Everyone calls Wlad great, but why hasn't he fought Valuev or James Toney?

Why is this important?

For one, James Toney has the ability to evade Wlad's punches, get inside, and make Wlad look clumsy. In an shape Toney will make Wlad extremelly reluctant to pull the trigger, which could cause a boring fight, but it will definitely trouble Wlad who will get tested, and who will get hit. In his entire career, he hasn't fought a guy with anything near James Toney's defense and style.

Some argue that James Toney is not who he used to be, and he's not. But styles make fights, and he is so difficult to hit, that a guy with Klitschko's physical attributes and style, and the fact that he has no uppercut, will make it very difficult to land on Toney.

He would likely win at this stage, but he would look very tenative and very bad in doing so.

Why is Valuev important?

Valuev was champion for a long period of time, and the fact that he is a huge heavyweight, bigger than Wlad as a matter of fact, is good not just because of the noriety of having too large men fight one another, but the fact that he offers stylistic problems for Wlad in which he has never encountered.

Valuev can be beaten by guys like Haye who has excellent mobility, but it wasn't his mobility alone that won him the fight, it was the fact that he managed to duck the majority of Valuev's punches. As far as Wlad is concerned, he has very little upper body agility, likely because he is musclebound. In fact, there is very few times that Wlad has ducked any of his opponents punches. The only time I recall him doing this was, the very uncomfortable looking, and few times he did it against Thompson, who he should have gotten out of there much faster.

The fact that he wasn't able to get Thompson, who stood straight up, with little upward mobility and relatively light punching in comparison to Wlad, speaks volumes on how he might perform against Valuev who is taller than Wlad.

Wlad's primary defense is to step back, put his guard up, or lean away from punches. Against Valuev, who by the way is awkward and somewhat difficult to land on cleanly, he will get hit and will look very uncomfortable in there with this guy. Klitschko has a questionable heart because every time he starts to get hit, he panics.

To me, it seems like out of the two brothers, Vitali only takes on challenges.

The last guy that Wlad took on that offered HIM trouble was Sam Peter. Since then, it has been an endless stream of gimme fight bums.

There is no reason he shouldn't have already fought James Toney or Valuev.

He better call his brother.

 

I have no doubt that Vitali would fight Valuev, but I have serious doubts that Wlad had or has any intention of fighting Valuev.

Wlad doesn't like to fight. And Valuev has the style and chin, that would force Wlad to get hit.

 

James Toney can still fight in my opinion. He just needs motivation. It's probably hard for him to get up for guys like Oquendo.

 

You're right that Wlad would keep his distance, and likely throw about 3 right hands a round if that, but Toney gets low, and if Wlad commits to any of his punches, Toney will have no trouble ducking it and responding with counter right hands.

 

Are you sure he would "clown" Valuev?

Valuev has more reach and more height than Klitschko. Klitschko hasn't really ever been in a position where he had to duck to evade punches. And when I've seen him try, he looked extremelly uncomfortable and showed little agility.

Not to mention that Valuev has a chin. So you believe that Klitschko would either learn defense practically overnight or that he would just endure the punishment to get the knockout.

 

You have done nothing to address my points. Wlad isn't any of those people that you mentioned.

 

Because Valuev offers problems stylistically that no other opponent in boxing aside from his brother can offer.

I think Wlad wants no part of him. He likes smallish guys with no power, who stand right in front of him.