Comments Thread For: “Fighting Words” — The Wladimir Klitschko We’ve Wanted

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

by David P. Greisman - When HBO announced that it would be broadcasting Wladimir Klitschko’s fight with Kubrat Pulev, a network spokesman noted that this would be Klitschko’s 19th appearance on the network.

What went unsaid — but was not at all unknown — was that this was only Klitschko’s third appearance on HBO in nearly three and a half years. You could look back even further and see that this would be just the fourth time in nearly six years that Klitschko had been featured on its programming.

This announcement regarding the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world was being made just one week before Klitschko and Pulev were to step into the ring.

You couldn’t blame them.

“I'm really souring on the heavyweights,” then-president of HBO Sports Ross Greenburg told ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael way back in July 2010. “There doesn’t seem to be any interest in the U.S. and there doesn't seem to be any heavyweights besides David Haye who would have any juice in challenging the Klitschkos. We're out of the heavyweight division. We're not playing in that sandbox right now. It doesn't make any sense for us. The fights happen over there [in Europe], they're on tape delay. There is just very little interest in this country. [Click Here To Read More]

[daggum]

you wanted 44 clinches in 4 and a half rounds of action? you wanted the fight to start like this...



knockouts cause amnesia. the fight was terrible. wlad is lucky pulev had no mobility and stood like a statue in front of him.

[Weltschmerz]

Seems Jonathon Banks is working well with him, he fights more aggressive, some body shots, left hook, etc. He should fight like this, more versatile. He held his left lower, like Vitali, just Vlad is much quicker than Vitali. He should fight like this, he need not be as cautious, his chin isn't as poor as rumored and Pulev was rabbit punching a lot too. Go for the KOs rather than these drawn out decisions. Great performance.

All of these are good opponents,

Fury
Wilder
Chisora
Jennings
Stiverne
Povetkin
Mike Perez

[GhostBlade]

Seems Jonathon Banks is working well with him, he fights more aggressive, some body shots, left hook, etc. He should fight like this, more versatile. He held his left lower, like Vitali, just Vlad is much quicker than Vitali. He should fight like this, he need not be as cautious, his chin isn't as poor as rumored and Pulev was rabbit punching a lot too. Go for the KOs rather than these drawn out decisions. Great performance.

All of these are good opponents,

Fury
Wilder
Chisora
Jennings
Stiverne
Povetkin
Mike Perez

Povetkin and Perez should fight each other. Wlad should either fight the winner of Fury/Chisora or Wilder/Stiverne. I'd personally prefer him fight the winner of Wilder/Stiverne.

[Weltschmerz]

you wanted 44 clinches in 4 and a half rounds of action? you wanted the fight to start like this...



knockouts cause amnesia. the fight was terrible. wlad is lucky pulev had no mobility and stood like a statue in front of him.

[Weltschmerz]

Povetkin and Perez should fight each other. Wlad should either fight the winner of Fury/Chisora or Wilder/Stiverne. I'd personally prefer him fight the winner of Wilder/Stiverne.

For me it's the same. Stiverne is the dark horse, I think he exposes Wilder. We saw what he did to Arreola, who usually has a very good chin. He gave Arreola spaghetti legs, literally. Very hard puncher.

[Elroy1]

For me it's the same. Stiverne is the dark horse, I think he exposes Wilder. We saw what he did to Arreola, who usually has a very good chin. He gave Arreola spaghetti legs, literally. Very hard puncher.

Ageed. Low workrate, guarded, but quick hands, great counter skills and what a whack! Top chin too, he could weather the mauling Arreola assault for rounds while picking his well timed/placed thumping shots back.

Alas, sorry to say, as good as these guys are, if any of them get beaten by Wladimir, they'll be tossed on to the scrap pile by the resident haters immediately.

It must suck to be a boxer today with such disrespect! That sort of thing is what is killing boxing.

Totally convinced now, it's largely yankee hatred.

[Weebler I]

Klitschko looked like Kovalev at one point in one of the rounds when he went for the kill. I don't think he respected Pulev's power as much as some of his previous opponents. Still too much holding from Wlad but it was a very impressive and for once, entertaining performance.

you wanted 44 clinches in 4 and a half rounds of action? you wanted the fight to start like this...



knockouts cause amnesia. the fight was terrible. wlad is lucky pulev had no mobility and stood like a statue in front of him.

Dwyer quotable

[BostonGuy]

This was as good a (Wladimir) Klitschko fight you will see. It wasn't devoid of clinches, but there was some decent action and some serious offense on display. A lot of folks are criticizing Pulev's performance, but Pulev fought with the right game plan - he just poorly executed it. The blue print to beat Wlad calls for pressure and aggressiveness and roughing him up and punching to the body and head on his clinches. With this blueprint, the fighter has to keep a solid defense - Pulev did not, and paid the price by getting repeatedly caught with Klitschko big power punches.

Give credit to Wlad for keeping his composure against a very aggressive and determined opponent and picking his shots well to score the big KO.

[lutenco]

Honestly i found Wlad the same old Wlad, if he get hit his legs become immediately hard and little shaking, when he catch the opponent he put to the canvas the opponent even with the jab, he is a devastating puncher. Every time the opponent close the distance Wlad hold. I think his hands' speed is very underrated by his opponents.