Cautious Wlad paid the price

Wlad's biggest mistake was letting Joshua off the hook after the knockdown and letting Joshua regain his energy. And there's cautious Wlad for you in a nutshell; pretty much sums his whole career up. Any other boxer would have gone for the conclusive ending but Wlad decided to tip toe, poke and wait things out. Classic Wlad, lacking the killer instinct. He must be waking up feeling sick right now knowing he had the win in his hands. That's bs and you know it. Wlad was controlling the pace of the fight throughout the middle rounds and landing beautiful right hands. He just could not get AJ outta there, on the other hand, AJ got a massive second wind. Wladl ost because AJ was better and this is probably the best Wlad I've seen.

The same cautiousness that Mayweather used to display in his fights. Maybe that's part of the reason that both men were able to have such long reigns as champions. Actually Wladimir said in the post fight that he believed after he scored the knock down that AJ was going to progressively wilt as the fight wore on. Which was what looked to be happening in the following rounds. Klitschko's plan was to slowly wear him down without getting reckless. He said he was trying to be patient.

This is a myth. He was loading up on big left hook after big left hook, he was looking to end the fight right there. He simply didn't land any of them. In no way was he cautious after hurting/dropping AJ. Yeah. but it was one at a time and A.J. was able to see them coming and duck. He didn't trap him and unload on him like A.J. did him in the 11th. He underestimated the youngsters resolve and he paid for it.

I thought wlad fought a smart fight. He could've pressed more when he had Joshua hurt but Joshua did a good job avoiding many of those punches.

This is a myth. He was loading up on big left hook after big left hook, he was looking to end the fight right there. He simply didn't land any of them. In no way was he cautious after hurting/dropping AJ.

Wlad's biggest mistake was letting Joshua off the hook after the knockdown and letting Joshua regain his energy. And there's cautious Wlad for you in a nutshell; pretty much sums his whole career up. Any other boxer would have gone for the conclusive ending but Wlad decided to tip toe, poke and wait things out. He must be waking up feeling sick right now knowing he had the win in his hands. I don't think he let him off the hook at all.....he was going for it, how many KO Hooks did he throw and Joshua was strong and alert enough to avoid them even when he was hurt. I think it was more a case of Joshua having a lot of grit.

40 year old boxers usually aren't able to pull the trigger. Wlad isn't the first and wont be the last.

Wlad's biggest mistake was letting Joshua off the hook after the knockdown and letting Joshua regain his energy. And there's cautious Wlad for you in a nutshell; pretty much sums his whole career up. Any other boxer would have gone for the conclusive ending but Wlad decided to tip toe, poke and wait things out. He must be waking up feeling sick right now knowing he had the win in his hands. Yeah he blew it and has no one to blame but himself.

Yea. I think my respect for Wlad is 50% from his time in the sport, 50% because his brother was a badass. Wlad was always a bit scared/cautious, and it followed him all the way through his career. I couldn't help but think of what Vitali would have done in that fight. If he'd have pounced or if he'd have given the extended, savage beating he was known for. Anyhow, at 41, Wlad gets a moral victory for at least getting his mind straight again. I didn't think he had it in him.