Joe Bugner Vs Vlad As An Opponent

Bugner knew how to fight to survive, he wasn't always in there to win.
Perhaps as a result, he twice went the distance with Ali, and once the distance with Frazier. Though I think he made a decent effort against Frazier.

Wlad seems to have a better attitude for battle, which would make him more dangerous than Bugner, but would also put him in more danger of being stopped himself.

 

If Bugner vs Klitschko was anything like Klit vs Ibragimov, then it would be a very boring fight. I could see Bugner using his safety first approach and Wlad standing back using his jab, employing little else. I see a 12 round sleeper.

 

Bugner wasn't bad. He was a decent fighter. Good boxer, good chin, good size. I think Wlad could stop Bugner. Bugner was defensive minded for sure, but not as quick on his feet as Ibragimov.

 

People would be praising Wlad after this fight and calling Bugner the gunshy, hesitant one.

 

Bugners record isnt really that bad ,most of the losses came as he aged,he was durable and capable but never very adventurous,I sat next to him once at the fights ,he is a very big man.

 

I wouldn't be very adventurous either if I killed a guy in there.

Almost all fighters held back after being involved in a fight like that.

 

Are you still in search of another answer?

 

Tough question, although I'm not sure it can be fairly answered given that Wlad and Bugner were two totally different animals, perhaps causing both Ali and Frazier to approach the fight differently.

To make an attempt however, I think Sonny was cautious yet correct in his analysis that if Wlad got over zealous ( something Bugner rarely did ) he might get himself into trouble. He would certainly dwarf the much smaller Frazier, and had both the reach, jab and strength to possibly keep him at bay. Ali was slowing down by the time Bugner fought him, so who knows what would happen if Wlad was in there.

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Frazier would demolish Wlad.

Ali would embaress Klitschko until he either scored a late round TKO due to exhaustion or just knocked him out entirely.

 

Frazier I might be able to see scoring a knockout due to Wlad's historical trouble with left hookers. Corrie Sanders, Ross Purity and Lamon Brewster all beat him with the left hook, and none were as fast or as talented as smoke. Of course, the one thing that all the above had which Frazier didn't was size to match or come close to Wlad's. Joe would be at least 7 inches shorter and about 30-35 Lbs lighter with far less musculature. Still, his style would give him an edge.

Ali on the otherhand would have my vote for a decision, but a knockout or stoppage is questionable, especially if these two met any time from about 1974 on. Ali wasn't finishing men like he used to, and really had nothing in common with those who did manage to stop Klitschko. Frankly, I think an Ali vs Klitschko fight had all the makings of a tedious match. These were/are two guys who were seemingly married to the left jab, and rarely employed the use of other weopons when they didn't have to. I think they take turns persuing the other, and back off at the first sign of trouble.

Ali by a rather dull 15 round decision, followed by a lot of booing from the crowd.

 

Vlad would have beaten Bugner by decision. It probably would have been a no action fight...strictly a tactical affair.

It's possible that Bugner could have gotten psyched up enough to give Vlad a decent fight. At his best, Bugner was very fast on his feet, had very good handspeed, possessed an excellent left jab, and could box well. So maybe he could have troubled Vlad some in the long distance fighting.

But Bugner didn't have the punch to threaten Vlad. Vlad tends to be much more aggressive when he knows he's facing someone who can't hurt him. For this reason I imagine Vlad taking control of the bout by walking Bugner down, and by thumping away at him with his powerful lefts and rights (yes, I think Vlad would have thrown many right hands in this bout).

Vlad's superior size, strength and punching power would have enabled him to push Bugner into a defensive shell. From there Vlad would pile up points and win by a comfortable margin on the cards.

I'm pretty certain the bout would be a stinker.

Someone above mentioned that Bugner wasn't fast on his feet. I disagree. At his best, Bugner could circle rapidly around his opponents. Watch his fight against Frazier on youtube.com to see what I mean.

 

Which fight was that, and did Bugner say anything to you?