BoxRec

Vitali eats at Taco Bell the night before the fight and washes it down with Chinese Beers.... and plunges hopelessly into barfitzmatic seizures.....Wlad however, is waiting in the wings, and just happens to be in top condition....(at that same point in history) and rather than lose the paycheck, all parties agree to Wlad stepping in on that fateful night.


What happens?

Brutal ko win for Lennox.Probably in the first 3 rounds.
The Wlad that is fighting now is not the same Wlad that fought then.
Easy Easy win for Lennox.

tiny_acres wrote:Brutal ko win for Lennox.Probably in the first 3 rounds.
The Wlad that is fighting now is not the same Wlad that fought then.
Easy Easy win for Lennox.

Lewis would stop Wlad early circa 2004 or 2014.

tiny_acres wrote:Brutal ko win for Lennox.Probably in the first 3 rounds.
The Wlad that is fighting now is not the same Wlad that fought then.
Easy Easy win for Lennox.

That is quite possible if Wlad chose to fight like Vitali did or like he did vs Sanders. But I don't think Wlad would be going forward fearlessly, like Vitali did, relying on his chin and trying to outtough Lewis. IMO he'd have respect for Lewis, maybe too much, and probably fight scared and very cautiously. So if he survives it through the first half, he'd probably get a close decision over tired Lewis or even a late stoppage. His choice to fight cautiously and defensively at that time is kind of speculation, but in my opinion that would be the case. His ability to fight that way at the time may be challenged as well, but Lewis might not really press for the ko, especially if he'd be winning early rounds, just cause he could be lazy at times, doing only necessary minimum, or in order to save energy for 12 rounds if he had doubts re his preparation and conditions.

Though even if my expectations were correct, Lewis would still have a viable chance of early stoppage, since Wlad was not the fighter he is now and Lewis wasn't much past it or obese (extra 6 pounds or 2% compared to his average weight in his 5 previous fights is almost nothing for a big heavyweight).

So essentially it's Wladimir Klitschko in a fight with a world class opponent, who's also a prime quality puncher, and who he has no size advantages over?

The only debate to be had is whether he is KOd in round 1 or round 2. Against Lennox Lewis, I'm sure any sensible person would expect round 1.

Wlad's best chance is if Lewis is totally overconfident or doesn't prepare properly, which is slightly paradoxical because if he was as motivated/on song as he was for Rahman II/Grant/Golota etc than that suggests he sees Wlad as a legitimate threat.

Leonid wrote:But I don't think Wlad would be going forward fearlessly, like Vitali did, relying on his chin and trying to outtough Lewis. IMO he'd have respect for Lewis, maybe too much, and probably fight scared and very cautiously.

I agree with the first part - every time Wlad fought semi-decent opponent (especially of the same size) he was very cautious. But Lewis is different league than (for example) Thompson or McCline. Once he realizes his opponent is scared and can't fight inside, it is over.

I think either Lewis in 2 if Wlad was aggressive or Lewis in 8 if he is cautious. It would be a much tougher fight than both guys are used to. I like Wlad but this is just a bad match up for him, he would probably have a better chance against ali or holyfield.

tiny_acres wrote:Brutal ko win for Lennox.Probably in the first 3 rounds. The Wlad that is fighting now is not the same Wlad that fought then. Easy Easy win for Lennox.

I agree with this assessment. Whilst I am not a Lennox fan, I do recognize that he would have had too much for Wlad at that particular time. Wlad had not yet learnt how to tighten up his defence yet, nor had he developed his punishing jab at that time.

This fight would be very different if you were talking about Wladimir of a later time.

Whomever lands their best first wins. Wlad has an edge on speed. Lewis the edge on experience. You have to favor Lewis early, but if Wlad senses Lewis is slower, he could really open up on him like he did with Ray Mercer.

Ray Mercer was 42 year old and with a long spell out of boxing due to a broken neck, followed by another long spell out of boxing due to hepititis. He hadn't fought at world level in six years.

We never saw a Lennox Lewis as helpless as the cadaver of Ray Mercer, so to suggest Wlad could open up on him like he did Mercer is an absurd comparison. The worst, most washed up version of Lewis we ever saw was against Wladimir's bigger, tougher brother, and he was still throwing and landing the bombs.

Crease wrote:

tiny_acres wrote:Brutal ko win for Lennox.Probably in the first 3 rounds. The Wlad that is fighting now is not the same Wlad that fought then. Easy Easy win for Lennox.

I agree with this assessment. Whilst I am not a Lennox fan, I do recognize that he would have had too much for Wlad at that particular time. Wlad had not yet learnt how to tighten up his defence yet, nor had he developed his punishing jab at that time.

This fight would be very different if you were talking about Wladimir of a later time.

What? He hadn't developed his punishing jab? His whole game was the punishing jab (and he actually threw more hard jabs when he was younger)

Lewis wins fairly easily against any version of Wlad because Wlad can't handle skilled pressure. When the hell has Wlad ever faced someone like a Lewis coming forward with a power jab who has a bigger reach and would be drilling uppercuts on the inside?

dempseyfire wrote:What? He hadn't developed his punishing jab? His whole game was the punishing jab (and he actually threw more hard jabs when he was younger)

Are you honestly saying that Wladimir's jabbing has not developed as he's gotten older? His jab wasn't as effective when he was younger (though I do recognize that he used it).

Lennox wins emphatically.

Wladimir has never faced anyone like Lewis & I don't think Wlad would have been able to handle him.

wlad back then had no business being in the
ring with a fearless puncher. another golota
for lennox.

very different story with the wlad of now.

Crease wrote:

dempseyfire wrote:What? He hadn't developed his punishing jab? His whole game was the punishing jab (and he actually threw more hard jabs when he was younger)

Are you honestly saying that Wladimir's jabbing has not developed as he's gotten older? His jab wasn't as effective when he was younger (though I do recognize that he used it).

He controlled whole fights with the jab just like he has recently. His pacing has improved . . his jab? No.

Crease wrote: Are you honestly saying that Wladimir's jabbing has not developed as he's gotten older? His jab wasn't as effective when he was younger (though I do recognize that he used it).

You should check his 1999 fight with Axel Schultz.

Given that the time frame proposed was just 3 months after Wlad got Sparked by Sanders, its unlikely that the match would have been made. But assuming that it did, it might have been interesting.. Wlad was coming off a terrible upset and had yet to reinvent himself under the instruction of Steward. On the surface, this would have made him a very beatable opponent for Lewis who in hind site managed to beat his brother. But Lennox was 37 years of age, a career high 256 lbs and off for a full year. He also wasn't the left hooker that Sanders was, and its unlikely that Wladimir would approach a fight of this magnitude with same mentality that he did Sanders... All in all, Lewis should be favored and most likely wins by KO or TKO. But I can see Klitschko posing some problems and an upset isn't out of the question.

It's possible Wlad could win but I doubt it . Lewis was better at just about everything . The only advantage if give Wlad could also be a disadvantage is that he rarely gambles in fights which could help him vs Lewis . Both great fighters but Wlad wouldn't be able to be himself vs Lewis who's reach was longer hit just as hard if not harder and was more fluid.