Which is more egregious? He doesn't get cracked on as much for his running but that's exactly what he does--run. When you fight in your home base you're allowed to get away with everything which is what Wlad has had. Tonight he didn't have that same corrupted favoritism but I would not have been mad if he had taken a point earlier. I think it is reprehensible to call yourself the HW champ and fight in the way that Wlad fights. He likes to hold, push, initiate clinches when they aren't necessary and he literally runs away from his opponents. He doesn't know how to slide to the left or right and land counter shots. He just runs away and resets. Basically, it's a lazy way out.
Wlads always been a big time safety first fighter Thats why he has been so successful, but its also why I can't quite get on board as a big fan
Running is acceptable to a degree, you cant run forever. Excessive clinching on the other hand is just lame and should be punished more often. It also counts for Floyd. I doubt he will get a deduction as Wlad tonight though.
Wlad disrupts opponents balance and controls the distance masterfully. It is entertaining to watch if you understand boxing.
I almost felt sorry for him after he got the "oh **** now I gotta box the entire round" look on his face after the point deduction.
He likes to fight from 1 distance and 1 distance only, as soon as that distance is compromised the running and holding is like a reset button. Worse than the holding is the leaning on. I hate that. I was happy to see the ref mentioning the holding from the very beginning but it just didnt really stop Vlad from doing it, after the warning he just seemed to try release Jennings quicker but not before that distance button had been reset. Its horrible, its frustrating, its cheating. But Vlad being safetly 1st cant blame him for doing it, its up to the ref and his opponant to deal with it.
If anyone was running it was Jennings. Wlad was the aggressor in the fight. When has Wlad ever backpedaled in a fight?
Against Povetkin. When Povetkin finally managed to break free from one of Wlads illegal clinches, Wlad turned his back and ran across the ring That's the sort of thing you see a novice do who's terrified of getting hit
Wlad was on the backpedaling againt Jennings for a good number of rounds. If you didn't see that you didn't watch the fight. Jennings also got him up against the ropes which hasn't happened in years.
