Wlad is a class act

[squared circle]

Like or dislike his fighting style, no-one can dispute Wlad is a class act outside the ring.

Joshua just revealed Wlad has sent him a private good luck note, welcoming him to the pro game. He really didn't need to do that, not least on the eve of his toughest fight for ages.

I also liked the way he carried himself before and after the haye fight (and I love haye!).


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[rm1]

yup highly intelligent and a true professional in all his endeavours. These factors are some of the key reasons why he is so dominantat his weight.

[loaded_gloves]

Him and his brother sound like monsters behind the scenes on the contractual front. 'Yes you can fight me, but then you must fight my brother, and if you beat him you must fight me again.'

Truly a class act the way hides behind his big brother when some naughty boy has beaten him up.

Hey, has Shannon Briggs been paid for his beating yet?

[whiskey]

Him and his brother sound like monsters behind the scenes on the contractual front. 'Yes you can fight me, but then you must fight my brother, and if you beat him you must fight me again.'

Truly a class act the way hides behind his big brother when some naughty boy has beaten him up.

Hey, has Shannon Briggs been paid for his beating yet?

Shannon's team certainly was.

[dammage7]

Him and his brother sound like monsters behind the scenes on the contractual front. 'Yes you can fight me, but then you must fight my brother, and if you beat him you must fight me again.'

Truly a class act the way hides behind his big brother when some naughty boy has beaten him up.

Hey, has Shannon Briggs been paid for his beating yet?

Shannon's team certainly was.

shannons team did him over, he got $25,000
which all probbably went to hospital fees. the morphine really got to him, made him ask vitali for a rematch (payday)

[lefty]

I dont know how anyone can really hate on the Klitschko's. A fair number of these fights where these guys got supposedly got "stiffed" were voluntary defenses. It wasnt like these guys got themselves in mandatory positions and got a raw deal.

[JimStone]

I've never seen any compelling evidence that shows the Klitschkos have skanked anybody. They deal hard but they pay up.

[lefty]

I've never seen any compelling evidence that shows the Klitschkos have skanked anybody. They deal hard but they pay up.

To me they just seem like shrewd operators which is hardly a new thing in business or particularily in the business side of boxing.

[JimJim2009]

I don't think he is. What he is, is a shrewd public image manipulator.

The heavyweight division has been so devoid of exciting genuine talent for so long that the fans have been lulled into accepting Wlad and Vitali as being better than they are, and accepting their borderline cheating tactics (sorry, that only refers to Wlad) as part of the game.

The heavyweight division has been lacking somebody like a Lewis, Tyson or Holyfield - modern greats. In the vacuum, the Klitschko's have thrived.

Its like a party where there's only fat ugly birds. After a few drinks you start to convince yourself that the least fat, least ugly bird is actually fit. No she isn't, she's just the least worst option

[lefty]

I don't think he is. What he is, is a shrewd public image manipulator.

The heavyweight division has been so devoid of exciting genuine talent for so long that the fans have been lulled into accepting Wlad and Vitali as being better than they are, and accepting their borderline cheating tactics (sorry, that only refers to Wlad) as part of the game.

The heavyweight division has been lacking somebody like a Lewis, Tyson or Holyfield - modern greats. In the vacuum, the Klitschko's have thrived.

Its like a party where there's only fat ugly birds. After a few drinks you start to convince yourself that the least fat, least ugly bird is actually fit. No she isn't, she's just the least worst option

Ignoring whether they are public image manipulators for a moment, I think it's unfair to say they're not great fighters. They're not as good as the forementioned but to say they're not very good in unfair I think.

[JimJim2009]

Ignoring whether they are public image manipulators for a moment, I think it's unfair to say they're not great fighters. They're not as good as the forementioned but to say they're not very good in unfair I think.[/quote]

In fairness yes they are very good. Its the standing on sideways and leaving the jab arm out to block the opponents advance that i detest, its mainly wlad that does it. They have amazing physical advantages over every opponent and yet still try things on like that. I remain astounded at how often referees allow it to happen.

at the risk of sounding a bit stupid, the kitschko brothers don't actually "fight". they use a perfected technique of minimising risk. from a fans romantic perspective, its pretty rotten. floyd avoids taking punishment and its incredible to watch. with wlad, the lanky twat just leans back, turns sideways, or leaves his arm sticking out. gets right on my wick

[saturday_kid]

I don't think he is. What he is, is a shrewd public image manipulator.

The heavyweight division has been so devoid of exciting genuine talent for so long that the fans have been lulled into accepting Wlad and Vitali as being better than they are, and accepting their borderline cheating tactics (sorry, that only refers to Wlad) as part of the game.

