I'm Having a Wlad Knockout/Good Riddance Party...Bring a plus one.

[caldo2025]

The countdown is on for one of the greatest days in Boxing History. On April 29th, the boxing world will FINALLY be rid of the WORST heavyweight champion in the history of the sport. No one in history has had more of a negative impact on the sport of boxing. Since the day Wlad became Heavyweight Champion of the World, Boxing entertainment began to plunge. For years, fans had to suffer with the most boring and unentertaining fighter holding it's most prestigious title. No signification fights...no storylines...no excitement...most of his fights weren't even televised worldwide. THE WORST HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION IN HISTORY.

So on April 29th, Anthony Joshua will knock Wlad and his boring unappealing ass into the abyss and my hope is that it's the last time we have to see his face, hear his stupid voice or have to sit through another one of his slap fight hugfests. With a real champion like Joshua, you will see Boxing climb back into the forefront of sports and it will get back to where it was before Wlad completely thrashed Boxing single handedly. Can't Wait!

[candyslim]

I'm a massive fan of Joshua but I think you're being a bit harsh on Klitschko. It's not his fault the quality of opposition was poor and the only other heavyweight of exceptional quality was his brother.

I grant you it did herald a period in the doldrums for boxing but you can't really blame them alone. Where was the conveyor belt of American talent arriving to challenge them?

[BitPlayer]

The Klitscko's domanance was dull, but without them the string of subpar champions would be outright embarassing.

[asdfjkl]

He certainly wasn't the worst, but it was definetly not exiting, the winner was known beforehand, or won thanks to injuries or luck, not quality.

[Ilya Muromets]

He certainly wasn't the worst, but it was definetly not exiting, the winner was known beforehand, or won thanks to injuries or luck, not quality.

The K brothers totally dominated boxing for many years in its biggest and strongest and most internationally represented era ever. In other words they were, and maybe Wlad still is, the best heavyweights ever. Wlad won 53 of his 64 fights by KO; Vitali 41 of his 45 fights by KO. But they are "boring" etc etc. What a bunch of f'g biased nitwits.

[jezzamundo]

He certainly wasn't the worst, but it was definetly not exiting, the winner was known beforehand, or won thanks to injuries or luck, not quality.

The K brothers totally dominated boxing for many years in its biggest and strongest and most internationally represented era ever. In other words they were, and maybe Wlad still is, the best heavyweights ever. Wlad won 53 of his 64 fights by KO; Vitali 41 of his 45 fights by KO. But they are "boring" etc etc. What a bunch of f'g biased nitwits.

Biggest - if you're referring to the weight of the boxers, you're right. Not sure how it's bigger in any other way.
Strongest - are you high? The reason the Klitschkos were so dominant is because they were the only really good heavyweights of their era - they looked so good because the general standard of their opponents were so bad. The only time one of them shared the ring with a great heavyweight was Vitali vs a rusty and overweight Lennox Lewis.
Most internationally represented - yes, boxing is a more international sport today than it was in the past, but the growth in other countries hasn't been enough to compensate for the deterioration of the sport in America, particularly in the heavyweight division.

That said, neither is close to being the worst heavyweight champion in history.

[Ilya Muromets]

He certainly wasn't the worst, but it was definetly not exiting, the winner was known beforehand, or won thanks to injuries or luck, not quality.

The K brothers totally dominated boxing for many years in its biggest and strongest and most internationally represented era ever. In other words they were, and maybe Wlad still is, the best heavyweights ever. Wlad won 53 of his 64 fights by KO; Vitali 41 of his 45 fights by KO. But they are "boring" etc etc. What a bunch of f'g biased nitwits.

Biggest - if you're referring to the weight of the boxers, you're right. Not sure how it's bigger in any other way.
Strongest - are you high? The reason the Klitschkos were so dominant is because they were the only really good heavyweights of their era - they looked so good because the general standard of their opponents were so bad. The only time one of them shared the ring with a great heavyweight was Vitali vs a rusty and overweight Lennox Lewis.
Most internationally represented - yes, boxing is a more international sport today than it was in the past, but the growth in other countries hasn't been enough to compensate for the deterioration of the sport in America, particularly in the heavyweight division.

