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This has always been a subject of debate between me and my college roommate, she is a huge fan of Lennox Lewis and feel like that at times she sees flashes of Lennox in Wladimir. I feel the same way, they are roughly around the same height, same weight, both got great jabs, both are amazing athletic super heavyweights and both use Manny Steward as a trainer and fight at times in a way that protect their not so great chins.
First off, let's make this clear. Resume and ATG Ranking wise, it will be very very hard for Wlad to surpass Lewis, not because he's not good enough but because the current era is not good enough for Wlad. You can only beat what is put in front of you and what's put in front of Wlad is truely a reflection of the hard times the HW Division has fallen upon. Nevertheless, in terms of pure skills, Wladimir is surely already a top 7-4 ATG. He is just as fast as Lennox, just as strong, slightly more power, and a tad more of an athlete. He does not have the inside fighting skills of Lewis(not yet) and he obviously lack the huge uppercut which Lennox loved to demolish opponents with.
One of the issues with Wlad like I mentioned before, is a lack of quality opponents to test himself against. So we don't really get to see just how far he has come. Lennox Lewis blew out some prime super heavyweights during his time in a way that we don't know if Wladimir could have done. Could Wlad do the same to a prime Golota who has just came off back to back beatings of Riddick Bowe the way Lewis did? Or will Wladimir jab Prime Golota to a UD Victory? Could Wladimir destroy a Prime Ruddock and a Prime Michael Grant within a few rounds the way Lennox did? Or will he clinch and jab to a late knockout in a boring fight?
Could Wladimir fight his way back like Lewis did against Bruno,Briggs, and even Vitali(during the worst and last phase of Lennox's career) or would Wladimir fold? Wladimir showed true courage and an ability to fight back against a slugging Samuel Peter when he was down multiple times and with the scorecards narrowing, he dug deep. But that is Samuel Peter. can we honestly say that prime version of Samuel Peter even beat David Tua? Someone who Lennox dominated for 12 rounds. These questions have not yet been answered, and I only hope they will be within the next 2-3 years. I hope Wladimir will be tested in ways he was never tested before.
That being said, on a pure skill front I say yes. He has reached Lennox's Level, maybe not surpass but he is surely just as good now in terms of skills and abilities. The right hand, the jab, the movement, they might not look quite as slick as Lennox's but they are just as good.
There are a bunch of prospects coming through. Two names jump out more then the others and that is Olympian Favorite Anthony Joshua and his fellow British super heavyweight David Price. The main issue is that by the time they are both prime, Wladimir will be in his late 30's and on the downside. Unless the likes of Seth Mitchell and Bryant Jennings step up their game considerably within 1-2 years and unless David Haye actaully go to fight, Wlad will continue to fight C+ Level opponents to build a resume of stats instead of a resume of legacies.
Wladimir might be boring, he might be in a weak era, but one thing that can not be denied is Wladimir equals pure class. They say boxers should never be role models, well Wladimir is my role model and I have never regret looking up to Wlad. Not on how to be a great boxer, not on how to be a great entertainer, but on how to be a great human being.
First off, let's make this clear. Resume and ATG Ranking wise, it will be very very hard for Wlad to surpass Lewis, not because he's not good enough but because the current era is not good enough for Wlad. You can only beat what is put in front of you and what's put in front of Wlad is truely a reflection of the hard times the HW Division has fallen upon. Nevertheless, in terms of pure skills, Wladimir is surely already a top 7-4 ATG. He is just as fast as Lennox, just as strong, slightly more power, and a tad more of an athlete. He does not have the inside fighting skills of Lewis(not yet) and he obviously lack the huge uppercut which Lennox loved to demolish opponents with.
One of the issues with Wlad like I mentioned before, is a lack of quality opponents to test himself against. So we don't really get to see just how far he has come. Lennox Lewis blew out some prime super heavyweights during his time in a way that we don't know if Wladimir could have done. Could Wlad do the same to a prime Golota who has just came off back to back beatings of Riddick Bowe the way Lewis did? Or will Wladimir jab Prime Golota to a UD Victory? Could Wladimir destroy a Prime Ruddock and a Prime Michael Grant within a few rounds the way Lennox did? Or will he clinch and jab to a late knockout in a boring fight?
Could Wladimir fight his way back like Lewis did against Bruno,Briggs, and even Vitali(during the worst and last phase of Lennox's career) or would Wladimir fold? Wladimir showed true courage and an ability to fight back against a slugging Samuel Peter when he was down multiple times and with the scorecards narrowing, he dug deep. But that is Samuel Peter. can we honestly say that prime version of Samuel Peter even beat David Tua? Someone who Lennox dominated for 12 rounds. These questions have not yet been answered, and I only hope they will be within the next 2-3 years. I hope Wladimir will be tested in ways he was never tested before.
That being said, on a pure skill front I say yes. He has reached Lennox's Level, maybe not surpass but he is surely just as good now in terms of skills and abilities. The right hand, the jab, the movement, they might not look quite as slick as Lennox's but they are just as good.
There are a bunch of prospects coming through. Two names jump out more then the others and that is Olympian Favorite Anthony Joshua and his fellow British super heavyweight David Price. The main issue is that by the time they are both prime, Wladimir will be in his late 30's and on the downside. Unless the likes of Seth Mitchell and Bryant Jennings step up their game considerably within 1-2 years and unless David Haye actaully go to fight, Wlad will continue to fight C+ Level opponents to build a resume of stats instead of a resume of legacies.
Wladimir might be boring, he might be in a weak era, but one thing that can not be denied is Wladimir equals pure class. They say boxers should never be role models, well Wladimir is my role model and I have never regret looking up to Wlad. Not on how to be a great boxer, not on how to be a great entertainer, but on how to be a great human being.
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