The heavyweight division has been lacking somebody like a Lewis, Tyson or Holyfield - modern greats. In the vacuum, the Klitschko's have thrived.

Its like a party where there's only fat ugly birds. After a few drinks you start to convince yourself that the least fat, least ugly bird is actually fit. No she isn't, she's just the least worst option

What he said Exactly.

War Povetkin!

[lefty]

Ignoring whether they are public image manipulators for a moment, I think it's unfair to say they're not great fighters. They're not as good as the forementioned but to say they're not very good in unfair I think.

In fairness yes they are very good. Its the standing on sideways and leaving the jab arm out to block the opponents advance that i detest, its mainly wlad that does it. They have amazing physical advantages over every opponent and yet still try things on like that. I remain astounded at how often referees allow it to happen.

at the risk of sounding a bit stupid, the kitschko brothers don't actually "fight". they use a perfected technique of minimising risk. from a fans romantic perspective, its pretty rotten. floyd avoids taking punishment and its incredible to watch. with wlad, the lanky twat just leans back, turns sideways, or leaves his arm sticking out. gets right on my wick [/quote]
Na i get the point you're making. Admittedly Wlad does get away with some things. Saying that though, some of the tactics Wlad adopts ie using his length and jab to basically fence someone off is the same sort of thing Lennox used to do aswell. I was watching a highlights vid of Lennox the other day and one of the clips was from when he stopped Bruno. Micky Vann was giving him a bollocking for the exact same thing.

[ThereByTheGrace]

Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but I think the Klitschko's are a class act and almost too good for boxing with their conduct.

I honestly think they both rank up there with the ATGs at heavyweight.

Vitali had a 50/50 fight with Lewis and it was there for the taking that night.

[JimJim2009]

Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but I think the Klitschko's are a class act and almost too good for boxing with their conduct.

I honestly think they both rank up there with the ATGs at heavyweight.

Vitali had a 50/50 fight with Lewis and it was there for the taking that night.

I'm only 41 so i'm not old but I have been a fan for 30 years and i wish the sport was a bit more like, you take on the champ, and if you win, you are the champ and you embark on your reign. The way the Klitschko's tie contenders up in knots with their contracts runs against the general idea of boxing being a sport. I know they're not the only ones to do it, but many opponents have had to sign deals whereby if you beat Wlad, you then face Vitali, and there's an option for a return with Wlad, depending on results. All on fixed terms, on their promotions.

David Haye has often alluded to their scandalous contractual terms.

To counter this sort of thing, they act like gentlemen and it seems to fool some people. I just want to see somebody knock their fooking blocks off.

[JimStone]

I honestly think they both rank up there with the ATGs at heavyweight.

They're right up there. The main thing that works against them is that the history of boxing is largely written by English speaking Americans.

[ThereByTheGrace]

They beat everyone with relative ease, contracts only become an issue because of this.

[JimJim2009]

They beat everyone with relative ease, contracts only become an issue because of this.

You won't get a rational argument out of me I just can't stand them. Come on Povetkin !

[lefty]

They beat everyone with relative ease, contracts only become an issue because of this.

You won't get a rational argument out of me I just can't stand them. Come on Povetkin !

I think Povetkin is gonna get smashed.

[JimJim2009]

They beat everyone with relative ease, contracts only become an issue because of this.

You won't get a rational argument out of me I just can't stand them. Come on Povetkin !

I think Povetkin is gonna get smashed.

I fear you're right and hope you're wrong

[loaded_gloves]

It's what Jimjim said. In the absence of talent and the extinction of a certain dominant type of flashy and exciting American heavyweight many fans are overrating these brothers.

Seeing the list of great fighters people think the Brothers K, the harpooners of beached & retarded whales, can beat is scary.

I didn't realise spearing simply the worst, most clueless and out of shape heavyweights in history suddenly meant you weren't, in the case of Wlad, the same glass-jawed fragility that three separate B class fighters waded through with just a few spirited attacks.

The size wins out argument baffles me the most. People forget when Wlad came across two men with the absolute bare minimum of fitness, speed, and defensive guile you would expect of a fighter in a world title bout - Ibragimov and Haye - Wladimir's awesome power was totally nullified and he was too slow and too scared to plant one on either man.

These fighting men of the past don't tamely sit at the end of an occasional jab like Wlad's non-opponent mediocrities do. If Ibragimov and Haye are too smart defensively for you, then Ezzard Charles, Jersey Joe, Joe Louis et al are going to read you like a book & set you up for something big & horrific. Can you picture Vitali and Wlad surviving in the days of 15 round fights fought at an intense pace? Vitali who staggered around gasping for air after six semi-fast paced rounds versus a 40 year old Lennox Lewis?

