A couple of things come to mind. In tennis, I recall when Americans ruled, but lately, it's been the euros/east Euros. Until the aftermath of the collapse of The Soviet union ,countries had no boxing facilities worth a darn. Still, they are now right up there with USA fighters, and then some. I mean, who can really say if Cuba, and the Soviet countries got involved in boxing way back when, exactly whom would be where in the rankings from Dempsey/Jack johnson up thru now. There have been many excuses made on behalf of American boxers notbeing in total command, but the former Soviets have made their mark, and if Cubans come in, they may very well also be up there...Time will tell:think I noticed a few Klit lovers and haters have wisely stayed outta this threads responses..
:good Yes, someone, please, step up and beat these robotic C level fighters, cause noone else seems to be able to get the job done.
I cant believe wlad is still champ, it just shows how bad of state of heavywieght boxings in. Am i the only one that sees how weak wlads chin is, and that he panics when he gets hit by an effective punch its such a huge weakness Its a shame it doesnt get exposed more often.
[FONT="]Because they are, in fact, robots. Engineered by the Ukrainian government to bring the world heavyweight title to their country. Also, they figured the boxing ring would be a good place to test run their new super soldier robot men to see how well they stacked up against the most finely tuned human athletes in the world. [/FONT]
Wlad isn't robotic at all. thats probably why he can fight top 10 guys with mostly using his left hand...superior foot work. Vitali wasn't robotic when he was younger but his knees are too stiff.
I used to play chess with a young fella who had studied the game for a while. While I am at best, average, this guy had no aptitude whatsoever for the game and I usually beat him in 8 to 12 moves. When he lost, he would always lecture me about how I wasn't playing the game properly. " You're not supposed to attack so early in the game. you should move out your major pieces and build up a defense for your king and then attack after 30 or 40 moves." (By conventional chess wisdom, he's right. That's how the game is USUALLY played) But he was so poor that all that stuff wasn't necessary. He was usually beatable very early. And here he was, after losing, giving his conqueror a sermon on the proper way to play the game. I'm reminded of this when I hear someone say that Ali or Roy or Tyson or whoever, didn't box properly. The point is, they didn't need to fight conventionally to win. Their own styles WORKED for them. Imagine Spinks or McNeely or Berbick saying to Tyson after their brutal KO's: "That's not how you're supposed to box. You should start out cautiously, feel your opponent out, use the jab to work your way in, go to the body lots to take away his stamina and legs and go for a points lead or late KO. You're doing it all wrong, just jumping in and scoring the KO in the first or second." Or imagine Ali's opponents (after they've been defeated) telling Ali: " you didn't box the way boxers should. You should use side-to-side head movement instead of pulling your head straight back to avoid my leads. your style is all wrong" Well, it just wouldn't happen. If you're at that level and you've got a style that succeeds, why box conventionally. Likewise with Wlad. Some may find him robotic and predictable but that foreknowledge didn't help Byrd or Brock or Austin or Brewster. Clearly, his style works for him so who is to say he's doing it all wrong.
I've responded to part of Rossebol's post. Other parts were so off the wall as to make me think he was kidding. Marciano was a great champion with a unique record and he had seriously devastating punching power. However, IMO, prime Ali would dance rings around him and would score a wide margin UD. Joe Louis would too. (Rocky said as much . After his fight with an over-the hill- Joe, he wept in his dressing room at the demise of his boyhood idol and he stated that if Joe had been in his prime, it would have been a different story) I believe Lennox Lewis and George Foreman both take prime Rocky, and maybe Holmes could too. I'm a fan of the Rock but I rank him alltime 5 or 6. All the other dudes on my ATG heavywt list just happen to be black. Currently, the best heavywts just happen to be white Europeans, with Wlad at the top of the heap. No-one currently fighting makes my top 10 alltime list. It's not about colour, though some like to bring colour into it.