What ATG has the biggest chances of KOing a Klitschko?

[nomadman]

The one who couldn't KO Axel Schulz?

Or Morrison.

[Titing Kabayo]

Prime David Tua

[nomadman]

Prime David Tua

Prime Oleg Maskaev!

[knn]

Prime Sam Peter

[dibzvincent143]

prime TYSON for me has the greatest chance.then foreman.

[Vadrigar.]

Prime Sam Peter

priceless......

[elgaringo]

I picked Lennox for reasons I'll explain in a moment, though a couple of the others have a good chance to stop Wlad.

First off: Tyson. He definitely has the speed and one hit power to KO Wlad, and the sort of aggressive relentless and swarming style that could catch Wlad cold. His head movement would allow him to avoid or minimise the effect of Wlad's jab, at least in the early rounds, and his right to the body I can certainly see landing with some damage to Wlad's midsection, possibly softening him up a big left hook or overhand right later on in the fight. Thing is I can also see Wlad effectively using his clinch to stifle Tyson's work and wear his legs out. How would Tyson mentally (and physically) respond to this? Wlad's a big heavy guy, and I don't think a lot of fans realise just what a potent "weapon" his clinch is (negative though it may be). Were the fight to last into the mid rounds I can see a frustrated and increasingly tired Tyson getting strafed with jabs and right hands. Likewise I can equally see a body-damaged and intimidated Wlad start to resort desperately to clinching in an effort to survive to the final bell. It very much depends on how the initial rounds go. Still, I give Tyson a more than decent chance.

A prime Ali has the speed, smarts and indominatble confidence to win a decision over Wlad, though if he knew nothing about his opponent, as might be the case here, he might very well come into the fight undertrained and turn in one of his less than stellar performances, as he's done several times in the past. Were that the case he'd have a hell of a job on his hands. Ideally though, best Ali vs best Wlad, I see Ali getting a UD. Wlad's a bit too cautious to fall for any of Ali's tricks and his defence is too good to get KO'ed here (though I wouldn't be surprised if Ali proved me wrong).

I see a lot of people have picked Foreman to KO Wlad. Fair enough. He has the power and size to be competitive and in his prime (pre Ali) the confience and killer instinct to really lay the hurt on any man. Saying that, I have the feeling he'd have a lot harder time than many think. Wlad in recent years has become an extremely good controller of distances, even better than his brother I think, mainly due to his phenomenal jab. Couple this with a much improved defence which really takes advantage of his height, and I can foresee a comparatively slower Foreman having real trouble landing anything effective upstairs without taking massive punishment in return. Ironically I see Foreman's jab (an underrated punch not often talked about when discussing him) being his most effective weapon here. If he can use it intelligently to push Wlad back onto the ropes (much easier said than done) then he could cause some big damage. Could also potentially bust up Wlad's face or cause a cut which would help him if the fight went into the later rounds. And whilst I know it's not the greatest example, Wlad did have some problems with Mercer's jab early on in their fight so it's not entirely out of the question. Ultimately however I see this fight being decided in the centre of the ring. Both guys are master ring generals who love to stalk their prey. Neither will want to give an inch. Taking this into account this, I see a lot of clinching going on, which would favour Wlad being the taller and heavier man. So Foreman: decent chance but by no means an overwhelming certainty.

Interesting to note that no one (at the time of writing this post) has picked Rocky. Even despite his legendary KO power, I think a lot of fans realise he was too slow, small and crude to beat Wlad let alone KO him. No disrespect intended to the Rock of course.

