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There's no denying the dominance and superiority of the Klitschkos during their extended tenure as undisputed heavyweight champions of the world. That still doesn't mean you have to like their style or consider them amongst the best heavyweights of all time. The current heavyweight division, a handful of young and as of yet untested up and comers notwithstanding, is completely dead and devoid of legitimate contenders. For me, this tarnishes the legacy of the Klitschkos and would make it difficult for me to consider them amongst the best of all time.
A question I often ask myself while pondering such a possibility is, "How many other legends of the ring, or future hall of famers have the Klitschkos actually beaten? And if so, were they in their prime or near the end of their respective careers at the time?"
I find it a bit sad that we, the boxing public, are supposed to be happy that we got a knockout in the latest Klitschko fight because Vlad's style has become boring and very foul friendly. I still think the tactics that were used by both Vlad and Kubrat produced a sad example of what passes as elite level professional heavyweight boxing these days. This is the way a real champ is suppose to act, constantly grabbing and then pushing his opponent down after he lands a punch? Kubrat was certainly throwing the lion's share of rabbit punches on the clinch but honestly, how else should he be expected to land any punches? As long as Vlad is free to grab and lean on his opponent all night, as was blatantly on display in the Povetkin fight, a shorter opponent doesn't have much chance of doing anything.
Such a dilemma reminds me of why Floyd Mayweather fans are so convinced that he is one of the top ten best or god forbid, the best boxer of all time because he has an unbeaten record yet he never fought the best competition in his division even after all these years of cherry picking. I suppose if you're successful and making a boat load of money, why would you do anything different?
A question I often ask myself while pondering such a possibility is, "How many other legends of the ring, or future hall of famers have the Klitschkos actually beaten? And if so, were they in their prime or near the end of their respective careers at the time?"
I find it a bit sad that we, the boxing public, are supposed to be happy that we got a knockout in the latest Klitschko fight because Vlad's style has become boring and very foul friendly. I still think the tactics that were used by both Vlad and Kubrat produced a sad example of what passes as elite level professional heavyweight boxing these days. This is the way a real champ is suppose to act, constantly grabbing and then pushing his opponent down after he lands a punch? Kubrat was certainly throwing the lion's share of rabbit punches on the clinch but honestly, how else should he be expected to land any punches? As long as Vlad is free to grab and lean on his opponent all night, as was blatantly on display in the Povetkin fight, a shorter opponent doesn't have much chance of doing anything.
Such a dilemma reminds me of why Floyd Mayweather fans are so convinced that he is one of the top ten best or god forbid, the best boxer of all time because he has an unbeaten record yet he never fought the best competition in his division even after all these years of cherry picking. I suppose if you're successful and making a boat load of money, why would you do anything different?
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