Best Chance to beat the Klitchskos

Because Byrd's late career stint at LHW was a weight drain disaster that proved that he shouldn't have been fighting there in the first place. In other words, by that stage he wasn't a natural LHW.

 

I might point out that he was 38 at the time!

If you can make the weight at that age even painfully, then there is probably a substantial portion of your career where you could have done it effectivley.

Tommy Loughran was 31 the last time he was able to make the light heavyweight limit.

 

Fast, big, powerful, capable of stringing together pressure with a consistent punching motion to stay dangerous.

Lennox Lewis, basically. Prime Shannon Briggs with a gas tank might work. Joe Louis at best.

You need to combine impact AND delivery that demands respect with an elite method of hitting the target. Then, you need to add composure, at an extremely high level(Chambers melted late). Then you need to add the stamina and the aggression to keep bringing the fight too them; The best chance you have to get Vitali out of form and to make Wlad panic is to get them backing up under siege. For Vitali, you need an elite defense to defend his weird angles and awkward style of punch-counter punch. For Wlad, you need an elite chin, because if you don't, you won't survive the punches he throws with bad intentions, which he will do eventually.

Finding all these ingredients in a fighter is hard. I don't see anybody out right now with them. Pulev could maybe take an old Klitschko, but frankly, he needs to be bigger and needs a better defensive style than what he's got. There is a reason these guys are dominant champions. Whereas guys like Joe Louis were incredibly complete fighters, guys like the Klitschkos are incredibly difficult puzzles; If you dont have the tools to solve them, you won't win.

 

Diuretics are a wonderful thing (well, maybe not...)

Just because you can physically make the weight doesn't mean you're in peak fighting shape. If Byrd could have ever got down to LHW and still retained his skills then you can be sure it was a very long time ago.

The man was a heavyweight, albeit a light punching one, but a heavyweight nonetheless.

 

I was as light as I have ever been, ever, at 34. It sucked.

Byrd didn't cut the natural way. He damaged his body severely, and still suffers the consequences.

 

If Mitchell had had a chin I'd have given him a decent chance against Wlad.

Prime McCall would have been dynamite.

Ironically, someone like Arreola might have the right combination of toughness and come-forward pressure to shake Wlad up, though I doubt he has the overall skill. The type of brute punching toughnut doesn't exist in the heavyweight division now. Perhaps guys like Brewster were the last of their breed (in the states at least).

 

That's sad to hear. Byrd is one of the good guys.

 

He's a great trainer.

Seriously, anybody in his area wants a boxing coach...Look Chris up if he's still doing that. He knows his ****.

 

Maybe eventually. Mitchell is too crude. His game would have needed to be tighter. But he certainly had the mindset and the strength.

 

I've always liked Byrd. You can tell he knows exactly what he's talking about, and has the ability to analyse situations in greater depth than most. His online talkshow is great, if you haven't seen it.

 

Mitchell looks like a total amateur. His footwork is non existent

Arreola has no chance.

People tend to focus on what they perceive as being a glaring and easy to exploit weakness in Wlad. Two things they ignore is how hard it is to get the combination to that lock AND how much you have to pay in order to deliver it. What's coming back from Wlad is fairly devastating.