This is a 50/50 fight too me. I could see a prime Bowe getting inside on Vlad and wrecking him but I could also see Vlad taking Bowe's head off with an uppercut. Great fight between two great yet flawed heavyweights.
You'd have to favour Wladimir Klitschko. Klitschko was the better athlete, with far better technique and was harder to hit, highly disciplined and much more consistent, with far more longevity at the top. Wlad's superior skills probably gives him a 8-4 type decision. However a KO is possible despite Bowe having a good chin - he's hittable and Wlad had the power to flatten anyone!
My heart says Bowe roughs him up and outhussles him in a scrappy, entertaining fight where both men have severely compromised moments...my head says Wlad wins a clear but competitive points win with Bowe a 'live' but clear second throughout...
Lets be real. Gun to head , nobody is risking their life picking Wlad.. Because to make an educated pick you have to go through his entire resume looking for opponents similar to Bowe. The best you will find is Povetkin who is smaller , slower and less skilled than Bowe. If you think all that clinching and hugging is going to save Wlads fragile chin and brittle mental state from Bowe , the best inside fighting SHW off all time ?? LOL. Bowe is all wrong for wk in every single aspect of combat
Wouldn't be a Wlad thread without him jumping in to dump on Wlad. I'm more surprised when I see him on threads that have nothing to do with Wlad at this point
This. Wladimir was a better, taller, longer, more powerful and more disciplined version of prime Golota and we already saw what Golota was able to do to Bowe. Yes I know Bowe’s better days were behind him at this point but he wasn’t THAT far past his best. 1993 Bowe was NOT as good as 2009-2010 Wladimir Klitschko. Regardless of what the usual suspects try and say.
IMO, the better heavyweight loses this one. Bowe has the tools he needs to beat Wlad, viz: aggression, determination, a good jab, an overhand right that's helpful now that he's a smaller fighter, sufficient size, blatant disregard for the rules, inside fighting skill, power. He's hittable enough that Wlad might switch him off like a light anyway, but I'd favor Bowe. Golota absolutely hammered Bowe, but he faced enough return fire that I'm not sure it's a great parallel to show Wlad's chances.
Tough one to call. Bowe at his peak had the kind of inside game that could really give Wlad problems, especially early on. He was fast for his size, threw in combination and didn’t mind getting in the trenches – which is exactly where Klitschko was most uncomfortable. That said, Wlad’s jab, discipline and ability to control distance can’t be overlooked. If Bowe doesn’t get to him early, Klitschko’s size, conditioning and safety-first style probably take over down the stretch. Bowe didn’t always come in prepared and that’s a big deal in a fight like this. I lean slightly toward Wlad by decision, just because I think he’d be more consistent over 12. But prime-for-prime, if Bowe shows up at his absolute best, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him get the stoppage either.
Golota made Bowe look dim, extremely dim his physical prime would make things different but not improve his IQ Wlad would vaporise him on the way in and if he can’t stay there it’s over… ref could make the difference.
Ironically, you gotta respect the Wlad-like consistency. Dino has more similarities to Wlad than he wants to admit. For example - most of the posters don't like him.