By the same reasoning, Zakman should LOVE Johnny Ruiz, because he accomplished so much with so little! But does he....? :think
I agree. Since Riddick Bowe's crowing to present nearly 20 years has passed. The top gun has almost always been a super This content is protected . Is this a fad? Not likely, its the evolution of the divison. Some serious fight fans and historians are accepting it, others will not. If you listen to the trainers who spend their lives in gyms coaching and watching guys spar, they will agree the super heavies are the future, and line up wide & deep to train them. The only great 215 pound heavy in the past 20 years was Holyfield, and to be honest he should be 1-4 vs Lewis and Bowe. If Holyfield was the best 215 pound guy since Holmes, what does this tell you? The evidence is the sport has changed. Athletes are bigger and stronger these days. The smaller heavies have been owned for the most part. If the smaller guy has great power, he can win any match as far as I'm concerned, but he's going to need that and skills to navigate his way though a skilled super heavy who can jab or bomb him from a distance with over hand rights, or use his size to tie him up and bull him around in the clinches.
What you say does make sense. Watching Vitali over the weekend, I was thinking of ways for the average 6'1, 215 pounder to beat him, and it's not an easy task. The smaller guy will always have an uphill battle because even if he gets inside, he's immediately tied up in a vice-like grip and is rendered useless. (Did anyone notice how quick the ref was breaking them up as well?) Personally I despise that jab and grab style (Sorry Mendoza ) but I can't deny it's effective.
How many clinches did Vitlai use in this fight that he initiated. Maybe 2 or 3. That's it. What was missed in this fight by most was Vitali's body shots and uppercuts. While they aren't great, they did score. Size isn't only important in boxing, it seems important in most sports. Even in sports such as Tennis or Futobol. You just don't see many short and skilled guys dominating athletics these days.
Povetkin, at 6'2", could be the modern "Frazier" in swarming Vitali or Wlad, the modern Ali's (no, i'm not saying they're as great as Ali..). The problem is that unlike Ali, Wlad punching ****ing hard and that's going to make it awfully hard to get on the inside. Vitali does not carry that much one-punch power, but he is extremely heavy handed and throws 80 punches a round while retaining his foot speed. God i hope Povetkin gets hungry again. The shape he was in 2 years ago, he would've made a good opponent. Let's bring Haye in, too.
povetkin is only 6'2? i'm sure he was at least 2" taller than chambers, i would have guessed he'd be taller than 6'2 :huh personally i think povetkin should do what the other heavyweights haven't done and put off a klitschko fight for a couple more years. it seems like whenever a guy gets a shot they jump at the oppurtunity, but if they really believe they are the next big thing then they should still be in a position to fight the Klits in 2 years, if not in a better position. i'd like to see povetkin risk fighting 5 top contenders before he goes for wladimir (assuming vitali is retired by then). it'll put him in a better position, it'll be a bigger event for the fans, and at least if he gets blown away he's already got a decent career behind him and stands a better chance of making a comeback
Yeah i agree, it seems almost like they already know they can't beat either Klitschko anyway, so they jump to opportunity to fight them when they can, so that they at least get their paycheck. Not all of them, mind you, but still.
I agree to a certain extent. Unless another Tyson comes along, majority of regular heavyweights will be at too much of a disadvantage to overcome, even with decent skills, mainly because the Klitschko's use their size advantage so well, more so Vitali. I still consider Wladimir very beatable by a regular size skilled heayweight. Despite him being on his hot streak, I still see that fear in him of getting hit and almost like a panic look when someone gets in close at times. Vitali, on the other hand, is a different story, but I'd favor someone like Tyson to beat him. What would be Vitali's strength would also be his weakness against someone a prime Tyson, and for Tyson, his smaller compact frame would be in his favor. It would mainly come down to speed, speed speed. Although Tyson's never really fought a guy as big and ackward as Vitali, his speed and ability to get in the inside in his prime were excellent, not to mention his ability to throw combinations and use angles. Yes, Vitali uses range very very well, and he would make it difficult for Tyson, but he wouldn't have the speed or reflexes to keep up with Tyson's speed.