That said, neither is close to being the worst heavyweight champion in history.

We disagree.

[Kalan]

Wladimir Klitschko had some great performances...

Flattening undefeated Calvin Brock with one brutal right hander was one ... Knocking TFO of the hulking Ray Austin with a series of precision left hooks was another ... Battering and stopping master-boxer Chris Byrd was a 3rd ... Clubbing the undefeated and huge bully boy Kubrat Pulev with a series of smashing left hook knockdowns that culminated in a savage KO win that obliterated him from the Heavyweight scene was another ... One swift left hook allowed Wladimir to become the only man who ever rendered Fast Eddie Chambers unconscious, or even stop him ... Crushing the gigantic Derrick Jefferson with a head busting right-hander was exciting ... Wladimir's dramatic 11th round KO of Tony Thompson certainly was a job well done...

Leon Spinks' record of 26-17-3 with 9 KO losses didn't set the world ablaze... I don't remember too many quality Heavyweights he ever beat.

Herbie Hide made Michael Bentt look like the most ridiculous swinger ever... Nobody would mistake Bentt for a Heavyweight Champion.

Jimmy Braddock lost so many fights -- and sat on the title for 2 years before getting crushed in his 1st defense... How he won the title is a mystery.

Tommy Morrison couldn't get out of his own way... and couldn't beat a skilled Heavyweight to save his life.

I could fill out a "Bottom-10" who are just as bad... Obviously Wladimir Klitschko wouldn't make the list.

[jezzamundo]

The K brothers totally dominated boxing for many years in its biggest and strongest and most internationally represented era ever. In other words they were, and maybe Wlad still is, the best heavyweights ever. Wlad won 53 of his 64 fights by KO; Vitali 41 of his 45 fights by KO. But they are "boring" etc etc. What a bunch of f'g biased nitwits.

Biggest - if you're referring to the weight of the boxers, you're right. Not sure how it's bigger in any other way.
Strongest - are you high? The reason the Klitschkos were so dominant is because they were the only really good heavyweights of their era - they looked so good because the general standard of their opponents were so bad. The only time one of them shared the ring with a great heavyweight was Vitali vs a rusty and overweight Lennox Lewis.
Most internationally represented - yes, boxing is a more international sport today than it was in the past, but the growth in other countries hasn't been enough to compensate for the deterioration of the sport in America, particularly in the heavyweight division.

That said, neither is close to being the worst heavyweight champion in history.

We disagree.

Fair enough, but who did Wlad (or Vitali) ever beat who would be a threat to any of the great heavyweight champions of the past? They're clearly the outstanding heavyweights of their era, but I fail to comprehend how anyone could describe their competition as being anything but weak. You only have to look at recent history to see that the 90s had far greater depth of talent. There's no way the Klitschkos would have been the dominant champions in the 90s that they were in the 2000s, though they may have won a share of the title at some point.

[Ilya Muromets]

Biggest - if you're referring to the weight of the boxers, you're right. Not sure how it's bigger in any other way.
Strongest - are you high? The reason the Klitschkos were so dominant is because they were the only really good heavyweights of their era - they looked so good because the general standard of their opponents were so bad. The only time one of them shared the ring with a great heavyweight was Vitali vs a rusty and overweight Lennox Lewis.
Most internationally represented - yes, boxing is a more international sport today than it was in the past, but the growth in other countries hasn't been enough to compensate for the deterioration of the sport in America, particularly in the heavyweight division.

That said, neither is close to being the worst heavyweight champion in history.

We disagree.

Fair enough, but who did Wlad (or Vitali) ever beat who would be a threat to any of the great heavyweight champions of the past? They're clearly the outstanding heavyweights of their era, but I fail to comprehend how anyone could describe their competition as being anything but weak. You only have to look at recent history to see that the 90s had far greater depth of talent. There's no way the Klitschkos would have been the dominant champions in the 90s that they were in the 2000s, though they may have won a share of the title at some point.

