In your view, was George Foreman largely right in this interview about Wlad?

Very good post.

I can see an argument for Wlad being as good as or even better than some all-time greats. He has a style which suits him perfectly, he has a lot of assets and even though he has physical weaknesses, they're not easy to exploit or as vulnerable as some make out.

However, that is only part of it. There isn't a heavyweight champion in history who I see as being as mentally frail as Wlad. I'm thinking off the top of my head here, but I can't think of any genuine world champion who was as mentally weak as him either. Wlad has admitted he isn't a fighter at heart, there are stories about panic attacks when he gets hit and then there's the video footage we have of him reacting terrible when he takes a shot.

All those things are fine against poor opposition. When Haye hit Wlad, he held on and that's all. When Thompson hit Wlad, he held on. Many others haven't been able to hit Wlad clean and when they have, he usually grabs them until the referee breaks them up after he's recovered. Now that's perfectly fine against limited opposition but against greats?

To me, there is a very high chance that Wlad could crumble against all of the greatest heavyweights. He has an edge on Liston stylistically, especially because of his jab, but if Liston lands a right hand, how would Wlad react assuming he doesn't get knocked out? I think there would be genuine fear in his eyes, far more than what Floyd Patterson ever felt. Joe Frazier was a lot short and Wlad could be able to keep him at range, but if Frazier gets on the inside and starts landing to the body, would Wlad take it well or would he panic?

Physically, Wlad is great. Stylistically, he has an edge over many elite fighters. Mentally, he is as frail as anyone I've ever seen in boxing and when I say that, I consider fighters who quit, took a dive or looked scared before a fight. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any fighter who is as frail as Wlad is mentally.

These intangibles are often what define greatness. There are plenty of great athletes out there, who have fast hands and hit hard. The question is, how will they react when they get hit? Not everyone who is physically gifted has the mentality for boxing. Wlad may just be extremely lucky that he's fighting in an era where the only person to test that weakness was Sam Peter. In that fight, Wlad escaped by the skin of his teeth.

 

Glad you appeared in this thread.:good

A welcome relief to that cadre of wriggling trash that infected the previous page.

 

Are "your mum" jokes just becoming popular in whatever eastern European, third world shithole you're from?

 

It's possible, but first they gotta get past that jab and that huge straight right. They both hurt like ****.

 

Good to see you here too! It's great to know that I'm not the only non-transvestite on this forum.

BTW, check out the thread one of the bums I humillated today started about me on this page!:good

 

So, do you agree with Foreman that Void is afraid of Pac?

Axel Schultz beat the craq out of Foreman, totally one-sided fight, but Vlad was the first to knock Schultz out! KO rd. 8.

Vlad would have knocked Foreman out. Wonder why Vlad's knockout ration is so very high? If Vlad can't fight, then who does he get all his knockouts? How did Vlad win the gold medal? Vlad hits harder than Foreman, better defense, better stamina, better skills by far........

 

@ at it needing to be said.

 

Hhaha.....just no.

 

Of course you don't care, you'll grasp at any straws to criticize them

So you're one of the sheep that takes robberies without complaint because they're "official"? Ok.

That you're a hater trying to pass as an impartial poster, which is quite pathetic.

I see you didn't comment on the owneage I delivered regarding all the other fighters you had mentioned, either :yep

 

Spot on. :good

 

You have to applaud him for always coming into the ring in shape. It's been a fatal flaw of many champs in the past, and to his credit he has always been in excellent shape for a fight.

Also, as you say, boxing is ultimately about hitting and not getting hit.
But (there had to be one ) this is the heavyweight champion we're talking about.
People watch boxing for excitement, and in particular the heavyweight division. The Champ should not be a safety-first fighter, simple as that.
No safety-first heavyweight champ has ever been a popular fighter with the crowds.

There is a big difference between having a sound defense and still looking to get a guy out of there, and a guy who is by nature defensive.

Wlad is a big, powerful guy that is just not exciting to watch because he's protecting a fatal weakness (well, two really) in his makeup as a fighter.

He looks like Tarzan but fights like Jane.

 

All you have done is resort to ad hominem arguments and insults. Not a single worthy rebuttle so far.

 

All of that is irrelevant. What it all comes down to ultimately, is winning, and that's what Wlad's been doing for the last years. You don't get extra "winning" points for being exciting.

 

atsch reality check . he wasnt . he was lucky to fight for a tital when the champ was a fat little 200 pounder with one eye . And he is supported by the myth of the 70s . he was a limited and mentally weak slugger . And nothing more .:deal