Where was Wlad after Lennox KO6 Vitaly ??? When Wlad got KO'd Vitaly jumped right up to challenge & try to KO his brothers boss. Wlad went AWOL lol He wanted no part of Lennox
Lennox retired after the Vitali fight, he was finished at the top level. Any further decline would have ended with another top fighter beating him. Wladimir wasn't at top form at that time so I wouldn't be surprised at all by a Lennox victory, but at Wladimir's peak he was larger, faster, stronger, a better puncher, and a better boxer.
Wlad has a harder more authoritative jab and was more consistent with it in the traditional sense. But Lewis' jab had more variety and nuance to it and his jab was less about throwing hard jabs but more about control of position, disguising the next punch coming and creating openings. Lewis' jab was a big part of how he set up the right hand as explained by Modern Martial Artist. All the different techniques he used with his lead hand is what made his jab one of the better non traditional jabs. Lewis was often accused of pawing with the jab, but that was just people misunderstanding he wasn't just looking to throw hard jabs a great jab is more than just throwing it hard and consistently. A great lead hand has a multitude of applications. This content is protected Now Wlad also had a great lead hand and also used many of the same techniques Lewis did which isn't surprising as they were both trained by the same man but because Wlad was always so defensively minded he didn't always use the more offensive techniques to set up offense like Lewis did. In a battle of the jabs I'm confident it's Lewis with his reach and variety comes out on top. True that Lewis with his aggression would leave himself open to be countered more, which is why I guess you think Wlad catches him early. But Wlad is not a counter puncher. He wouldn't meet Lewis' aggression with a counter, he would meet it with a step back or a clinch. This is another area where Vitali and Wlad are so different. Vitali was all about the counter, he landed his best shots on Lewis when Lewis was stepping in, often meeting him with a hard right hand, something Wlad was incapable of doing due to his lack of counter punching and defensive mindedness. Wlad couldn't repeat what Mavrovic did. Mavrovic had some success yes because he was fast and unlike Wlad could walk through bombs to land them. His strategy was pretty obvious, press and counter the jab with a lead right hand. Wlad again isn't a counter puncher and wasn't as aggressive as Mavrovic was in that fight. I really don't see the comparison between the two.
Wlad larger? Taller yes but both at their peak weighed about the same in the ring, usually in the low to mid 240's. If there was any difference in size it was negligible. Wlad faster? Yes I'll do think Wlad was a fraction faster, I think his better technique had something to do with that, that and his shorter reach. Wlad Stronger? Very debatable as both were similar of size and both knew how to use their size in the clinches. Lewis was very strong like Wlad and had no problems in the clinch against the bigger Vitali. I think in the clinches Lewis would have the slight edge, not because of strength but because of application of technique. Both clinched but Wlad only did so defensively, Lewis used the clinch defensively and offensively. He could smother an opponent just as well as Wlad but he'd also use head head, shoulders and forearms to offensively open spaces for punches inside. But Wlad might negate all that with his defensive clinching. But to me there's no clear evidence of Wlad being stronger. Wlad better puncher? I tend to agree, both hit very hard but if we are talking about pure one punch power I think Wlad has a slight edge. But really it doesn't matter both are more than capable of KOing the other with their power. Wlad better boxer? I don't see it. He had better fundamentals, his punch technique with his right hand was as flawless as I have ever seen from a fighter. But boxing at the highest level is more than just flawless technique. Some of the greatest fighters of all time learned to break from fundamentals and simply did what worked for them and the fact it wasn't text book made it more effective because you couldn't easily prepare for it. Adherence to technique maybe the best for your average boxer but at the elite level were talking about guys who are exceptional and can do things average boxers cannot. Hopkins technically head and shoulders above RJJ, but RJJ developed an unorthodox style to make the most of his unique gifts and would out box Hopkins prime for prime regardless of Hopkins technique. Same with Vernon Forrest and Mayorga, the unorthodox approached worked better. Just because a fighter looks better doesn't mean he is, it's why so many picked Dubois over Joyce, but some of the least impressive skills get unnoticed because everyone is distracted by the flashier skills. I personally always rated Vitali over Wlad when both turned pro, Wlad impressed everyone with his speed and power while people overlooked Vitali due to being slower and more awkward looking but it was Wlad who lost first and Vitali who avenged his loss to Sanders and who would be the first to prove he was elite when facing Lewis. Sometimes the guy who looks less impressive is the better fighter because it's not about the strengths alone which Wlad has many but also the flaws which Wlad also has many.
1) Lewis retired 2) Wlad was trying to fight Lewis years before that. Indeed iirc he wanted Lewis at around the time he fought Mercer.
I think Wlad is visibly the better boxer compared to Lewis. That said Lewis had the knack of choosing the right time to go to war with guys and switching their lights out fast. Wlad rarely did that, preferring to try to control his opponents technically.
The cheek of you calling people clowns then posting this garbage! Lewis chin wasn't as weak as people claim, actually watch some of his fights and don't just refer to McCall and Rahman. You believe Wlad would have taken those punches and been standing? Infact if my memory serves me right Sanders didn't land any dynamite on Wlads chin and he pretty much hit the deck every time sanders touched him. Lewis would fight Wlad the same way he fought golata and grant and iron him out
Wladimir's chin is wildly underrated. People like to pretend it's a lightbulb but the truth is he's never been KO'd cold like Lewis. He took a monstrous uppercut from AJ and remained on his feet; indeed, he was intelligently defending himself even though he was wobbled. Sanders was an explosive puncher and most guys he caught clean tasted canvas. Lewis even told Sanders that he hadn't been too keen to fight him. While I feel Lewis has the better chin, it's not by all that much.
Lewis, one of the all time greats for me. Undisputed which says a lot these days! Fought all comers, when he did lose he would call them out straight away to get back on track. True natural boxer, no body builder, fought at his natural weight.
Lennox would win. He can be a great inside fighter and turns the heat up when needed. Also Lewis has more tricks up his sleeves such as grazing his opponents eyes with the gloves (can be seen against Tyson, Rahman and Vitali).
I basically see it coming down to that, more often than not. A reasonable chance Wlad just scores a KO punch but Lennox didn't just take risks, which is giving something to Wlad, but he took risks that were successfully brutal when he thought he needed to. Wlad was brutal by being disciplined. At his best, he doesn't sell out when it looks bad for the cards. He keeps doing what he does the most successfully, even when it's not successful. Lennox goes off the rails when he's not arriving where he needs to go when forced to adapt or lose. He's good at it. It's a world of difference between two guys that live in the same neighbourhood.
He is visibly better. He also had better results in-ring round to round. Lennox was outboxed by Ray Mercer and would've been down 1-5 on fair scorecards vs Bruno. Wladimir didn't lose as many rounds over a five year stretch as Lennox was fairly regularly losing in fights.
When guys are getting constantly clinched it means they are getting close so his defence obviously wasn't impregnable. Clinching is a survival tactic anyway and not a primary method of defence. Klitschko could also end up like Henry Ackawandie by getting DQd for excessive holding