You seem polite, brother, but I don't feel like getting into it too much as I put some effort arguing Povetkin's case on the other thread, so what's the point? I'll just say that I think you are being - what's the word? - USA-centric, because the so-called world heavyweight champs from the 90's and earlier were really only US and UK champs and maybe a few more western countries on rare occasion, but basically just US-UK champs.

[Kalan]

Biggest - if you're referring to the weight of the boxers, you're right. Not sure how it's bigger in any other way.
Strongest - are you high? The reason the Klitschkos were so dominant is because they were the only really good heavyweights of their era - they looked so good because the general standard of their opponents were so bad. The only time one of them shared the ring with a great heavyweight was Vitali vs a rusty and overweight Lennox Lewis.
Most internationally represented - yes, boxing is a more international sport today than it was in the past, but the growth in other countries hasn't been enough to compensate for the deterioration of the sport in America, particularly in the heavyweight division.

That said, neither is close to being the worst heavyweight champion in history.

We disagree.

Fair enough, but who did Wlad (or Vitali) ever beat who would be a threat to any of the great heavyweight champions of the past? They're clearly the outstanding heavyweights of their era, but I fail to comprehend how anyone could describe their competition as being anything but weak. You only have to look at recent history to see that the 90s had far greater depth of talent. There's no way the Klitschkos would have been the dominant champions in the 90s that they were in the 2000s, though they may have won a share of the title at some point.

Vitali was winning the Lewis fight on all scorecards at it's conclusion... He was a much better Heavyweight and he retired the cowardly fouling Lewis... Wladimir never lost a round to Chris Byrd yet and Byrd would be a threat to beat many great Heavyweight Champions of the past... Eddie Chambers was a tremendous boxer in his prime and would box rings around some past greats.. Larry Donald easily out-boxed Evander Holyfield and Vitali is the only man to stop him.. Alexander Povetkin is a great Heavyweight and would slaughter guys like Marciano, Sharkey, Baer, Schmeling, Patterson, and Foreman who he'd easily jab to death... And a lot of other guys the K Bros beat would find some past champs easy meat.. Danny Williams knocked out Mike Tyson but couldn't do a damned thing in his Klitschko fight prior to getting flattened.

[tiny_acres]

I'd love to see Klit win. Very nice guy good role model.
But after the win I'd love to see him retire.

[jezzamundo]

We disagree.

Fair enough, but who did Wlad (or Vitali) ever beat who would be a threat to any of the great heavyweight champions of the past? They're clearly the outstanding heavyweights of their era, but I fail to comprehend how anyone could describe their competition as being anything but weak. You only have to look at recent history to see that the 90s had far greater depth of talent. There's no way the Klitschkos would have been the dominant champions in the 90s that they were in the 2000s, though they may have won a share of the title at some point.

You seem polite, brother, but I don't feel like getting into it too much as I put some effort arguing Povetkin's case on the other thread, so what's the point? I'll just say that I think you are being - what's the word? - USA-centric, because the so-called world heavyweight champs from the 90's and earlier were really only US and UK champs and maybe a few more western countries on rare occasion, but basically just US-UK champs.

Fair enough. In the end of the day, I make judgments using my own eyes. I actually missed a few Wlad fights and had began to buy into the hype before seeing him take on Tony Thompson for the first time and I couldn't believe how poor he looked against a relatively limited opponent. I'm confident a prime Lennox Lewis walks through him in two rounds or less. Vitali was better - less gifted but tougher and a more natural fighter - but aside from Lewis, his resume is very weak. I've agreed that boxing is a more global sport today than it was in the past, but I disagree that this has resulted in an improvement in the quality of the fighters, especially at heavyweight. I'm Australian and definitely don't have a nationalistic bias - just call things as I seen them.

[jezzamundo]

We disagree.

