Wladimir Klitschko reveals grand delusion
by maxirap on Apr 19, 2009 3:43 PM EDT
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PrintI found Wladimir Klitschko's retort to David Haye's artistic t-shirt highly amusing. Haye enjoys goading his opponents because he believes, like many of us, that the present heavyweight champions of the world do the division a grave injustice. That is, in relation to the history of heavyweight champions who inspire such awe in our minds eye. Louis, Marciano, Liston, Ali, Foreman, Frazier. These names are loaded with prestige and presence, they command respect, fear and admiration. I won't waste words on this topic because it's been exhausted. Suffice to say we eagerly await a true great to emerge and demolish the current status quo.The point is - Haye has a point. His disgust is shared by many boxing fans.
I'm not beginning to suggest that Haye will become the undisputed heavyweight champion and mark his name in history among the greats. But when Wladimir Klitschko became rather upset with Haye's t-shirt, depicting him triumphantly holding each of the Klitschko's heads, with their bodies strewn in a heap on the floor, he used a phrase which invoked the words of one of the all time greats. Klitschko basically said that, although he could finish the fight quick, he would prolong Haye's punishment for the full 12 rounds, as a result of the Brit's insolence and disrespect. Ring any bells?
His angry response was fair enough, and it created a necessary drop of bad blood betweeen the two. Hype must be generated and milked for this fight, because it is arguably the biggest heavyweight title fight in six years, since Dr Iron Fist, Vitali, fought Lennox Lewis and was winning until he suffered a horrendous cut, which brought it to a premature end in the sixth.
But Wladimir's words echoed the words Jack Johnson, used before his long-awaited shot at the World Heavyweight title - as opposed to the exclusively "Coloured" version of the title he had been forced to endure for years. Johnson would fight the champion Tommy Burns in Australia and knew that he would finally be the acknowledged world champion, as he would surely dominate the much smaller, lighter, and generally inferior specimen. Tommy Burns had uttered taunts before the bout along the lines of: "Aint no nigga ever gonna take my title".
So Johnson uttered some prophetic words of his own, in his respectful manner, to the tune of: "I'm going to make his beating extra long to teach him a lesson." He did just that, fighting a patient fight, revelling in the moment, owning Burns in the ring by holding him, landing the odd explosive combination in close quarters, which may have taken a few of Burns' teeth out. But while landing heavy shots which crumpled Burns, he physically held him up so as to prolong the fight and the pain for the white man. A statement to the world, which shocked onlookers so much that the police ended up halting the contest in round 14, with the live transmission also being cut.
Wlad Klitschko, ever the scholar, will be acutely aware of the history of heavyweight boxing and perhaps regards himself as an extension of the divisions prestige and honour. He has delusions of grandeur and why not? He is recognised as the best, at the moment. But does he imagine he is so dominant that he can carry a dangerous fighter like Haye for an entre fight, owning him, perhaps toying with him the way Jack Johnson owned Tommy Burns, smiling at the cameras while he paws away the hopeless Brit? He may realise a crushing truth on June 20th: he is a worthy champion standing tall in a barren division, but he is only keeping the throne warm, for he will be usurped by a great champion.
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This might play out well for Haye
Maybe he can piss Wlad off enough, to get Wlad to be reckless and either gas himself out or run into a Hayemaker.
"for he will be usurped by a great champion"
Not necessarily…..
Boxing is the beginning of all sports. I'm willing to bet that the first sport was a man against another man in a fight. (Omar Epps)
I’m sorry, but this is a load of crap from yet another American Klitschko-hater. Believe me, if Wlad was American, or better yet African-American, with the exact same (brilliant) record he has today, there would be no articles like this, or any conversation about where the next great heavyweight is coming from. Wlad (and Vitali) would be seen as the greatest thing since sliced bread. Just as in tennis, where the brilliant Roger Federer and the awesome Rafael Nadal (neither of them American) rule, and no one in America seems to care because they aren’t John McEnroe or Andre Agassi, Americans continue to demonstrate cultural bias and xenophobia when it comes to fighters from Eastern Europe. It seems obvious to anyone rational that the haters are setting things up so that in the very likely event that Wlad crushes Haye, they will once again be able to deny him the credit he deserves. No one should mistake the haters’ delusions for reality, however. Reality is seen in the Klitschkos records, both of which are among the best ever for heavyweights. And the future after the brothers? Look to Sascha Dimitrenko and Alexander Povertkin. Eastern Europeans. And there’s plenty more where that came from. Years from now, the mighty brothers Klitschko will be seen as the trailblazers they are, the first of a long and distinguished line of Eastern European HW champions.
by Uncle Chop-Chop on Apr 19, 2009 6:36 PM EDT reply actions
Wrong
People don’t like Wlad because he is boring to watch. Not because he is Eastern European, though that seems to be their style. People actually have no problem with Vitali bc he attacks and that is what Americans want to see.
