Love or loathe him, quite frankly Wlad is one of the best heavyweight champs ever. Enjoy your retirement, you have earned it.
Just a pity the fury/joshua challenge never came 5 years earlier. Went too long fighting guys that he outclassed to the point it wasnt competive to watch. Say what you want about wlad and how he fought tho...but it was always up to the opponents to break his style down which for years no one could. Great champion. And showed at the end...he had a set on him as well. Big challenge at 42 taking on a young champion like joshua...for once he showed giving up the advantages didnt matter when he spent most of his career holding ptetty much every advantage possible. He made the right choice tho 42 year olds as good as he is have no business going up against joshua imo as close as he was and could be to win the fight/rematch. Just a bit too big of a risk considering hes wealthy with a good legacy and his health intact. Tend to think the opponents deserve more criticism than wlad ever did.
Did all you can ever ask of a champion and that is dominate the era they are part of. An ATG and at his prime holds his own and is competitive against any other ATG heavyweight in history.
Hearn had already planned on the rematch to take place Nov. 11th in Las Vegas, but I guess he jumped the gun.................if would have been the best heavyweight fight out there, but Vlad has plenty of money, did not need to fight anymore.
Have to disagree with this I mean come on how could you forget Audley Harrison? Seriously it's easy for some to dis pro boxers from behind the safety of the Internet but how sure are you that you would have been any more exciting than Wlad? Have you ever fought in a boxing ring? Would you have the balls to call these Pro Boxers such names while in a sparring session with them?
You judge a world class boxer and can't even box yourself - nuff said. If you ever have the balls to spar in a boxing ring you will realise it's not all that easy - as Mike Tyson said "everyone has a plan (or opinion) until they get punched in the face". Real life fights aren't always like the movies, this is not WWF, the Rocky films or a Jason Statham fight scene. Welcome to the real world.
Check his record out - full of bums (David Haye 2011) and he is an ex World Champion ya nobber. As for balls, I go ahead on the street with anyone, without any rules, without the safety of a ref intervening and could not really give a shyte whether unarmed or armed.
Fighting against untrained, unfit people on the street is what hooligans do. It's easy to fight with people who aren't trained and fit. Yes the world (esp the Internet) is full of people who think they are 'ard e.g. Vinnie Jones http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...Jones-brawl-star-Tamer-Hassan-restaurant.html Lol @ calling proboxers bums and cants from behind the Internet when you haven't even boxed yourself, as if a couple of minute streetfight can be compared to going 12 rounds with a top level proboxer. It's obvious who the cant is, nuff said.
You assume people are not fit and the hardest men are boxers when the ring is actually very safe compared to street fighting where there are no rules, no ref, sometimes numerous opponents at the same time and unknown weapons. I know many people that would chop anyone down including pro boxers and some much smaller than the likes of Clit. Setting your trolling aside, get back to the record and videos of clit - you see that his legacy is one of fighting 95% puddings who had no chance for the reasons outlined in a post above and he even made those fights very boring. The Worst ERA in Heavweight Boxing ever with the Worst Champions seen including Charles Martin and Pudding Stiverne. The only difference with Clit is he stayed around feasting on those no hoper puddings. Where has his 'obsession' gone - the man has never had any heart and he was always going out like a fanny in retirement when someone knocked him down. Current age not the issue - Hopkins and Foreman proved that. Legend my arris
It's you who is assuming, I've boxed since 14 (over 20 years) and more recently have taken up Krav Maga. I understand the limitations of boxing in street fighting but also understand the dam hard work it takes to be able to box for 12 rounds. Plus I don't just talk smack talk from behind the Internet calling everyone a bum or a cant. You're the one dising pro Boxers, what has that got to do with other people who may or not be able to beat a boxer in a street fight? Yes Wlad often played a straight bat and wasn't the most exciting, Jerry Quarry was the opposite. They turned Jerry's (RIP) life support off when he was 54 (as a result of boxing injuries). Getting out after being champ for so long without major permant damage is something to be respected in my book. Unfortunately it's something even Ali didn't achieve. Wlad is not responsible for the level of competition put in front of him. Wlad is now a father, has a wife who has suffered PND. It's hard enough training for a fight without those distractions. We are all different and people get old at different times, Vitali also retired shortly after 40. Wlad put up a great performance against Joshua even in his 40's, it was very close. Let's see how boxers such as Wilder do against Joshua before we start dissing Wlad's legacy. Instead of bitchin and just talkin why not get yourself down to the local boxing club? I'm sure people in the training Forum would help. Only then will you realise the hard work that it takes to get (and stay upright) in the ring and you will show all boxers the respect they deserve.
I will never respect a big robotic coward with zero heart who hand picked pudding after pudding. Legend my arris