johnmichael-bricWladimir Klitschko: The Man to Beat in the Heavyweights
October 22nd 2007 20:54
He really looks unstoppable these days. Aside from his great advantages and talents in boxing, Emmanuel Steward molded him into a more dangerous and patient fighter. He never looks for an early KO unless the opportunity arises. He dissects his opponents with pin pointing hard jabs in each round before unleashing his scary straight right. His foes are also having a hard time figuring out how to dismantle him. If they fight from a distance, they would be sitting ducks to Wlad's hard punches. If they move in close, chances are they would be clinched forcing the referee to break them up.
Despite all his prowess, he still has some issues in my opinion. He is what I call a "head hunter", which means he never ever targets his opponents body. It would have helped him even more in fights by mixing up his punches but he does target his opponents' heads accurately. He also has a bit of problem with guys who targets his body. He seems irritated when he gets hit down stairs which is what successfully Calvin Brock before getting KOd in the 7th round. I also want to see him fight guys who are also technically skilled and hits hard like him. When he was scheduled to fight Shannon Briggs last year, Emmanuel Steward constantly whined about the danger Wladimir would be in. Briggs is another talented Heavywieght with 42 KOs in 48 wins with 27 first round KOs in his resume. He is arguably the hardest puncher in the Heavyweights today and also moves quick for a guy standing in at 6'4" and weighs 265-270 lbs. Wlad's trainer was really worried, fearing that his fighter can potentially lose by KO again. His handlers eventually signed to fight Calvin Brock instead, who is a much safer opponent than Briggs. The referees should sometimes warn him because he sometimes clinches too much. I know it is great a strategy to wrap his opponents but in some occasions it is just too much.
But hey, he is still the best Heavyweight in many boxing fans' eyes which is evidenced in his last 7 fights. I just wish he would fight more often. He fights at a rate of two bouts a year. He has plenty of potential challengers out there but with the rate of fights he is in, it would take some time to face them. I would like to see him fight three to four times a year. I also hope he gets to fight a healthy Shannon Briggs next year. That is still a dream match-up for me.
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