I was observing some of Solis' amateur fights yesterday. Here is Solis at 201 lbs in his gold medal match. He shows extraordinary speed in his hands and feet in addition to great stamina. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5_xoaO0ZJw Between 2004 and 2006, Solis puts on alot of weight (perhaps a bit too much). He loses much of the mobility, but retains the handspeed, and seems to have increased his punch resistance and power. He outlasts his opponents and usually manages to hurt them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpCgzC_YenU Shortly after the above fight Solis defected and turned pro. I imagine that with 20/20 hindsight, Oner would have moved Solis up fast (like Povetkin was brought up fast) and tried to force a Wlad fight back in 06-08. My question is....which version of Solis would have been a greater threat to Wlad? The lighter Solis (likely 215-220 lbs as a professional) that would have been just as mobile as Haye and could potentially outwork Wlad? Or the heavier Solis (probably 230-240 as a pro) who might have been able to absorb Wlad's punches and hurt Wlad?
the lighter version of course! who knows what he could have achieved if he didn't bulk up like he did.
Maybe. Solis is at his lightest weight as a pro and tries to move his feet like he did as an amateur but.....atsch. Haye nailed it in his comments...years of obesity caught up with Solis on that night. If Solis had been 10 lbs lighter and had spent the entire camp training and honing his form at that weight (235-240) then Solis-Vitali might have been a barnburner.
In reality, I see talent in Solis.... But not much else... Solis' whole mental approach and his recent physical approach is not nearly good enough to excel as an elite heavyweight... He needs to pull his head out of his ass if he wants to be taken seriously and to do well.... MR.BILL
I'm thinking that the style Solis wanted to use against Vitali was something similar to what he used in this fight (epic match up against Romanchuck)......but in 2011 was just too heavy and past it to be as mobile as he was in 2006.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDAHJFLF1V8&playnext=1&list=PL57BE81DBB510413C&feature=results_video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0Wn3UOFT9I&list=PL57BE81DBB510413C
I'm bitter about the Vitali fight. We got just enough to see that it was going to be really interesting, and then his knee collapsed. I really would like to see him make a run at the top soon.