Fair enough, but who did Wlad (or Vitali) ever beat who would be a threat to any of the great heavyweight champions of the past? They're clearly the outstanding heavyweights of their era, but I fail to comprehend how anyone could describe their competition as being anything but weak. You only have to look at recent history to see that the 90s had far greater depth of talent. There's no way the Klitschkos would have been the dominant champions in the 90s that they were in the 2000s, though they may have won a share of the title at some point.

Vitali was winning the Lewis fight on all scorecards at it's conclusion... He was a much better Heavyweight and he retired the cowardly fouling Lewis... Wladimir never lost a round to Chris Byrd yet and Byrd would be a threat to beat many great Heavyweight Champions of the past... Eddie Chambers was a tremendous boxer in his prime and would box rings around some past greats.. Larry Donald easily out-boxed Evander Holyfield and Vitali is the only man to stop him.. Alexander Povetkin is a great Heavyweight and would slaughter guys like Marciano, Sharkey, Baer, Schmeling, Patterson, and Foreman who he'd easily jab to death... And a lot of other guys the K Bros beat would find some past champs easy meat.. Danny Williams knocked out Mike Tyson but couldn't do a damned thing in his Klitschko fight prior to getting flattened.

Your bias for present-day fighters is unreal and you seen unable to grasp the concept that wins over a post-prime fighter are less meaningful. I agree that Chambers was a good boxer, but he was a tiny heavyweight and small even for cruiserweight and never had much pop - Wlad should have stopped him a lot sooner than he did. Holyfield was a shell of his former self when Larry Donald beat him - that win means practically nothing when comparing Vitali and Evander. Tyson was a shot fighter more than a decade past his best when Danny Williams beat him. As for Povetkin beating a prime George Foreman - no chance!

[man]

the older you get the more you glorify
the past. the same happened to the ATGs.
ali was not seen as the savior of boxing
by everybody back then.

wlad was perceived world wide as one of
the most gifted athletes ever entering the
heavy weight scene. he ran into trouble
when his defensive weaknesses were
exposed and he found and awkward yet
effective way to cope with them.

IMHO no ATG walks through the second
coming of wlad like he was nothing. overall
i am happy his era ends because he indeed
produced series of dissatisfying spectacles.
but to dismiss him as if he was a bum in
the clothes of a champion is taking things
way too far.

[Freedom2013]

Ever notice that the same people who disparage the Klitschkos, also discredit Golovkin, Kovalev, Calzaghe, etc?

[Bard of Boxrec]

Ever notice that the same people who disparage the Klitschkos, also discredit Golovkin, Kovalev, Calzaghe, etc?

No, I haven't noticed that

[caldo2025]

Ever notice that the same people who disparage the Klitschkos, also discredit Golovkin, Kovalev, Calzaghe, etc?

Not true at all. GGG and Kovalev are #'s 1 & 2 in my P4P list. GGG is #1 in my all time MW list as well.

The big difference is that GGG and Kovalev are great for the sport and they want to bring excitement to fans with big fights. Wlad didn't do anything for the sport. His fights were disgustingly boring.

Him finally taking a fight like this with Joshua is just a money grab. Nothing more. He'll take a dive and cash his check like the bum he is.

[caldo2025]

I'm a massive fan of Joshua but I think you're being a bit harsh on Klitschko. It's not his fault the quality of opposition was poor and the only other heavyweight of exceptional quality was his brother.

I grant you it did herald a period in the doldrums for boxing but you can't really blame them alone. Where was the conveyor belt of American talent arriving to challenge them?

Screw that excuse about his opposition being poor. Wlad could have still made the division more exciting and brought some entertainment to it. He's just so dull and boring that he made everything else around him dull and boring as well. There's nothing better than seeing Wlad flop all over the ring like he did that night against Sanders and I can't wait to see it again.

[man]

Ever notice that the same people who disparage the Klitschkos, also discredit Golovkin, Kovalev, Calzaghe, etc?

i think that is simply not the case. you
really can criticise wlad without being
a hater or europhobe.