So we come to Lennox Lewis. As I said above, out of all the fighters listed here, I pick Lennox to have the greatest chance of KO'ing Wlad. Why? First off the physical: he's six feet five, powerful, durable and a great athletic specimen. That puts him on an even footing for starters. Secondly: in his great career he fought pretty much every single different type of opponent there is, and several fighters who were taller than Wlad (Vit, Grant, Akinwande). Thirdly: he's already beaten his brother so he's the closest we have to a real life example of how a fight between the two might go down. And sure Wlad isn't Vitali and Vitali isn't Wlad, but all the things that worked for Lennox in the Vit fight, the jabs, the overhands, the uppercuts, I can see working (more or less) against Wladimir. And if we're talking prime Lewis then I don't see how Wlad even wins this fight. His jab alone (which was stopping Vitali in his tracks and even pushing him backwards on occasion) would be a major problem for Wlad, and his overhand right could certainly catch Wlad on the backfoot, or loop over his jabbing arm and catch him on the counter. Prime Lennox was also one of the best offensive fighters ever. When he chose to go on the attack his opponents rarely had a hope in hell of stopping him such was the variety and aggression of his assault. Certainly Wlad wouldn't be able to control the ring to anywhere near the extent that he's used to. Would this factor into the end result? Absolutely! A Wlad pushed onto the backfoot I can see starting to panic and crumble under Lennox's assult. And when he goes for the inevitable desperation clinch, Lennox takes him out with a big head-snapping uppercut. 1, 2... 10, IT'S OVAH!!!

Vitali! Yeah, he has the size, power, aggression etc to KO Wlad, but would he have the intention? If we're taking this whole exercise realistically, there's no way Vitali would even want to KO Wlad. Ee's 'is bloomin' bruvver fer feck's seeake!!

Joe Louis. Er, yeah, great fighter and great champion but again way too small. Had a shaky chin as well, and was knocked down and hurt by fighters not nearly as skilled or strong as Wlad. Also liked to do the majority of his best work on the inside, which a lot of his opponents let him do. Wlad would just clinch him up whenever he tried to get inside, and punish him with jabs and rights on the outside. I respect Louis a lot, but I can't see any way he wins this at all.

Anyone with Holyfield's heart and skill has a great chance to win against Wlad. Would he knock him out though? Hmmm. Possibly. Holyfield had very underrated power for a heavyweight. He was the first guy to knock down Mercer, stopped Tyson and badly stunned Foreman (which Morrison couldn't even do). Then again he also had trouble with big skilled guys in Lennox and Bowe. Wlad would probably get caught a few times, just due to the sheer speed and aggression of Evander, but I think his height and lean back style would take the edge off a lot of the shots. Would also be landing his own thudding blows to Evander's dome. Can see this being a very back and forth fight, Holyfield taking big shots here and there, Wlad getting caught with flurries from Evander that bring roars from the crowd. Could even be a knockdown or two from either fighter. Would probably ultimately go to a decision though.

Holmes has the skill and toughness to weather anything Wlad might throw at him, and the speed, skill and confidence to win a decision. Also has the power to take Wlad out, though whether he does or not is another matter. If he's bothered by Wlad's jab and right hand, then he might opt to stay on the outside and try to outbox Wlad (which, on his best day, is one of the few who could). Interesting fight though. Don't really feel comfortable picking against either guy.

Liston. Wlad's already fought a similar fighter to Liston in Ray Mercer. Given the ease with which he dispatched of Ray, even taking into account any perceived skill difference between the two, I think he'd take care of Liston in a similar way. Liston's much vaunted jab might catch Wlad here and there, but ultimately I think his slowness and plodding footwork would enable Wlad to have things all his own way leading probably to a KO in the mid to late rounds (earlier if we're talking pre-Sanders Wlad).

Great post right there! I agree with your analisis. Im suprised you could be bothered to write such a long indepth reply and I hardly entertain such a long post but Im glad I did. Your boxing knowledge is complete!

[knn]

Vitali Klitschko.

Who knows Wlad better than Vitali?

But who knows Vitali better than Wlad?

Considering Vitali's age, it's rather Wlad who could make use of Vitali's non-public body aches.

[Tamis!]

Can't believe a lotta people sleeping on Joe Louis.

[wmute]

Let's see... what ATG could fail to do what Ross Purrity succeeded in?