At 41 he showed the heart, courage and chin that most of his continual detractors said he never had to go toe to toe with Joshua. Probably the best HW fight of the decade so far.
At 41 years of age and 1.5 years out of the ring he almost stopped the best heavyweight in the world and had the fight about even on points going into the 11th rd. Anyone who doesn't give Wlad credit is simply not a fan of the sport.
Agree. Fight of the year imo so far and one of the best HW fights ever, yeah I said it lol. Great performance by both. Both fighters overcame adversity, some fireworks! Thoughts on the stoppage?
I'd say it raised it a fair bit strangely. I thought it very possible he get blasted out in 2 rounds and damage his reputation. Joshua tried that and it didn't work, nearly getting taken out himself. If Joshua goes on to dominate it will only enhance Wlad's legacy, that he at 41 was able to do what no one else could. and its very possible AJ will dominate now, his brute force seems to be hard to take regardless of his other faults that were exposed tonight.
Wasn't expecting a loss to do much for Wlad but I think this one actually helped a bit. Rebutted some of the tired hyperbole about his "glass jaw," showed that he can be effective without resorting to excessive "jab and grab" tactics, showcased some of his general boxing skills (lateral movement, feinting, quick footwork to escape a big, explosive opponents' punching range, etc.)
I lost most of my vcash so I now hate him. jk Yeah, he was dancing out there for a bit. Adam Smith with his usual hyperbole about greatest footwork ever for somebody his age, or maybe it was Froch. Either way, it was pretty believable hyperbole for a change. Wlad came to play and he almost did it.
They both proved a lot. Joshua gained a lot of experience and confidence in this fight. Wlad came close, he really should have been able to finish Joshua in the 6th... a few years ago I think he would have. No shame. It was a good fight, good for boxing, good for the Heavyweight division. Joshua is the #1 for sure. 1. Joshua 2. Klitschko (no one else could have gone thru that) 3. Wilder 4. Ortiz 5. Parker 6. T. Fury (he has a long way to go to get back to where he was) 7. H. Fury 8. Brown (he has a lot to prove) 9. Povetkin 10. Whyte Others- Stiverne, Pulev, Jennings, Wach, Szpilka, Martin, Glazkov, and a few others. The HW division can be exciting with the right fights.
Wlad should have kept the left hand up more (nothing new though), he should have went to the body more, and he should have thrown a few double jabs. He also should have set up the hooks with jabs... but thats asking a lot, he is 41
Just watched it. I think Joshua got too worked up when he had Wlad down in the 5th and spent himself, but before that and after being floored he was more or less perfect tactically and technically. Wlad, as ever, wasn't pretty, but he's very tricky and has that game chanhing power. Actually, I think he looked to do to Joshua somewhat what Fury did to him. Don't think I've seen him bounce around like that before. Joshua proved to me that he's the real deal. He really looks the complete package except for those spurts of over-eagerness that he also displayed against Whyte. Experience should sort that out though and tonight probably went a long way. As for Wlad, he proved to me that he overcame something mentally in the first Peter fight. He doesn't panic anymore when he's pressed and/or in trouble. That gives him a big boost in hypothetical h2h match-ups.
A LOT I never thought Wlad had that kind of heart that he showed, the way he lost his titles to Fury was shameful in my opinion and I thought Wlad showed that the HW title didnt mean enough to him to let his hands go against a moderate puncher who wasnt beating him up or badly shaking him in Fury but he proved me absolutely wrong tonight.
Every solid combo he was hit with put him on the canvas. Fragility is Wlads main issue and why he held with all his might anytime an opponent came within arms distance.
You cannot question Wlad's heart, the man gets up inspite of having a weak chin. He fought a more braver fight than in the past.
