Poster Billy Smith has just made a thread asking if Wlad's chin is the worst of the heavyweight champions? A legitimate question ,imo. Here's my two: Would Wlad have gone down from the left hook that Joe Walcott landed on Marciano in the second round of their first first fight? Would Wlad have been floored by the right hand that Archie Moore landed on Marciano in the second round of their fight?
They were both big hitters but obviously the mechanics involved in landing those punches on 5'10 Marciano's chin wouldn't get them far with 6'6 Wlad. They'd have to land complete different type of punch to nail Wlad. I think Walcott and Moore both exploited Marciano's momentary lack of balance to some extent, with those punches. Moore caught Marciano leaning in. Walcott caught Marciano wide open and flat footed.
Sure he would, if he was caught unaware and the punches landed on the same spot from the same angle I think any fighter would go down. Thats the thing though, I don't think they could have landed that kind of punch on him, they wouldn't have been able to generate the same kind of power reaching up to him.
That reach, those nimble feet and the utility and force of his jab is what makes Wladimir Klitschko a puzzle. If you can reach him consistently, it is common perception that he doesn't have the toughness, grit and stamina to scramble well when the pace isn't his. But the puzzle is particularly hard to solve. That is where any discussion regarding him should begin, imo. IF Walcott lands such a shot, or Moore, with that exact impact, he would(could?) go down, imo. But it would be near impossible to land it.
Or to put it another way. If his right lands before either of their shots, the ref could count all night, and they still wouldn't get up. And he would definitely be favourite to land first.
The trajectory of the shots is all wrong to hit Wladimir though I don't doubt, if they could correctly position themselves, they could deck the big man. Now if we're to take the looping right that decked Joe Louis in round four of fight I against Walcott...that could do Wladimir a mischief.
Let me put it to you like this: The chances of THEO Walcott or JULIANNE Moore, knocking out a y2k era 6-7 245 lb. safety-first, "vitamin-S" aided, heavyweight champion are about %1 smaller than those of Jersey Joe or Archie.
