It takes a man to admit to a mistake....Thanks to slo-motion and watching ten times I finally gave that disputed 15th vs Norton, to Ali by a hair... A man will be wrong in his life. A real man will admit it. Just realize, that there was once a Greek who boxed in the Roman blood Games....he was 4,000 and 0, 4,000 KO's and 2,000 survived. No, he did not kick them when they were down, nor wrestle...just studded gloves...not even spiked.... No judges but the ground. He must have hit like nobodie's business....that half those he KO'ed died. Now that was the best fist fighter who ever lived, by far.
My God...where did this thread come from....so many quality posters...I've not seen this type of quality in a thread since the big Crash of '04, and before. Thank you guys....for an intellgent well thought out thread...It is so refreshing. I remember well when Lewis was hated as much and for the same reasons...using his advantages instead of letting his chin be checked and throwing wild hooks to the gloves. Well, folks wanted Ali to take more chances too(or at least try, instead of playing with his food so often and too long), and he didn't..A small guy like Rocky, Frazier or Tyson must take chances. Wlad knows better than most how a single punch can change a fight at Heavy. Boxing is the art of hitting with out being hit.... Some haters, forget that he is facing the very best of the year, every year as so well put by a few posters on this thread...and they want him to be Tyson. Those are the same type of posters that refused to admit after Jail, Tyson was a bum, who never really tried to be champ again, fighting nobodies for big money.
Wlad has always been a decent boxer, he just isnt that exciting but technically he does 1 or 2 things top notch. Ps. favouritism aside... do you still think Haye would beat him ? My prediction remains the same, Wlad dominates for 8 rds & stops Haye in the 9th. :thumbsup
He's a very good fighter, but Chagaev is ****. Always was, he looked like crap against old, British title level Matt Skelton. The problem is that the division is a farce, beating Valuev is a given, the lumbering joke barely scrapped past the most shot fighter in pro boxing in Holyfield. The best two fighters in the division wont fight each other because they are brothers. I respect that, but it would be like Frazier never fighting Ali, or Lewis never fighting Holyfield. The one and two in the division and clearly so wont meet, but they both fight shot to bits fighters or the other contenders who are by and large garbage. The era is pathetic, and both of the Klit brothers would have been tough, dangerous opponents in any era, but not at the top of the tree. But with the era as it is, the fact that ability wise they would have competed well in most eras becomes a little irrelevant, who they fight now is how they have to be judged in the main, and who they fight shows what a **** shower this division is.
He's got massive size, AND skill and power. Extremely rare combination. That is why noone can deal with him.
I still think Haye is a great guy and a great fighter - but no, I no longer believe he will beat Wlad. I think he will do a lot better than anyone else has against Wlad in the last couple of years, but ultimately Wlad will win.
I can think of one guy who had the hand speed and power to beat Wlad. I think it was... Corrie Sanders!!!! Wlad may be much improved by Steward, but Sanders had the size, power and handspeed to nullify what Wlad is doing now also. If you can get to Wlad, it's game over for him. I think that is what people have a problem with Wlad. The fact that we all know that he is always one decent punch away from being KO'd. No one likes that attribute in a HW champion. It sure does take away from the invincibility factor that most well liked HW champs normally have. That is also why I think that Lennox Lewis never quite got the acclaim he deserved also.
Yes, you're completely right - Wlad hasn't improved at all in the near 7 years since that fight. **** off til you gain a clue.