Final Predictins...Wlad-Ibragimov

wlad in the 8th...otherwise iggy lasts the distance...

 

iggy gets stopped on the ropes in the third quarter.

 

wlad round 5 im betting on it

 

Klitschko vs Ibragimov not only matches two champions in their primes vs each other, it is a clash of styles, and a chess match all rolled into on.

Steward is a master planner, but so is Mayweather. I think the key to the fight is Wlad ability to set his feet and land the right hand or sweep wide to catch Ibragimov with his hook. Ibragimov is very quick on his feet, and his southpaw guard will make it hard for Wlad to land his jab. However Wlad is smart fighter too, and knows he can’t fight his normal fight.

If Sultan opts to go for it, and upset KO can happen. If Sultan gets cracked early, and thinks, I had better wait for the right moment to risk it, he is going to lose. The first rounds are key for both fighters.

Best guess is Wlad via 8th round TKO, up 4-2-1 on the cards with Ibragimov wining a round or two by a big margin.

The one thing I do not want in this match is controversy. Ibragimov can pull dirty tricks in the ring. He can butt and cause cuts like Holyfield, or go low like Golota.

PS: Some boxing guys I respect think Ibragimov can win the decsion the same way Ibragimov beat Holyfield and Briggs, except with more exchanges.

 

If Klitschko has never been outpointed in over 50 pro fights, Ibragimov is not the first one to do it. Upsets are always possible, but even when he was suprisingly beaten, Wlad was never outboxed.

 

It can't be final predictions cause we have a whole week to go and most will be present here in the Forum at fight night ( in my case at 5 a.m. watching it Live on TV). I'm not taking for granted as yet that Wladimir's physical advantages play a big part here since smaller also means that there is a smaller distance for punches to travel sharp and fast. Wladmir has very good handspeed and maybe Sultan will have a hard time to see his punch coming, move and couterpunch but if Klitschko goes in there resorting to long left jabs and occasional headhunting, I don't know... Ibragimov can beat Wladimir to the punch so it remains to see whether he can shake off some all mighty shots cause those will land on him for sure.

 

Wlad by ko or tko between round 7 and round 9.

 

How can this be a debate? Ibragimov only does ok against guys his own size or if they are bigger than him, guys who are a good for one round and then gas out. I just watched the replay of Holyfield vs Ibragimov on sun sports and it is evident to me this is a huge mismatch. Perhaps more of a mismatch than Klitschko vs Byrd. Ibragimov doesn't have enough power to keep Wladimir off which will result in a more aggressive Wladimir. In addition, Wladimir has all the size and strength advantage, which will allow Wladimir to pick Ibragimov apart with his jab and eventually setup his rights. This ends up in a KO / TKO within 8rds. Rds 1-3 wladimir warms up, rds 4-6 starts landing his jab, rds 7-8 punches have taken their toll and Wlad starts landing his right with frequency resulting in KO.
Also, I wanted to add that I would have thought considering Ibragimov is the smaller guy he would have somethings to his advantage such as punch technique or boxing ability. His punch technique looks very amateurish and the guy seems like a contender. As much non Wlad fan that I am, I have to say that Wlad will crush him.

 

Wlad plain and simple.

 

Now, that is unfair to say... How come a small guy with an "amateurish" technique systematically beats Holyfield and Briggs to the punch? Cause beating a guy to the punch has nothing to do with getting spent, I would add. I don't see much debate around here too but there's food for thought, or else people wouldn't go writing articles about this...Otherwise, is it fair to say that people who find this an intriguing match are only the ones who expect Wlad to get beat?

 

The Holyfield in there is not even a layer of a shell of his former self. He was standing right in front of Ibragimov not throwing punches, with exception to round 1 and 2, which I though he won. Other than that, he gassed out and fought rarely in spurts, allowing Ibragimov to outwork him. That was clearly the worse version of Holyfield I've seen IMO. The dude looked super old since the bell rang... Its sad to see him continue fighting. Briggs? Another guy completely done and way past his prime. liakhovich would have easily beat him on points if he would have listened to his corner and not tried to show that he's a tough guy, which resulted in him getting KTFO. Its the same old story, young guys beating up old guys out of their prime guys. Come Saturday, he ain't fighting a contender, someone old, or someone out of their prime... the truth will reveil itself.

 

The truth will reveal itself but you have not replied back to your amateurish technique claim... Man, it's not sufficiently obvious that Iggy has above-average handspeed, mobility and good punch timing and technique? I won't say he is not wide open to some of Wlad's shots and that he's gonna move around Wlad like he did to way-past-their-primes Holy and Briggs but there are not many other HWTs to give Wlad a competitive fight style-wise... I should know about it cause I've seen the same fights you saw and even wrote about it. I expect a Wlad TKO but not before six rounds...

 

Let's face it, Sultan throws very wide punches. Wlad throws crisp, straighter shots which will land with more regularity. Sultan's handspeed has allowed him to get away with it against old fighters and marginal contenders. Klit's handspeed is very comparable to Sultan's.

sultan is a good fighter. There are some things i really like. His two-fisted skill, handspeed, foot movement, intelligence, and courage. But his susceptibility to the straight hand, tendacy to languish in the pocket, and average chin will end him in this fight before round 7. I cannot lose, I have 3 avatar bets going

i hope wlad's critics here will start to give him his props after this. I won't hold my breath

 

In regards to the amateurish claims, yes its a bit harsh, but I think it's true. For instance, in the Holyfield fight, what the heck was that right he was attempting to throw as a jab?? he was pawing with it. That's why Holyfield was catching in the first couple of rounds when he had energy. He had no authority on his jab. Then his left, he throws it at times from his hip back then over the top. Like he winds it up. It almost looks a bit out of a movie or something. Thats what I meant by amateurish. Also, he sometimes has a bad habit of crossing his feet. The point wasn't to insult Ibragimov or his fans, but in comparing him to Wladimir, Klitschko throws straight punches and has a very good jab. And, this is in addition to the size and strenght advantage that Wlad has over him. If Ibragimov doesn't have anything behind his punches, like that paw jab, how does he intend on keeping Wladimir off of him?

I see we both agree on the outcome of the fight though. I think it will end in a Wlad TKO 7-8rds. IMO he just has too many advantages over Sultan. If Wlad was maybe the same height and within the same weight range, I would give him a better chance.

 

I agree 100%. Very well said... I was thinking the same and still writing when you got this off.