Vitali was hitting the grossly overweight 40 year old men Corrie Sanders & Shannon Briggs square on the glassy chops with full-bloodied power shots and couldn't even knock them down. Who is he going to be hurting in heavyweight history when he can't budge fragile old men fighting well past their own era? Is he simply going to be 'too big' for the greats of yesteryear? Whenever a giant mastodon roamed into town Joe Louis dispatched them with terrifying speed, punch selection, and violence. Buddy Baer, Abe Simon, and Primo Carnera would be right at the top of the tree today and people like you would write "they are too massive and powerful for a puny 200lb man to hurt them." Well hurt they were, horrifyingly so, and by the athlete who hit with all of his 200lbs.

Vitali has zero wins over men with that calibre of boxing IQ. In fact, the one time he fought someone who could slip & move, in the built-up feather-fisted super middleweight Chris Byrd, he not only failed to make any dent in Byrd whatsoever but was also having to back up confusedly from Byrd in the second half of the fight and then quit on his stool because "it hurts too much".

But still, ah how Vitali has stopped so many immobile 240lb lumps . . . He must be an "ATG"! Absurd.

[lefty]

It's what Jimjim said. In the absence of talent and the extinction of a certain dominant type of flashy and exciting American heavyweight many fans are overrating these brothers.

Seeing the list of great fighters people think the Brothers K, the harpooners of beached & retarded whales, can beat is scary.

I didn't realise spearing simply the worst, most clueless and out of shape heavyweights in history suddenly meant you weren't, in the case of Wlad, the same glass-jawed fragility that three separate B class fighters waded through with just a few spirited attacks.

The size wins out argument baffles me the most. People forget when Wlad came across two men with the absolute bare minimum of fitness, speed, and defensive guile you would expect of a fighter in a world title bout - Ibragimov and Haye - Wladimir's awesome power was totally nullified and he was too slow and too scared to plant one on either man.

These fighting men of the past don't tamely sit at the end of an occasional jab like Wlad's non-opponent mediocrities do. If Ibragimov and Haye are too smart defensively for you, then Ezzard Charles, Jersey Joe, Joe Louis et al are going to read you like a book & set you up for something big & horrific. Can you picture Vitali and Wlad surviving in the days of 15 round fights fought at an intense pace? Vitali who staggered around gasping for air after six semi-fast paced rounds versus a 40 year old Lennox Lewis?

Vitali was hitting the grossly overweight 40 year old men Corrie Sanders & Shannon Briggs square on the glassy chops with full-bloodied power shots and couldn't even knock them down. Who is he going to be hurting in heavyweight history when he can't budge fragile old men fighting well past their own era? Is he simply going to be 'too big' for the greats of yesteryear? Whenever a giant mastodon roamed into town Joe Louis dispatched them with terrifying speed, punch selection, and violence. Buddy Baer, Abe Simon, and Primo Carnera would be right at the top of the tree today and people like you would write "they are too massive and powerful for a puny 200lb man to hurt them." Well hurt they were, horrifyingly so, and by the athlete who hit with all of his 200lbs.

Vitali has zero wins over men with that calibre of boxing IQ. In fact, the one time he fought someone who could slip & move, in the built-up feather-fisted super middleweight Chris Byrd, he not only failed to make any dent in Byrd whatsoever but was also having to back up confusedly from Byrd in the second half of the fight and then quit on his stool because "it hurts too much".

But still, ah how Vitali has stopped so many immobile 240lb lumps . . . He must be an "ATG"! Absurd.

I understand the point you're making but they've also between them beaten a lot of guys that were genuinely elite amateurs ie olympic gold medallists and so on. Unless you're Audley Harrison you cant be a chump and achieve those kind of feats.

[JimStone]

L_G, Wlad won practically every round against both Ibragimov and Haye. Just because he has realised (wisely) that going life and death at heavyweight is stupid for a guy with his skills AND size and doesn't mean he isn't a great boxer.

[stevedoc]

L_G, Wlad won practically every round against both Ibragimov and Haye. Just because he has realised (wisely) that going life and death at heavyweight is stupid for a guy with his skills AND size and doesn't mean he isn't a great boxer.

i don't understand the hate some have towards wlad for the last 7 odd years he been supreme ... i really think it's just racism there are still guys out there that don't like a white heavy weight .

[azzman]

They're like all the other sporting greats who dominate, Davis, Hendry, Scumacher, Samprass, I can't stand them when they're winning and watch to see the get beaten. However, when they start to fade I start liking them and want them to regain their past glories.