[Loki]

The countdown is on for one of the greatest days in Boxing History. On April 29th, the boxing world will FINALLY be rid of the WORST heavyweight champion in the history of the sport. No one in history has had more of a negative impact on the sport of boxing. Since the day Wlad became Heavyweight Champion of the World, Boxing entertainment began to plunge. For years, fans had to suffer with the most boring and unentertaining fighter holding it's most prestigious title. No signification fights...no storylines...no excitement...most of his fights weren't even televised worldwide. THE WORST HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION IN HISTORY.

So on April 29th, Anthony Joshua will knock Wlad and his boring unappealing ass into the abyss and my hope is that it's the last time we have to see his face, hear his stupid voice or have to sit through another one of his slap fight hugfests. With a real champion like Joshua, you will see Boxing climb back into the forefront of sports and it will get back to where it was before Wlad completely thrashed Boxing single handedly. Can't Wait!

First off you're a tool. Secondly, I wouldn't be surprised if AJ is knocked out cold.

This forum breeds dullards. I agree, WK wasn't that exciting but he and his brother dominated the HW in a way not seen since Larry Holmes. Vitali retired Lennox Lewis who everyone thought was boring. It's only now that people appreciate how good he was and I'm sure the Klitschko will be remembered a lot better in 10 years time.

I'm tired of people bashing fighters, especially ATGs. What the fcuk have you done? If you want to hate, pick a complete prick like Broner or Bellew.

Lastly, storylines? WTF is this? WWE.

[Jip]

finaly

[caldo2025]

The countdown is on for one of the greatest days in Boxing History. On April 29th, the boxing world will FINALLY be rid of the WORST heavyweight champion in the history of the sport. No one in history has had more of a negative impact on the sport of boxing. Since the day Wlad became Heavyweight Champion of the World, Boxing entertainment began to plunge. For years, fans had to suffer with the most boring and unentertaining fighter holding it's most prestigious title. No signification fights...no storylines...no excitement...most of his fights weren't even televised worldwide. THE WORST HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION IN HISTORY.

So on April 29th, Anthony Joshua will knock Wlad and his boring unappealing ass into the abyss and my hope is that it's the last time we have to see his face, hear his stupid voice or have to sit through another one of his slap fight hugfests. With a real champion like Joshua, you will see Boxing climb back into the forefront of sports and it will get back to where it was before Wlad completely thrashed Boxing single handedly. Can't Wait!

First off you're a tool. Secondly, I wouldn't be surprised if AJ is knocked out cold.

This forum breeds dullards. I agree, WK wasn't that exciting but he and his brother dominated the HW in a way not seen since Larry Holmes. Vitali retired Lennox Lewis who everyone thought was boring. It's only now that people appreciate how good he was and I'm sure the Klitschko will be remembered a lot better in 10 years time.

I'm tired of people bashing fighters, especially ATGs. What the fcuk have you done? If you want to hate, pick a complete prick like Broner or Bellew.

Lastly, storylines? WTF is this? WWE.

Another Robot Lover crying because he can't face the truth that his hero was the worst champ ever. First off, you build interest into a fight or a fighter by the way you promote it. Hence, the word "storyline" for those unfortunate souls like yourself that need to have the definition of marketing taught to them on a boxing comment board. 24/7 series ring a bell dickhead?

YOU ARE DREAMING if you think Wlad will be remembered as better than Lennox Lewis. DREAMING. Honestly, that the most idiotic statement i've ever read on here so i'm done with your ass. Go rub a robot elsewhere. You must really love tin.

Broner and Bellew have entertained more fans in one fight than Wlad has in 8 years.

[fanman]

Vlad put a very good series of wins together.
After repeatedly getting ko'd earlier in his career, he adopted a safety first, behind the jab & grab style. It worked for him! He never really had an exciting fight that he won (maybe the first peter fight) but had a good reign at heavy and with his massive physical attributes would have been a handful for anyone. He did the very best with what he had, and to top it off is now taking on the top young heavy from the next era. Respect.

[greg]

..if we compare the first 3,5 years of their respective professional careers, Wlad's fights were at least as exciting and effective as those of Joshua's..