Wlad/Lennox - Why The Hypocrisy ?

Good point there.

 

Those points perfectly sum up what I wanted to say.

 

Wlad has shown a clear flaw in handling a pressure. He has been overwhelmed by four different fighters really. Even in the Sam Peter fight, he was completely lost, and was able to weather the storm against a fighter who wasnt in the best physical condition and couldnt finish him off. Wlad simply cant fight. He can box with the best of them from the outside, but take away the boxing match, and hes dead meat. That being said, easier said than done, because like Lennox Lewis, Emanuel Steward is teaching Wlad how to control a fight on his terms and avoid the rough fire fight, something Lewis could and would engage in from time to time, and something Wlad has still not proven he is capable of doing.

 

Surely you could find excuses for Lennox's losses too if you wanted.

Either way, Puritty was the very definition of a journeyman. McCall and certainly Rahman were at least a notch or two above that level.

 

Vlad has not had the BIG win yet at the level of a Tyson or a Holyfield...he needs a big fight but its not his fault...not there yet

 

I also consider him a great man, but merely a very good boxer in an objectively awful time for the heavyweight division. Given his spotty record against men who wouldn't even qualify as heavyweights decades later, no sensible analysis can rationalize the acclaim his BOXING receives.

 

Yeah, maybe so.
But my point of contention was over your claim about how Wladimir Klitschko will be received by historians 100 years from now.
He'll probably be forgotten, whereas Johnson will still have some (perhaps many) supporters.

I do expect Wlad to be rate in the top 10 by almost everyone on ESB classic though within about 3-5 years following his retirement, and that might last a decade or two. He's already overrated, IMO.

 

Wlad has a much weaker chin than Lewis and fights very conservative because of it. He has rebuilt his career following three pretty devestating KO's by altering his style. He would be a tough match up for most because of it but I do not see him ever being top ten. There are many great fighters that would have cracked his chin. I believe , off the top of my head, the following would have defeated Wlad:

Dempsey
Johnson
Louis
Liston
Ali
Frazier
Bowe
Holyfield
Tyson
Lewis
Vitali
Walcott
Holmes
Witherspoon
Foreman
Norton

 

Good post. Totally agree, find it odd when people seem to rate him very highly in H2H terms. Its pretty simple really, if youre a top level boxer and you can make it a fight against Wlad you will win.

Obviously its not easy to make it a fight against Wlad but a few people have done it, and I'm damn sure that the vast majority of top heavyweights going through the years would be able to, and therefore get the win.

 

:good I put Lewis at best at no 10 heavy of all time..No way is he near the top 3or 4. If Wlad were to retire today Id put him around 20.

 

I would sure like to see your All time heavyweight rankings. You put Dempsey in the category with Patterson,Norton,JEffries,WIllis :huh In his era he was dominant and deserves a better ranking than 15. I dont think Wlad will ever pass him up.

 

I think Norton, with his own super fast, hard jab and huge wingspan, has a hell of a shot busting Wlad up real good. One of his overhand rights and Wlad goes down harder than Duane Bobick.

 

LEwis-Rahman 1 was at high altitude and Lennox didnt get to altitute until just before the fight where as Rahman had been there for weeks. High altitude is hard to perform at if you arent aclimatised

 

You've just shown your complete ignorance of Dempsey and his era, Wills (not Willis )was every bit as dominant as Dempsey in the exact same era, he was actually dominant for longer perhaps against better competition. Wlad already has competition as good as Dempsey