Bryant Jennings.

[VG_Addict]

What are your opinions on him? I think he's a solid fighter with a good jab and good footwork. Maybe he could become a world champion when Vitali retires.

[BostonGuy]

I think he has potential but I'm not entirely sold on him yet. He's fought solid opposition but has yet to fight a top ten contender-like opponent (i guess that the problem with many hws today). His got freakishly long arms for a guy his size, he's in tremendous physical shape and he has solid boxing skills. His power is average and sometimes his offensive output is limited.

[Szef]

The best American HW imo

[bojangles1987]

Very solid fighter.

[yoz]

EVERYONE will scrap over Vitali's belt when he retires. They'll claim they're the true HW champ, a la Haye, and avoid Wladimir like the plague.

[BostonGuy]

EVERYONE will scrap over Vitali's belt when he retires. They'll claim they're the true HW champ, a la Haye, and avoid Wladimir like the plague.

I expect Wlad will go after the WBC belt after Vitali retires, to truly 'unify' the division. That would be a pretty amazing feat...

[Hitman932]

I expect Wlad will go after the WBC belt after Vitali retires, to truly 'unify' the division. That would be a pretty amazing feat...

Hah. Nice thought but you might want to check with Don Jose Sulaimon first.

I don't think the WBC will be crazy about allowing unification in this case when clearly they will just have to strip Wlad of the title as soon as he wins it.

The public would love a fully unified champion and the WBC letting it happen and then taking it away would bring a lot more negative attention to their organization than when they strip a lesser known champion who only has 2 belts.

[BostonGuy]

Hah. Nice thought but you might want to check with Don Jose Sulaimon first.

I don't think the WBC will be crazy about allowing unification in this case when clearly they will just have to strip Wlad of the title as soon as he wins it.

The public would love a fully unified champion and the WBC letting it happen and then taking it away would bring a lot more negative attention to their organization than when they strip a lesser known champion who only has 2 belts.

Wlad has always expressed his desire to unify all the titles and so far he's done pretty damn good. Not only has he managed to unify the IBF, WBA, WBO, The Ring titles, he managed to keep them all without being stripped - which is an accomplishment in itself.

I think your scenario is correct though. Wlad will unify the WBC title and then be forced to drop it, because of some asinine rule.

Look for Vitali to face Stiverne then retire. This will eliminate Don King from the equation so that K2 can negotiate with a sensible promoter

[Hitman932]

Wlad has always expressed his desire to unify all the titles and so far he's done pretty damn good. Not only has he managed to unify the IBF, WBA, WBO, The Ring titles, he managed to keep them all without being stripped - which is an accomplishment in itself.

I think your scenario is correct though. Wlad will unify the WBC title and then be forced to drop it, because of some asinine rule.

Look for Vitali to face Stiverne then retire. This will eliminate Don King from the equation so that K2 can negotiate with a sensible promoter

Oh I know Wlad would love to do it. Just pointing out that allowing him to even fight for it will result in some bad PR for the WBC no matter what.

Lord knows the WBC is concerned about the WBC first. Even if they let Wlad keep and defend the belt it would be horrible PR for them because they couldn't explain why they had stripped everyone else but Wlad.

I guess my point is the whole scenario is a lose/lose situation for the WBC and I have a hard time believing that Wlad, man of principle that he is, will fight for a title knowing beforehand he would be immediately stripped.

[BostonGuy]

Oh I know Wlad would love to do it. Just pointing out that allowing him to even fight for it will result in some bad PR for the WBC no matter what.

Lord knows the WBC is concerned about the WBC first. Even if they let Wlad keep and defend the belt it would be horrible PR for them because they couldn't explain why they had stripped everyone else but Wlad.

I guess my point is the whole scenario is a lose/lose situation for the WBC and I have a hard time believing that Wlad, man of principle that he is, will fight for a title knowing beforehand he would be immediately stripped.

If I was an exec at the WBC I'd welcome a champ like Klitschko. He's immensely popular (in Europe), is a great sportsman and ambassador and his fights generate millions of $$$. If I'm not mistaken, I think the sanctioning fees are based on a percentage of the purse. From a business perspective this makes perfect sense but as we all know, the sanctioning bodies do not act in a logical manner - financially or not.

It will be interesting to see how this shakes out. I really think that Wlad will try to make a run for it - maybe it's a Haye rematch for the strap or Fury or whoever else holds it. Again, dollars and sense - the prospect of unification is a big selling point and all parties stand to profit from it.