Let's face it, outside of Sanders, no one has consistently been able to land power shots on him. In his recent fights, nearly all right hands fired at him came up short and Wlad was out of range. It happened to Sultan, to Brock, to Peter, to Brewster twice (the first fight he didn't close the gap, Wlad simply tired), Byrd, McCline etc etc. His footwork combined with his reach, height, handspeed and the fact that a counter can take your head off obviously makes for a hard target. Though i wish he would've countered Sultan yesterday more, there was a myriad of opportunities there. Considering Povetkin threw 72 punches a round in his last fight, it will be interesting to see how much he can let his hands go against Wlad.
If he'd went into the Sanders fight with the same game plan he had last night then I doubt Sanders would have landed much either.
Povetkin versus Wlad could actually turn out to be a pretty exciting fight mainly because of Povetkin's style...although Wlad may hold too much during that fight !
agreed. wlad's defense is now top notch. his foot movement is flawless for a big man. the only thing i didnt like was the way he backed straight up. he should stood his ground and caught iggy coming in a lot more. sam peter was the last fighter to land a meaningful punch about 28 months ago. :yep
exactly. wlad can adapt to different styles. peter (brawler), peter (south-paw boxer), brock (orthodox), brewster (swarmer), iggy (south-paw boxer-mover). povetkin fits in with brewster's style the best. wlad would be forced to be more active and jab povetkin's face off. i could see a midround stoppage on swelling/cuts.
Hers's the problem, Iggy through no combinations, he just was looking for that one big shot to crack Wlad's weak chin, but it wasnt landing for him. The only significant punches he was able to land were to the body, which had no effect on Wlad.
So this is the take on Wladimir's dominance - nobody can penetrate into his guard, therefore he dominates em all? Sultan was expected to be short with his looping punches and to stay out of range, Brock just worked to the body with the right and was always an open target, Peter has no defense at all and doesn't move his head, Byrd has no power in his fists to face on even terms with a strong heavy, and Klit has the perfect, scientifical combination of power, handspeed, footwork, height and reach? People like Wladimir for one reason or another but I don't see anything exciting about how he capitalizes on what his opponents can't do to him... Wladimir gat to stick his chin against his chest and let his hands go in blazing combinations, jab-right hand, left hook, uppercut, take some and give some - it doesn't matter if he gets caught in the process, I don't want him to get caught... But if he's so worried about getting whacked and fights like that all the time, how can we all accept that he is so great? I guess I am speaking the truth here.
I couldnt agree more, thats why I give just about anyone in the division at least a 10% chance of beating Wlad, his chin is his obvious weakness. Whats missing in the divsion is someone with head movement and good footwork, that can give Wlad a hard time to land on him, someone who throws combinations, unlike guys like Peter, Iggy, and Chagaev who count on that one big punch to land.
I agree its seemingly impossible to get inside on him I dont believe ive seen him get clean in the face since the Peter fight and even then he only got hit clean after he was dazzed by rabbit punches. This is why I believe Valuev would give Wlad a fight cause he could close the distance obviously.
I don't know about chances but I know they are very low the way Wlad fights. Man, at least, can you tell me why he is said to be such an ATG? Is it because he is physically strong and fit, because he is a nice, humble guy and so disciplined, because he is fresh blood coming from the East and represents something against the american hwt establishment, something to do with his looks? I simply don't get it... People can't remember about Mike's killing season, Holyfield's stoicism, Big Daddy's aggressiveness, Lewis' coolness and deadly punchpower, Holmes' sleekness, Ali's class... Even Axel Shultz was a hero in Germany the way he faced ( and beat ) Foreman... Henry Cooper fought with blood streaming from his face...
I guess Wlad's the intellectual fighter?:think God knows, he certainly isnt tough for a Heavyweight champion. Even though Lewis had a less than stellar chin, at least he through punches with his oppenent, Wlad either clinches or tries laying on his oppenent. I dont get all the ATG **** either, Wlads far from it, especially with performances like that.
IMO Wlad can choose between his signature punches to KO Povetkin. The guy is open for a left hook or straight right hand and you saw how Chambers was toying with him. Wlad KO's Povetkin early -- if he chooses to :roll: Povetkin doesn't have a jab, doesn't hit hard enough, comes forward in straight lines/backs straight up with no head movement. He has excellent stamina, but everything else spells easy fight for Wladimir. I'd like to see Wlad in a fight where he has to show faith in his ablity to take a shot. Remember the Lewis-Mavrovic fight or even Lewis-Vitali? We will never see that type of fight from Wladimir. I don't know if the cause of it is careful (masterful) matchmaking or the poor state of the HW division.