We know that Wlad has his rematch clause, so should he take it? I don't think a rematch will see a better Wladimir Klitschko than we saw on Saturday - he can't improve on the fantastic condition he was in and I feel he can only decline from there. On the other hand, Joshua has got lots of room to improve and time is on his side. He will already have learned a whole lot from Saturday - he certainly won't ever blow himself out again after dropping his opponent! So Joshua will get better - Wlad will inevitably decline a little. I don't think the rematch would be as competitive and I would hate for Wlad to get hammered. For me, it's time for the Champ to hang 'em up.
He was on the cusp of beating him. Joshua was gone in the 5th. I think Klitschko should give it one last shot because ring rust was a factor in my opinion.
If he feels he wants to put himself through it, he should absolutely take the rematch. He was seconds away from winning the fight via a fantastic KO or stoppage. The fight was razor thin and neither showed they were better than the other. For Wlad to pull out this type of performance at 41 years of age is incredible. I would happily pay for a rematch of this calibre.
I think he will take it, especially on that performance. He is vastly experienced, and will be kicking himself for not really going for it after the 5th-6th, his experience and instincts let him down, if he does go for the re-match he will believe he can knock AJ out, wouldn't that be a story! Jesus a possible trilogy...
He probably should have another fight between the rematch- if possible with Parker for the WBO belt if the money is right. There is little point in him fighting fringe contenders now as his time is limited.
He should retire, Saturday was as good as a 41+ year old Wlad is going to get. Picked some good shots and moved pretty well but couldn't jab effectively and most importantly couldn't pull the trigger when it mattered. Excellent career but he's been sub par in his last 3 fights, time to call it a day. Nice retirement paycheck and FotY candidate to go out on though.
Retire, he finished on his feet and still has his dignity, his stock has risen after this defeat, second time and same result would hurt his legacy.
He needs to employ a new defence if he does face Joshua, I think the cross arm defence is essential when up close.
Call it a day I reckon. He very nearly had that fight but it slipped away; it was a really enjoyable fight and he's come out of it with almost as much credit as if he had actually got the win. No need to risk that
He has to take the rematch. If I was him I couldn't live with myself how close I was to ending the next big things rise and becoming a champ again. I'd have to go for it again, make sure injury permitting you get in the as good a shape and hope you can get in a little it sharper with less ring rust than the first fight. Let's not forget he was winning and on the way to getting robbed. He will know this. Worst case scenario he loses again as expected and gets another 20 mil.
I agree ,he went out on his shield, I cant see him improving on that performance whereas Joshua almost certainly will .Time to hang them up!
