my bets....I bet the guy would be on his feet...can I help it if that guy thought I ment it would go the distance.
A TKO is with the guy on his feet.:bbb

So I won bets....how ever no one ever made the same bet again with me.

 

Specifically, when Wlad had Chagaev in the corner I would like liked to see ... an upper cut to the body or face for a change. He had a great double uppercut in the Thompson fight, when I saw that I thought we were seeing a new and improved Wlad. Against Chag he showed very little vercitility, no desire to put his man away even when the guy looked next to dead in the corner. Come on, just throw somethign ELSE!

 

People are stupid

 

First off, because he's 100% a nightmare to watch. His fights aren't pleasing to the eye. He has physical advantages over his opponents that no other champions have at 200 on down. Bernard Hopkins fights the way he does because he's very old and has to pull out every trick just to win. But in his younger days, he was the "executioner."

Basically, Wlad is a *****. A guy that is not willing to take any chances. Is he a great HW? Yes. Is he fan friendly? No. Exciting? No. Give you the sense that he's out there to impress? No. There to just get a win despite how boring it might be? Yes.

He's a guy who is so much better than everyone else but is contempt with just a boring W. I'm sorry but for me as a fan, that doesn't cut it with me. Yeah, i would like him to take at least SOME chances. Lately, that simply hasn't been the case. A guy who is 100% calculated. But he's so much better than his opponents that even this style yields him KOs late. I mean this is a guy who could probably get KOs within 4 rounds even against the best.

But in the end, i can't blame him for his style given his chin. But that does make him boring. So in the end, it is what it is. A very boring style that yields him wins. Sorry, but i don't like it.