cjdragon wrote:JeanClaude Van Damme wrote:Wlad paws with his jab to keep a distance, and when the distance is closed, he just grabs and lays onto his opponents.
Larry's jab was the best ever. It was a weapon, both defensively and offensively.
Holmes also possessed one of the best uppercuts in HW history. No doubt he could KO Wlad.
But Wlad. doesn't leave his chin open for uppercuts (the forgotten punch, good video by the way).
The way Wlad fights, his chin is just way to far back to be hit with that. And up close he turns his head to avoid uppercuts on the chin.
I just don't think Holmes would beat Wlad by KO in some type of fantasy fight scenario.
None of us will ever know, but I don't believe Larry Holmes KO's Wlad Klitschko.
You are right that he does try to keep his chin out of the way most of the time, but there exceptions.
When he paws with his jab, his chin is wide open. It's usually followed by a big punch, but that's where the combination usually ends, and he's still open and off balance the entire time. This is why you've seen him fail to pull the trigger with that right hand and end up in extremely boring decisions with the likes of Ibragimov and Haye.
This is also why he is forced to grapple opponents in an exchange, due to a complete lack of classical boxing defense. I'm not entirely convinced that a man taller than you attempting to smother you isn't ripe for an uppercut.
Wlad doesn't understand actual defense, and his opponents are tubs of lard with no upper body movement that could never slip under his pattycake pawing, so I assume he'll keep winning.
