Comments Thread For: Wladimir Klitschko Quickly Climbing The Post-Ali Charts

[Laborer]

By Lyle Fitzsimmons - So… any questions?

To those who’d branded Wladimir Klitschko a safety-first, violence-second pretender since a three-knockdown escape from Samuel Peter five years ago in Atlantic City, I hope you were paying attention on Saturday afternoon.

Over 10 punishing rounds on his adopted German home turf, the increasingly confident and subsequently dominant Ukrainian made another flawless defense of the championship status he picked up one fight after overcoming Peter in 2005.

And while I won’t pretend Thompson, Chagaev and Rahman are the Frazier, Foreman and Norton that Muhammad Ali dealt with four decades ago, it’d be hard to argue that Klitschko’s done everything needed to be labeled among the best in the division since “The Greatest’s” reign.

Just look at the numbers.

In 10 fights since the initial near-disaster with Peter, the 6-foot-6 “Dr. Steelhammer” has now gone 10 up/10 down, blitzing 10 unique foes with a combined 317-19-9 record, including six who’d either entered the ring – or recently possessed – a title belt deeming them a “heavyweight champion.” [Click Here To Read More]

funny comparison to tyson. if mike had a brother who was holding a HW title, Mike would take it from him!

[Zizou2]

Wlad destroys Ali within 3 rounds.


easy work. he is 3 inches taller and 25 pounds heavier

[BattlingNelson]

Wlad destroys Ali within 3 rounds.


easy work. he is 3 inches taller and 25 pounds heavier

Yeah look at Jess Willard. He was 5 inches taller and weighed 60 lbs more and he made mincemeat out of Jack Dempsey.


.....errrr.... Sorry. Dempsey made mincemeat out of Willard. Damn. There goes your theory.

[Zizou2]

Yeah look at Jess Willard. He was 5 inches taller and weighed 60 lbs more and he made mincemeat out of Jack Dempsey.


.....errrr.... Sorry. Dempsey made mincemeat out of Willard. Damn. There goes your theory.

Willard was coming off 3 years lay-off and was past prime.........Demspey was prime and he has loaded gloves or he was holding an iron bar in his glove.........FACT.............jack kearns told me so buawhawhawhahwhawhhaw


Ali got dropped by cruiser bum cooper and joke alan hudson buahwahwhawhawh PWNED

[BattlingNelson]

Willard was coming off 3 years lay-off and was past prime.........Demspey was prime and he has loaded gloves or he was holding an iron bar in his glove.........FACT.............jack kearns told me so buawhawhawhahwhawhhaw


Ali got dropped by cruiser bum cooper and joke alan hudson buahwahwhawhawh PWNED

Ok.............................

[Tiozzo]

what do you think about comparing apples with apples, Bat ? when has Esch been champion for the last time ?

haha ButthurtBat gave me red K for this

what an idiot

dude acts great in front of people to keep his e-friends, but he shows his true colors (green and pink, the colors of a gay troll)only when nobody is watching

you're my *****, Bat, and always will be

and I don't give a **** about karma, as my karma bar indicates, cause this is the tool of idiots and trolls

[niteshift]

Well you sometimes get a bit inflammatory on the subject of the Klitschkos, and you can't really expect to get reasonable responses when you do.



He didn't actually say he'd be greater than them, just that he'd have overtaken them in terms of statistics.



OTOH, completely penalising him because there is no effective competition available for him to fight is also unfair. The fact that he's consistently fought top 10 opponents (whereas most of the greats of the past fought their share of lowly ranked fighters in between the tough fights); the fact that it is several years since he's even clearly lost a single round; the fact that he has one of the very highest KO percentages in history; and the length and dominance of his reign; all have to be taken into account.

Also, the direness of his competition is greatly overstated by many people. Most of Larry Holmes' competition was no better. There was a long period when Joe Louis's competition was no better. Most of Jack Johnson's competition was far worse than the modern era. The Marciano era was very weak (and the HoF fighters Marciano beat were either way past their primes of undersized or both). There have been plenty of weak eras in the past.

And his skills, speed and power are hugely underestimated by most people in the US and UK. I'm getting very bored and irritated by all the idiots who keep writing that all he has is size, or that he's "lumbering" or "plodding". Some people who are paid to be full time boxing journalists, such as Kevin Mitchell of The Guardian, keep writing that sort of tripe, and it's just pathetic. Do these people really know nothing about boxing? Is nationalistic xenophobia their only motivation for writing about boxing?

He has one of the top 3-4 Heavyweight jabs of all time, and for such a big man, is possibly the most athletic of all time. He has great anticipation and accuracy, good foot movement, subtle upper body movement, a great right cross and a very good left hook. His speed is massively under-rated - he was out-speeding Chambers for long spells.

Great post. It's hard to argue against Wlad's athletic ability. His boxing fundamentals are sound, his speed is great and his power is unmistakable.

[guru]

i think by the time wlads run at the top is done, he will have as good a reign as holmes, holy, lewis and tyson. its already better than bowe.

holyfield has face the best comp but wasnt as successfull as everyone else. holy beat tyson twice but went 1-1 with moorer, shoulda went 0-2 against lewis, 1-2 against bowe. after that you got two 40+ year olds(holmes and foreman) and buster douglas who never did anything outside of one in night in japan. his resume is better but his success is marginal. 4-4-1 against the top fighters(tyson, lewis, bowe, moorer) of his peroid.

[BattlingNelson]

haha ButthurtBat gave me red K for this

what an idiot

dude acts great in front of people to keep his e-friends, but he shows his true colors (green and pink, the colors of a gay troll)only when nobody is watching

you're my *****, Bat, and always will be

and I don't give a **** about karma, as my karma bar indicates, cause this is the tool of idiots and trolls

Your whining about karma suggests otherwise.

[PEBBLES!]

Ali got dropped by cruiser bum cooper and joke alan hudson buahwahwhawhawh PWNED

1. Cooper was no bum.
2. Ali fought Hudson in the Golden Gloves.