Heavyweight Tourney:Rd 3:Wladimir Klitschko .Vs. John L. Sullivan

this is an interesting fight for sure.

John L always starts with a headbutt, i often read. I think he does in this one too and it hurts Vlad. The best version of Vlad stands straight and throws from range and clinches in close. His problem is that when he clinches John L, the fight is not over. He cops plent of decent shots in the clinches. John L had absolutely first class power and Vlad despite his advantages (and his own power) is going to be hit and hit hard by John L sullivan, regularly and from round one. I am yet to be convinced that Wlad can take these clean punches and continue to fight on bravely. I think that this looks a lot like sanders vlad i say John L wins in the 3rd round.

 

Everything that I know about Sullivan suggests that he would be a nightmare opponent for Wlad.

Sullivan was not some prehistoric version of George Chuvalo he was a dynamic offensive fighter in the mould of Floyd Patterson and Mike Tyson. I believe based on contemporary testimony that he was in the same category as Jack Dempsey as a finisher. I also believe that he had comparable speed.

Obviously my prediction has a healthy dose of extrapolation in it but I would be inclines to say Sullivan by TKO in the mid rounds say TKO6.

 

Sullivan fought under a completely different ruleset with tiny or no gloves, rounds that end when one is on the ground, etc. Wlad is great at his own ruleset and Sullivan at his, and i think Wlad would win behind the jab/right hand comfortably. John L carrying his hands by his waist wouldn't protect his chin from that anvil of a Klitschko right hand, either. Not to mention he's looking at gigantic size disadvantage. Wlad TKO10.

 

Wlad KO 2. Under any circumstances imaginable.

 

Wlad KO 2. The size difference is too much.

 

Klitschko's jab is something out of space for Sullivan but the tough Irishman gives it his all, until the right hand levels him around the 7-8th rd.

 

Did Sullivan carry his hands low?

 

Assuming he trained in a modern setting, I think John could adapt easily to the modern rules and would be very comfortable in a glove fight. From what I have seen, Wladimir would not be comfortable at all with the pressure John would bring to him in the ring. My pick is a John Sullivan win, by TKO, about round 4.

 

So, who which world class fighter did Vlad ever beat in 2 rounds. The closest he ever came was the 2nd round tko of Tim Austin, who was pretty much about on the same level as most of the Sullivan victims. Vlad would certainly want to hope that the fight goes more than 2 rounds because if it doesnt, i fear that this would be a corrie Sanders style beating all over again.

 

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But hey, despite all that evidence, with Janitor's imagination he fought from a peek a boo gloved boxing's Patterson/Tyson style.

 

i would like to say sullivan as i find klit negative and he looks scared when people come forward with purpose against him but i see the modern rules giving klit an advantage and the modern refs will probably break the fighters quicker so i will go for klit by ud but it would not surprise me to much to see sullivan win by stoppage

 

I think the more boxing historians study ancient fighters the more they tend to overrate them. Half of Sullivan's fights were against opponents that didn't have a single fight! And you think with a stance like that and no upper body movement, he wouldn't get hit all the time? Not to mention that Wlad is an olympic gold medalist of 6'6 and 245 pounds.
Wlad by KO whenever he wants it.

 

I produced an analysis based on multiple eyewitness acounts of Sullivan fighting in gloved contests.

All you have here is a picture of Sullivan in a bareknuckle fight, which is not representative of his stance in gloved contests, and a few posed photographs which are not particularly representative of anything.

 

I would give Sullivan a good shot at beating any heavyweight who ever lived, in either a bareknuckle fight of unlimited duration, or a queensbury bout of six rounds.

Sullivan was primarily a Queensbury fighter who specialised in short bouts of six rounds or less where he had to work against the clock for every second of every round. He only fought with bare knuckles due to the politics of the time.