wladimir klitschko sparring cruiserweight matt godfrey

If Sultan can counter and slip Wlad's jab, then at least he has a chance.
Wladimir has been extremely jab-heavy for most of his fights since the Brewster loss.

Without that, Sultan is not going anywhere except probably down to the canvas.

Of course, he can't just prepare for the jab and think that's all there is to it...but he does need to be able to deal with it effectively.

 

I know that Wlad also spars with crusierweight Jonathan Banks and has even sparred with middleweight Andy Lee. Sparring with smaller men can be great for heavyweights because it gets them use to seeing speed even faster than in the heavyweight division. Also, sparring with smaller men decreases the wear and tear on a fighter because they generally don't punch as hard.

I like Ibragimov but I think this match is terrible for him.

Klitschko tko10 Ibragimov

 

Godfrey is alright. He's always looked a little soft for my liking but he does have some great skills.

Wlad looks HUGE compared to these cruiserweights.

 

Godfrey is a very interesting choice as a sparring partner for Klitschko - a 6' boxer-puncher cruiser on the limit of 200 pounds and who did upset Felix Cora Jr by switching to a southpaw stance ( that was his 15th win (9 KOs) in April 6 2007, a 2nd round KO with a 25 punch savage combo) and he has handspeed, defense and ring smarts ( also based on amateur experience - record 194-23). The thing about sparring partners is not to lead them to recreate styles perfectly but to develop an image on your mind about your future opposition and even though Godfrey may have not have Iggy's mobility, he can definitely make Wladimir work harder on a smaller target.

 

I have personally seen Matt fight and he is the real deal. I am not going to make any predictions about him beating any current HW. This is only a win-win situation for both fighters. Wlad gets to spar with a smaller quicker guy and Matt gets to experience being the smaller faster fighter in preparation for both of their big fights.

Good luck in Germany Matt!

 

That's easier said than done though. He has a big ass reach being 6'6" with fast hands and great timing to go with it. No one since Lennox Lewis had that, and Wlad seems more dedicated to the jab than Lewis was at times. In addition to that, his workrate is really high since Steward took him on. In the Brewster fight, he threw 60 punches a round! A jab costs little energy while a slipping involves upperbody movement, feet movement and a counter-punch.

I do agree with your statement though, if Sultan can stay away from the jab most of the time (he usually does this) and now and then attacks with counters off Wlad's jab, he might have an effective gameplan. I think he has a better chance when he fights really aggressive however, like the Whitaker and Ahunanya fights.

 

Iggy is one tough sob, that's how he wins. But against Wlad, that simply isn't enough. You need alot of power, and enough stamina to get to use it. Iggy punches hard, but he can be hit with jabs. Ray Austin hit him all night, and Ray ain't no Wlad K.

 

um....he's a sparring partner....I'm not sure it makes any sense to base a prediction off of that. in fact its downright silly.

 

Right on the money. Godfrey has sparred with Wlad before. Wlad is going for sparring partners with speed and movement.

 

if you believe in Sultan so much, then bet your house or car on it. You're that confident right?