This idea that Vitali and Wladimir are dominating solely due to their size makes me laugh for two reasons. Firstly, it's not the first time a guy who is three to four inches taller than the average person he fights has dominated the division. Secondly, It's only the third time anyone taller than 6'5 has had sharp boxing skills, all year round discipline, an intelligent strategic mind and an ability to hit like a horse. (Lennox and Wlad being the other two) Joe Louis at 6'2 was much taller than the average HW of his era. Mohammad Ali at 6'3 was much taller than the average HW of his era and had notable problems with Norton and Foreman when they were his own size. Lewis was much taller than the average HW of his era. Anyone who doesn't agree that size was as much the reason for their ability as it is for Vitali or Wlad is stupid to a level I didn't think possible prior to signing up here. Height is always going to be a factor, but only if it's combined with skill at using it. Very few guys above 6'4 have ever shown the type of conditioning, co-ordination and power that firstly Lennox showed and now the Klits show. Foreman at 6'4 was a monster hitter, but no one can ever call him a skillful technician, his body punching was savage, but wide armed and relied more so on intimidating his opponents through foreward movement rather than slipping and hitting ala Vitali.
Talking about size how about the superbeast Guilmero (I know its wrong) Jones. A 6 foot 3 welterweight! He would make Paul Williams look average sized.
Superb post imo.... :good Also... should we make a list of all the fighters over 6'5'' who are hardly a fraction as good as eather brother? no because i dont want to be here all day... People need to start giving Wlad and Vitali the respect they have earned.... IMO.
Me too. I can respect that Wlad has knockers because of his subpar performances when being hit in the past, but the new Wlad seems to have put those early years behind him, is a lot more composed in the ring and has avenged one of those defeats. Vitali, had he not been injured against Byrd and cut against Lewis - that's a great What if story. I think had he taken those two fights as he seemed like he was going to do, the argument for him being an ATG would be there. His resume doesn't stack up to his unbeatability in my view.
A tall boxer who knows how to use his size has the greatest advantage in the sport of boxing. If he dose not know how to take advantage of his size than hight maked no difrence.
It's not their size that makes the Klitschko's hard to beat. It's their skill, their seemingly limitless dedication to fitness and improvement, as well as natural assets which they have in spades like power, handspeed, and..... size, but that's only one of many factors.
The Klits are great boxers and have earned their places on the top of the heap. Sad thing is they'll never get the respect the deserve until they engage in a war. If Lewis had stuck around for a rematch with Vitali we could've seen it. But sadly both guys seem to be head and shoulders (excuse the obvious and unfunny pun) above the rest of the division at the moment and unable to find anyone who'll push them to their limits. Without epic fights or rivalries which push these 2 to their absolute limits they are destined to go down in history as caretaker champs who looked after the divison while it went through a lean patch. Obviously they need to fight each other - but I'm not holding my breath on that one. Anyway their size has little to do with their dominance, it's only one of the tools they've used to get where they are and it wont be enough in isolation to save them should a better fighter come along.
They've got every aspect, in my view. Both brothers are deceptively quick in their handspeed. Both brothers are deceptively good with their foot movement. Both brothers have styles of defense that work well for them Both have world class power. Both throw angles that are hard to defend against. Both are always in tip top condition. Both are strategic thinkers who can generate a gameplan in the ring. The difference is, Vitali can take a punch and Vitali doesn't lose composure when hit. Vitali would beat Wlad, owing to this
Probably, but I'd give Wlad even money to take the fight the distance and get a UD or possibly a split. He's the better technical guy out of the 2 IMO and I dont think Vitali has fought anyone as defensively sound as Wlad is now since Lewis, also I'm thinking Vitali may have slowed a little since the Lewis fight. So 50/50 fight for mine, and probably the only one out there right now that would test each guy. Sadly it seems as though we'll never see it.
I personally think Wlad would beat Vitali... One thing i honestly can understand of detractors is if the opposition is good enough to push you to the limit, then fans sometimes would like for you to exit your safety zone and fight them in a way that puts a ! on your victory. Wlad does that in a way, by winning every round on way to a usual one punch knockout... but fans want to see someone going in there for the kill... so in a way yes i understand that, but after the brewster fight its hard to blame wlad for being conservative, as i dont think that loss had anything to do with his chin as much as it did with him just exhausting himself by not fighting 'within' himself as he does now. Id like for him to find that middle ground like him in the older days.
Are you kidding me? What kind of thread is this? Get real. Height makes all the difference. Height (usually) equals reach. All things being equal, a taller fighter wins. At this point I think the Klit's domination says as much about their skill as it does about the lack of talent in the HW division. Why? Because when they met a guy their size or even fading competitive HWs... They lost. They are victims/benefactors of American circumstance. The NFL and PPV have gutted American HW boxing. I take nothing away from them as men and sigular talents. They are great competitors. They are what boxers should be. Unfortunately they are not in there with the era of fighters that would ever prove them as "great" champions. Had they fought in The States and not hid in Europe in the late 90's we would be looking at far different men.
This is ESB man. Being larger and fighting "C" class athletes in the heavyweight division (because the most talented large athletes are plying their trade elsewhere) and/or fighting talented opposition only when they are old are the two most overlooked, resisted, and intentionally ignored points. It is a "demographic" thing more than anything else. It is a bit like asking a population of the tone deaf who sings well. How could they know?
