Is current Wladimir better than the Wladimir who lost to Sanders?

FAR better clearly.

Back then Wladimir was more aggressive, had poor defense, off-balance and was quite predictable with his attacks. Wladimir now is well paced, uses the jab perfectly, sets up power punches and uses his legs far better.

 

wow you sure showed me

 

that means hes to predictable aparently tho..so no he isnt better:thumbsup

 

Overall, he is much better; but, he did lose some things along the way. His offense was better. He used to put combos together better. He used to use a little bit of head movement too. Now, he's much better protected by using the holding, his balance is better, but he's also much more predictable. He's become a specialized fighter.

 

He's just a boxer, he's not your friend. Don't take it personally. It's not like you were brutally dismantled by a bum in your 42nd professional bout.

 

yup but can't improve a glass jaw so he likely gets stopped again

 

:rofl:rofl:rofl:rofl

 

Much better now. I just dont see anyone beating this guy right now in his prime.

 

Wlad was more ruthless back then and didnt have cautious 12 rounders like he did with Haye, Chambers, IBRAGIMOV.

Wlad is only better at grabbing. Offensively I think hes digressed.

 

Well he never rematched Sanders nor faced anyone with his speed, power and Southpaw stance ever again so it's hard to tell. His gameplanning is better though. But if I were pitting the old Wlad vs the new more cautious Wlad? I'd pick the old Wlad who was more aggressive by TKO.

 

Ibragimov was faster than Sanders. Ibragimov is underrated. Fast and powerful southpaw who could take punches very well. I rate Ibragimov over Sanders.

Wlad of today is much better offensivly and defensivly. The Wlad of today is like the Wlad from the earlier days (amateurs and until 1998) with better balance and tactics.

 

Depends on match ups.

I give Wlad a BIGGER chance of beating Lewis in with his early 2000's version then this current Prime Version.
This current Prime Version IMO will lose to Prime Lewis a lot more then the early 2000's version

Early 2000's Wlad had a chance to bomb Lewis out early. (prime Lewis even)


But against Prime Tyson
this current Wladimir I say got a better chance, the pre steward one will just get brutally koed.

 

Ibragimov didn´t have the offensive arsenal and killer instinct of Sanders though. I still think a fighter like Sanders with that kind of hand and footspeed and power will always be a danger for Wlad, at least for 3 or 4 rounds. I won´t say that Sanders would get the job done 10 out of 10,

but he has a much better chance than any of the opponents after him.

 

I'd say he's more self-assured and confident now. He's at the top of the heavyweight heap and he knows it.
Whether or not he's actually better now is hard to say though. People say he is more patient and picks his punches better, but I think it's largely a result of fighting guys who don't pose much of a threat. That's not his fault I know, but still.

For example, in the Peter rematch he did indeed dominate, pick his shots and control range. But Peter was (and always will be) a raw, crude slow-footed plodder, albeit one with power. He was also shopworn and ripe for the picking.

Essentially, you had a well-schooled fighter with good technique beating up a poorly schooled, slow fighter with limited ability. The end result was inevitable. It's also worth noting that Vitali fought and beat Peter in exactly the same way.

With the exception of Haye, who has the wrong style for Wlad anyway, I don't think he has fought a challenger who posed the threat that Sanders did. Sanders for all his shortcomings, had speed, power, MOBILITY and was experienced. He was also a southpaw and an aggressive fighter.

Sanders didn't beat Wlad because Wladimir was unprepared...I don't buy that. The guy is always in shape mentally and physically.
Wlad had to come looking for Sanders who danced around the outside, and he got caught because of Sanders' quicker hands.

Wlad today would fight Sanders differently, or should I say his approach would be different...more cautious, but he'd still have the same problems to deal with that he had the first time. (And don't forget, Sanders was at the end of the road himself. He was brought in as an opponent and was never expected to put up much resistance.)

So to me, it's hard to say whether he really has improved all that much from his younger days...he hasn't faced a genuine threat in a long time.

If Wlad does come unstuck against someone in the future, I think it will be against a fellow big man that can reach him and hurt him.

 

early wladimir would get destroyed by lewis..this wladimir vs prime lewis would be a complete toos up and a chess match and a genuine 50/50 fight