That was odd

He didn't have to do all that much to win, I mean.

He was so unimpressive its unbelieveable!

 

Very nice analysis and I agree, it was devoid of skill. I also noticed a few big problems Wlad has and tonight convinced me that he is not a solid champion. Any fighter who is willing to go in fast, trade and especialy if he is a lefty has a very good chance of ko'ing Wlad.

1. That pawing jab realy realy got me pissed off ... sorry thats not boxing imo and I dont even find it effective since once your arm is straigthened it has no potential danger whatsoever.
2. Thompson surprised me since he was fast and he somehow totaly disabled Wlads dangerous left. That was a huge surprise to me and this is imo an important factor which got Wlad into trouble since he 's gameplan had to be changed abit.
3. Thompson also made sure to hit Wlad on the body alot while he was trying to get tied up. You can see that Wlad got hurt abit by some of those shots.
4. Worst of all was the panicked look Wlad got whenever he got hit or realy pressured abit. He totaly lacked in defense then and tries to paw his opponent away from him.

If Wlad fights Haye and Haye can somehow find a way to eliminate Wlads left then he 'll win 100% if he keeps the pressure up. If Wlad can keep Haye at bay with his dangerous left then the fight will go like all the others after the 6th round.

This was my first realy disappointing fight of Wlad.

 

He was facing a guy with a real good chin, who stood in front of him the whole fight. Wlad did exactly what he needed to do and took what was offered to him. Should he have opened up more? Sure. Is it his style to do so? No.

He could have opened up more throughout the early rounds, but I don't think it would have done any good other than making him punch himself out. Thompson was NOT going to go down. As it was I think the KO punch was less "devastation" and more "I don't want to get up". I think its a good possibility that Wlad realized that this guy wasn't going down after a few big straight right bombs. And when he realized this he just took his time.

I'm not trying to say "Wlad is great, all hail the Steelhammer!". But I think it would be better served to have realistic expectations towards a fighter given what they've shown up until now.

I'm not going to say Tua has dissapointed me beyond belief because he didn't show up at 220lbs, because I know he isn't going to show up at 220lbs. Just like Wlad isn't going to show up and unload Armageddon on his opponent in the first half of the fight.

Was he unimpressive? I don't think so. You obviously had higher expectations of him going into the fight than I did.

 

Agreed! Thompson mostly lacked confidence and his coach only publicly distracted a usually calm but seemingly sensitive person

 

Oh, didn't you forget to mention something? Primo Carnera LOST as soon as the opponents got better. Carnera was mainly a beater of bums.

 

I've got no gray hairs myself and no bias, but let's be honest. It's been a long time since urban areas had 7 or 8 active boxing clubs that bred fighters, and it's been a long time since poor kids had few enough options to get them through the doors. Less poverty and more opportunities translate into less boxers which itself translates into less skilled/experienced boxers.

I'm just hoping that someone comes up through the HW ranks who has some much needed rage in him. That was a waltz today... can you imagine what a 1988 Tyson or even a 1919 Dempsey would have done to either man?

Klitschko is large and powerful, but he is NOT skillled in the true sense of the word and he has about as much killer instinct as a pacifist with a stubbed toe.

 

This is EXACTLY what I was expecting. I'm glad I finally didn't tune in to a Wlad fight. Your assessment basically describes the fight for me in such vivid way that I probably won't ever watch it.

The sad part is that Wlad knows how to throw more punches then he does these days. He seems to be terrifed of getting hit, though I don't think his chin is as bad as they say. There is no way Thompson should have gone 11 rounds with Wlad in the first place.

 

Good post. If you want to be disappointed again, watch Wlad's previous fight. He had a fighter in Sultan with no answers who looked and fought like Barney Rubble, and Wlad was worse than he was tonight. That slapping jab was atrocious. And Sultan's inability to time it and come back with something was even worse.

About Thompson. Thompson throws arm punches. That's it. He neither plants nor snaps his hip. He is not strong but lanky, he is a relative novice and he is not dangerous -only an awkward southpaw. And yet look at the problems he caused when he simply came in and applied pressure.

Wlad is not as athletic as he is touted as being. His timing is nowhere because he measures, measures, measures. He has the rythym of Boris Karloff in "The Mummy" (1932). I think Wlad's biggest problem is between the ears.

That Ph.d probably has made him too aware of what happens to a brain that is spinning on its stem after a hook... he's tentative. And he's ripe for any B-Level HW with malice and a good shot.

 

I don't care if Carnera lost every fight he ever had -that wasn't the point.

 

Work ethic/fight mentality has definately diminished and lack of boxing gyms are a sure factor but I wonder if some of us are anatomically inheriting and adapting toward a less physical lifestyle:think

 

Wow, bloody interesting observation here ...

I have no idea whether thats the case but its really another way of looking at it.

 

Excellent. What you offer would be a natural expectation. There are less of us willing to sweat and exert ourselves since their is less pressure to have to.

There are less competitors, but overall there is more technology and advanced nutrition now compared with "then".

However:
-Boxers advance better facing different styles practiced by many opponents -that's experience.
-Physical gifts are only one aspect of the boxer's assets -and not even the most important. Character is...

 

Of course not. First of all, I don't think he wan 1 round, I gave Thompson rounds 1, 3, 4 and 6. And the rounds he lost were all close, excluding round 11 of course. This is also evidenced by punchstats that show Thompson outjabbing and outlanding Klitschko with powershots (most of which went to the body, but they still count). So yes, Thompson was competitive, but he eventually was broken down, demoralized and knocked TFO.

 

Thank you.
You may get back to bashing Klitschko now.