If Wlad takes the rematch, would you expect him to be more aggressive?

Honestly, he's better off retiring at this juncture.

Wlad will be turning 40 soon and he doesn't need to continue fighting at this point. He's carved himself a hall of fame career and made exorbitant amounts of money. He should ride off into the sunset with his health still intact.

If he does take the rematch, he better learn how to bother fury on the inside and he needs to teach himself how to avoid clinching in the pocket. I have my doubts he can change his style too much at this stage in his career. He is who is he at this point and I can't see him changing from his hit and hold style that he's utilized for most of his career.

 

If Wlad fights like he did in the twelth, he knocks Fury out. Wlad is a talented fighrer, more than Fury will ever be. Too bad he refuses to let his hands go.

 

So with your last sentence are you saying that Wladimir did the right thing last night? If so, I disagree.

Also, you're talking about a guy who got KOD by Sanders and Brewster and then quickly agreed to fight undefeated KO artist Sam Peter less than a year later. At the time Sam was a scary mofo and favored to knock Klitschko out.

Wlad got dropped 3 times, got up off the floor and won that fight down the stretch fighting his azz off. That was followed by a historic run with the title. I just can't understand anyone calling a man with that kind of redemption story a coward. Not only does it not make sense, but it diminishes Furys victory.

A coward never would've set foot in a boxing ring again after the Sanders fight, much less the Brewster fight. ****, Wlad did more in his ameture and pro career by 2004 than 99.9% of fighters do in their entire lifetime.

 

Fury wasn't willing to engage either and he wasn't going to KO Wlad he was content to land a few flicking Jabs per round and keep moving. Lets not try and turn him into a savage punching KO artist. Neither guy committed to punches last night.

 

Maybe I'm blowing smoke up my own ass, but I feel I have a decent perspective in this sort of thing after sparring many rounds with JMW Carlos Molina.

Sometimes against a guy with a great sense of distance and awkward, jerky movements it can be very difficult to find the timing to punch. I used to laugh at the commentary during his fights, since Lara, Cintron, Kirkland, Smith and others were just having "off nights" and couldn't "pull the trigger".

Did age have anything to do with it? I'm sure it did. That being said Fury deserves credit for his command of timing and distance in the ring and he surely would be a handful for Wladimir at any stage of his career.

In a rematch, Wladimir has to work on fighting like the shorter guy or else he will be f'd. He may lose again anyway, but he has got to get low, step in and throw his short, hard punches like Banks was begging him to do or he'll have very little chance.

 

Nice post. I seriously have my doubts about the bolded part though. The commentators kept making mention of that during the broadcast and I just started thinking of all the fights Wlad has had during his championship run and how he's always fought in the same, identical manner.

He's just not a good inside fighter and his major issue is his instincts take over once he's close to his opponent and he immediately goes for the clinch. It's almost a reflex of his to go for the hold when in close proximity. Even with a long training regimen, I don't think he can teach himself to fight that much differently on the inside.

 

You are probably right, but he did land a couple of short left hooks late in the fight that may give him hope. Banks and Wlad certainly have their work cut out for them. Hell, Wlad could fight much better inside and throw way more punches and get clipped by the younger, bigger and faster fighter anyway, but if he's gonna do the rematch he has to find a way to get his superior power to the target.

After a rematch, should Wlad retire even if he wins? I think so.

 

If Wladimir takes the rematch and changes his strategy to a very aggressive assault then one or the other will be knocked out. I think Fury would be knocked out. It is not impossible for it to end up the other way. He should come out with a 'win or come back on your shield ' mind frame. So many act like he is some coward. That is nonsense. However, he will not beat Fury with the same style. It is as if the looked all night for the ko and fell for feints and herky jerky movement and became frozen. Forget about what Fury does and just go all out. I still think he will ktfo Fury if he does. We will see by mid 2016?

 

The best Wlad can hope for is that it was a sluggish night and he can gain some speed in a rematch.

He was trying educated pressure behind the jab but his hands were too slow. He can't beat Fury of he is that slow again, no matter what he tries.

 

Basically, Fury won the fight in first gear.

Maybe the champion should have shown more bottle.