Wladimir Klitschko = HOF???

[MANGLER]

Wlad will get in.

[Stickman]

Yall read ringtv's article a couple weeks back advocating the creation of a super heavyweight division? I'm sure that discussion has been had here before, but it's truly ridiculous that Wladdy gets the benefit of fighting people 40 pounds his junior who are considered to be in his weight class. If Mikkel Kessler spent the majority of his career amassing a gaudy win % against guys the size of Rafael Marquez (and boring the living **** of most viewers in the process), would we consider him a HOFer? Probably, but history's annals would likely qualify his reign as part of the 'Pre-Bantamweight era'.

Trust, I recognize that Wlad is the greatest contemporary HW even against guys his size, but the current weight class delineation is definitely obsolete and belongs in any discussion that involves Wlad and the HOF. Chagaev fight was a case-in-point...

The problem with creating yet another division (say, 225+?) is that there really won't be that many guys in the division, and an empty division is a boring division. Heavyweight is empty enough as it is. It's always been the least populated division. Splitting it in two would make both heavyweight, and the new superheavyweight division utterly lackluster. I can see a need for it only sometimes. Most of the time it's OK. As for Wlad beating up on guys 40# lighter...yeah, I suppose, but size isn't always the problem. Sometimes it's just a lack of skill/ability/imagination that keeps the smaller guy from getting inside and getting the job done. Sam Peter was a good example. The guy had the power and probably enough technical ability to get the job done, he was just too ****** to find a way to get inside long enough to land much more than a few rabbit punches and a single punch that produced the only legitimate knockdown. And not only did he prove himself unable to figure out a way inside once, but fought the older brother and proved it twice. Fought the same way he did against the younger brother, to even worse results.

[jisi]

Wlad is a HOF Boxer!

[bodyshot]

The problem with creating yet another division (say, 225+?) is that there really won't be that many guys in the division, and an empty division is a boring division. Heavyweight is empty enough as it is. It's always been the least populated division. Splitting it in two would make both heavyweight, and the new superheavyweight division utterly lackluster. I can see a need for it only sometimes. Most of the time it's OK. As for Wlad beating up on guys 40# lighter...yeah, I suppose, but size isn't always the problem. Sometimes it's just a lack of skill/ability/imagination that keeps the smaller guy from getting inside and getting the job done. Sam Peter was a good example. The guy had the power and probably enough technical ability to get the job done, he was just too ****** to find a way to get inside long enough to land much more than a few rabbit punches and a single punch that produced the only legitimate knockdown. And not only did he prove himself unable to figure out a way inside once, but fought the older brother and proved it twice. Fought the same way he did against the younger brother, to even worse results.

I recognize that you have to take bodyweight percentage into account and that the last thing boxing needs is another weight divison (and 6 more alphabet champs). But I'm bringing up the weight class issue in a conversation about Wlad and the HOF.

Take his last fight. Obviously Chagaev isn't the White Tyson, but in a p4p sense the talent disparity between him and Wlad is not as vast as it looked last weekend. Dude was ducking, weaving and circling as well as any HW, but he looked like a kindergardener fighting a 6th grader. If anything, it's a knock against Wlad that more people aren't decrying his obvious size advantage; if he were more of a P4P ATG, his fights against significantly smaller guys would all end brutally and every boxing journalist in the world would have penned a column similar to the one that appeared on ringtv last week...

[ßringer]

He already is a legitimate Heavyweight Hall of Famer.

WTF are you smoking?

[Dambala]

Yes, he will be inducted for sure. Some people discredit him for being too cautious, BTW it's true, but he has achieve a lot, and never ducks anyone.

[hollister]

I recognize that you have to take bodyweight percentage into account and that the last thing boxing needs is another weight divison (and 6 more alphabet champs). But I'm bringing up the weight class issue in a conversation about Wlad and the HOF.

Take his last fight. Obviously Chagaev isn't the White Tyson, but in a p4p sense the talent disparity between him and Wlad is not as vast as it looked last weekend. Dude was ducking, weaving and circling as well as any HW, but he looked like a kindergardener fighting a 6th grader. If anything, it's a knock against Wlad that more people aren't decrying his obvious size advantage; if he were more of a P4P ATG, his fights against significantly smaller guys would all end brutally and every boxing journalist in the world would have penned a column similar to the one that appeared on ringtv last week...

Wlad has changed alot, if the Wlad that fought Mercer had fought Chagaev I think it would have been very bad for Chagaev. That being said I certainly see your point.

[Spray_resistant]

He will get in based on what he has already accomplished, but we can't really assess his career until it over and who knows how long he will stick around.

[Enayze]

Wlad is a HOFamer already. Time will tell if he will become a true legend of the sport.

[theghost#1]

Easily yes, however the only way he won't is if he gets Ko'd a couple of times in the next couple of years, But as of now absolutely. He's proved a lot of people wrong because, I remember right before he fought Sam Peter sports writers were acting is if he was a bum and were already counting him off. Boy were they wrong.