Wladimir Klitshcko vs Jersey Joe Walcott

Here we go again - the name calling has started again - what a surprise?? It's you Pachilles!!

 

And ten Hoff, while beeing not in Wlad´s class, wasn´t a bum either.

 

this thread is turning out as suspected. I agree with mendoza to a point: physical attributes matter. simple as. whether or not they determine the winner is different, but fighters like the klits use height to their advantage and it certainly plays a role in their fights, much like it did for hearns, paul williams, and many others.

will that be a determining factor in this fight? i don't know. for me it depends, as always, at how walcott handles the jab. can he slip it, can he crowd it? I think wlad is much like liston: if you get trapped at the end of that jab, you're finished before you start

walcott as swarmer said had speed and notably, tricks. at his peak walcott, would be able to slip it consistently. wlad's physical strength on the inside would mean he controls the clinches and could prevent a lot of walcotts inside work

i see wlad dominating until the late middle rounds with a "passive" walcott who is timing wlad and landing sporadic, but sharp, counter punches. walcott begins to time and adjust to wlad and frustrating him with feints, movement and slickness. how does wlad react? I honestly don't see him being able to adjust. the wlad of old was super aggressive and i honestly see him taking walcott out brutally. the wlad of now is too patient and too predictably effective.

walcott would start stealing rounds but would it be enough? I'm reluctant to pick a winner but i'm leaning towards wlad in a confidence shattering fight as walcott makes him look foolish at times but wlads early work and reliable 1-2 combo give him a brutally close decision

 

Yeah, I really really think those jukes, feints, and tricks matter a ton in a battle of outboxers, almost as much as range and size actually. JJW was never a long or rangy guy- but for a smaller man he was a fantastic outboxer, and he had a big bag of tools to work with. You really can't compare him with guys like Byrd and Chambers- he is a much much much more complete boxer in every possible category. The adjustments is a huge thing that i think is the sticking point of this fight- what would Wlad do to deal with Walcott's superior movement, speed, counterpunching, feints? Probably pump his jab and cross from the outside and then smother with his weight on the outside, but I can't help but think Jersey Joe would take it.

If anything I see JJW taking the early rounds by confusing Wlad with his unique style, he's the one that would need ad******g to...

 

Walcott would give Wlad a LOT of problems.
That's all I'm going to say. It's too close for me to pick really but if I had to pick I think I would go with Walcott to nick a decision

 

great post swarmer and have to agree on most points

 

Hein is getting hit with a lot more right hands, then would even come close to landing on Wlad. While Klit's defense was hardly stellar, it was a lot better than Tenhoff', and Wlad also had the power to make his punches count.

 

I see this as an extended slaughter with Walcott not last 12. The comparison to Hein is laughable and indicative of how there really was no analogous boxer to Wlad in that day. Cuties in Walcott's mode and size still flash on the radar in the division.

 

Agree that there's really no comparison with Vlad - just put up the vid so someone could at least get a vague impression of Walcott being in no way troubled by size - too many would simply have wrote Walcott off as flat out TOO SMALL which is ridiculous really. Just tried to give some certain people a small dose of reality however vague - if one person said to themselves "well actually Walcott wouldn't have that much of a problem with Vlad's size actually" then it served it's purpose.

Agree there is no comparison with anyone really in terms of Vlad (in history) apart from Lennox Lewis - in having someone of such massive sive yet retaining a decent (for him) level of atheletisism and fluidity and having big big power too - didn't want to take away from Vlad - but equally to write off someone as great as Jersey Joe Walcott with a flippant "he'd be too small" is just ridiculous

ps who in recent times has been comparable to Walcott in terms of ability?? And don't say Byrd please

 

at heavyweight? no one. honestly, you'd have to go back to tony tubbs to find someone who's capable of being in the same room as walcott in terms of slickness and tricks.

there have been many great heavies in the last 20-30 years...but none had walcotts unique skills. not saying they weren't better but there has been no one to emulate jersey joe

 

I think Walcott is the only smaller technician that would stand a good chance against Wlad..or at the very least make him look bad. Problem with Walcott is that he sometimes cruised on his defense waiting for openings while a cautious fighter like Wlad could rack up points with his jab. I wouldn't be surprised to see either fighter stopped.

 

Agreed.

 

Interesting matchup, I think it's a close fight that won't go the distance. Both fighters have the ability to stop the other, both have iffy chins. I think Walcott could have a good time setting up Wlad for some counters, but Wlad does have that size and reach advantage and the piston jab and I'm sure he'll fight cautiously. Just a matter of who catches the other guy first IMO.

 

I think Walcott is too quick, and too slick

 

Yeah, Byrd didnt get beat by so many scrubs, so it's not comparable.