Wladimir Klitschko - How dominant has he been

[sonnyboyx2]

Wlad the universally recognized Heavyweight Champion of the World..

How good is he?
Where do you rank him historically?
How dominant has he been?

[Ray Corso]

Very dominate and showed improvement up until a few years ago.
The era is the weakest ever but theres no blame to Wlad he just fights whose
put in front of him.
His calibre is good not great. He has a good jab and straight right hand
can throw a decent hook. Unfortunetly his defense is predicated on height and holding so theres no techniques applied to defense.
I don't like his reactions when hit either, he often reaches out with both arms as to "hold off" an uncoming rush!
His history will be positive because he dominated but simular to Joe Louis he won't get much credit for his opponents skill levels. He's never fought a great fighter let alone a primed champion.
I would rank him in the top fifty in history, if you fantasy match his skills against the best ever he moves back to their era after all the past is first
so if you could imagine Wlad in 1905 fighting Johnson I don't think he does very well.
It's all relative and any heavyweight that brings a solid punch can get lucky and win over a more talented fighter. Thats the intrique the Big Boys bring.

Ray

[jiopsi]

Outside top 10, haven't even had WBA nor WBC belts, which points in the direction not dominant, and just fighting people when it fits best for him.

[joeandthebums]

How good is he?

Despite his age still the best in the division.

I believe he has suffered from weak refereeing for the majority of his reign which whilst allowing him to employ his preferred strategy (jab and grab) to win, it has not brought him much prestige.

Where do you rank him historically?

Once a boxer retires and the dust starts to settled on their career, that's usually a good time to figure out where you would place them.

How dominant has he been?

Fought at championship level for 15 years now and been undefeated for 11 years - very long reign at the top.

[BKM-2010]

Very dominate and showed improvement up until a few years ago.
The era is the weakest ever but theres no blame to Wlad he just fights whose
put in front of him.
His calibre is good not great. He has a good jab and straight right hand
can throw a decent hook. Unfortunetly his defense is predicated on height and holding so theres no techniques applied to defense.
I don't like his reactions when hit either, he often reaches out with both arms as to "hold off" an uncoming rush!
His history will be positive because he dominated but simular to Joe Louis he won't get much credit for his opponents skill levels. He's never fought a great fighter let alone a primed champion.
I would rank him in the top fifty in history, if you fantasy match his skills against the best ever he moves back to their era after all the past is first
so if you could imagine Wlad in 1905 fighting Johnson I don't think he does very well.
It's all relative and any heavyweight that brings a solid punch can get lucky and win over a more talented fighter. Thats the intrique the Big Boys bring.

Ray

Doesn't sound like your usual self. Also Ray, if I may, I actually believe Johnson would be one of Wladimir's absolute toughest matchups. Him and Jeffries would handle Wladimir's clinching and grabbing the best, it was a large product of their time and they actually had a lot more grappling knowledge than today's boxers. Billeau2 once wrote a brilliant post on this.


Anyway TS, I really have a hard time with Wlad's ranking these days. Record wise I give him credit, but the last couple of years I can't even call him a boxer anymore. His tactics are so atrocious now that his continued title defenses actually hurt his legacy more than they help it, IMO. As crazy as that may sound.

[LacedUp]

no question he's been extremely dominant and he will go down as that in history. He's faced everyone he needed to, had a couple of bumps on the road like most others, and continue to do so even at the age of 39.

He's going to go down as a top 10 heavyweights and one of the most dominant ever. His opposition will be questioned just like Larry Holmes' was and still is today. But at the end of he day, he can't choose when he's born all he can do is be the best he can be.

If he ends up fighting Fury and Wilder and retires as undisputed champion, there's no denying that we've been witnessing a great heavyweight champion at work.

At the end of the day, he's comparable to many other great heavyweight champions, so where exactly to place him I couldn't tell you. There are some that are indisputably greater in my mind like Ali & Louis. And there are some that are debatable - like Tyson and Lewis and Holmes.

Just to be in that mix is an achievement in itself I'd say.

[LacedUp]

Doesn't sound like your usual self. Also Ray, if I may, I actually believe Johnson would be one of Wladimir's absolute toughest matchups. Him and Jeffries would handle Wladimir's clinching and grabbing the best, it was a large product of their time and they actually had a lot more grappling knowledge than today's boxers. Billeau2 once wrote a brilliant post on this.


Anyway TS, I really have a hard time with Wlad's ranking these days. Record wise I give him credit, but the last couple of years I can't even call him a boxer anymore. His tactics are so atrocious now that his continued title defenses actually hurt his legacy more than they help it, IMO. As crazy as that may sound.

Wladimir would undoubtedly wipe the floor with Jeffries - likely Johnson too.

We have go beyond that time before we can find someone comparable to Wlad in ability - maybe not in achievements, but in ability surely.

[BKM-2010]

Wladimir would undoubtedly wipe the floor with Jeffries - likely Johnson too.

We have go beyond that time before we can find someone comparable to Wlad in ability - maybe not in achievements, but in ability surely.

Ironically the much younger, aggressive and fragile(not that he's not fragile today) Wladimir would do far better against Johnson. I won't use Jeffries due to no footage.

But today's Wladimir who's instinct for almost everything(defense, finishing off combination, closing distance etc.) is to grab and hold? This would not work against Jack Johnson, and do not be fooled by size. Grappling technique is not just about size but knowing how to use leverage and positioning. Johnson was an expert on it due to his time. Wladimir is not, he just uses his size and one dimensional strength.

[LacedUp]

Ironically the much younger, aggressive and fragile(not that he's not fragile today) Wladimir would do far better against Johnson. I won't use Jeffries due to no footage.

But today's Wladimir who's instinct for almost everything(defense, finishing off combination, closing distance etc.) is to grab and hold? This would not work against Jack Johnson, and do not be fooled by size. Grappling technique is not just about size but knowing how to use leverage and positioning. Johnson was an expert on it due to his time. Wladimir is not, he just uses his size and one dimensional strength.

Ok but do you not think Johnson used the exact same techniques on the much smaller guys like Flynn, Langford and Ketchel? Grabbing techniques work best if you're a great deal taller than your opponent - which Wladimir is more often than not. You see what happened when Johnson fought Jess Willard - regardless if he took a dive or not - he couldn't impose any of that on him.

Jess Willard is nowhere near the fighter Wladimir is. You look at Jack Johnson and see him fight and get dropped by a middleweight in Ketchel - I know he brutally knocked him out seconds later - but still. Imagine he had a 6'6 behemoth with brutal one-punch KO power in front of him.

The only way I could possibly see Johnson win was if he was somehow able to tire Wlad out. Say they fought outside in the summer sun like some of Johnson's fights and it went beyond 12 rounds and Johnson was still in it (which I doubt), then maybe Wlad would fatigue and get knocked out. Other than that, I can't see Johnson doing anything with Wlad at all.

[The Old LefHook]

Dominant, but not in a dominating way. He has the style and tactics of a man afraid to death of a punch. I lost interest in him a long time ago.