And tennis sucks no matter who it is Agassi, Sampers, Nadal or Federer. Most Americans could care less about them.
is it just me or does this guy write nothing but extremely biased fanposts? i know this is sports and we all have our favorite fighters, but i mean come on this guy keeps talking about wlad as if he’s some kind of chump
The Dude Abides
by battle axe of doom on Apr 19, 2009 7:46 PM EDT reply actions
I'm okay with biased
As long as it’s not complete flame, and I think this is a bit too well thought out and written to qualify as flame. Same with the Margo piece.
Vogt early, Vogt often.
Foreman and Frazier, honestly , don’t “inspire such awe in our minds eye” as you claim. Most honest observers admit they were tremendously overrated, and many more say the same of Ali and Marciano. Holmes is rarely mentioned with the same sort of supernatural reverance as Ali, but most insiders I’ve spoken to rate him much higher than Ali or George Foreman. All of this “greatness” talk is incredibly subjective, and won’t be resolved by a bunch of posts on an Internet blog.
I’m not even sure what this post is supposed to mean, frankly, or why it is “Wladmir Klitschko”, rather than David Haye, that supposedly has delusions of grandeur. Wlad is supposed to be Jack Johnson, now? Does that make Haye the giant farm-boy Jess Willard?
David is doing a decent job of promoting himself, as is evident in getting a title shot from beating Monte Burns: a man Wlad KO’ed seven years ago, introducing Monte to the canvas for the first time. I’d like to see more enterpeneurs like David in the sport. Wlad’s not as good at trash talk, but aquits himself rather well in the ring, where his record is becoming almost “Holme-sian” in proportion… meaning he is getting business done without the help of the chattering classes.
It will be nice to see their styles match up in the ring, but reading anything deeper into their promotion is just bullshit (or as my friends across the pond might call it, “sheer poppycock”).
"I want to see ocean. I want to see black people. I want to see palms." - Wladimir Klitschko
What insiders?
Holmes’ record is nowhere near as impressive as Ali’s and I am someone who this Ali is vastly overrated at times. Ali is the 2nd greatest HW of all-time in my opinion, behind Louis. Whereas Holmes is somewhere in the 5-8 range for me. I honestly think Foreman’s legacy is underrated, winning the title for the second time was an amazing accomplishment.
I don't rate Wladimir Kiltschko
My personal preference is all-action fighters who like to engage. Wladimir Klitschko, for me is a vulnerable champion with a boring style, who will be KO’d by the first decent heavyweight who can punch. His style is tentative, his jab dominant, effective, mechanical. His record is outstanding, but to compare it to previous generations, where the heavyweights were often dangerous and genuine athletes, is misguided. He should be seen for what he is: the dominant force in a terrible class. My opinion is that his dominance is coming to an end. Of course I am biased, we all are, that’s the nature of this forum. I enjoy hearing people’s opinions.
sam peter could punch when he fought wlad, and wlad wasn’t KO’d
The Dude Abides
by battle axe of doom on Apr 21, 2009 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Yet he still knocked down Wlad 3 times
And if Peter had any ability to actually follow up, he would have knocked Wlad out.
Vogt early, Vogt often.
I dont think Wlad is going to “carry” Haye. For one Haye is far too dangerous to have hanging around Klitschkos dodgy chin.
The t-shirt has pressed the right button and Wlad is reacting to it. All boxers talk shit. Its Psychological as you know.
Wladimir Klitschko will end up in the hall of fame down the road. You say he will be destroyed by the first decent heavyweight who can punch. This has already happened with B level heavys like Sanders & Brewster. Thing is there is no A level fighters out there to do that? Haye? Maybe but it remains to be seen.
Boring or not he made 12 odd defenses over the WBO and current reign. Look at the boxers he beat. A lot of them real top 10 fighters. The others have avoided him, hiding behind promoters and belts and bullshit. Because Wladimir Klitschko does not have a edge of the seat style and not American or have a Western Name he is not popular. Simple as that. The guy is a very good heavyweight and would probably have beaten most of the legends on your list.
"But I was going into Toshi Station to pick up some power converters"-Luke Skywalker
I think Haye's "hype" does help
While they don’t seem to care too much in Germany, here in the states, we have a bad taste in our mouths from pretty much all of Wlad’s performances since Brock, or possibly Williamson if a boring fight that ends in a KO doesn’t excite you much. This should be a bigger fight than Lewis-Vitali though, at least leading up to the fight. Lewis was supposed to fight Williams, and Vitali was a late replacement, so the fight was never even promoted properly.
Vogt early, Vogt often.
Also, what really doesn't help
Is that I honestly believe that the second and third tier of guys right now are significantly worse than the second and third tier of guys for the past few decades. Guys like James Bonecrusher Smith, David Tua, Frank Bruno, Pinklon Thomas, Renaldo Snipes, etc. would all easily be perennial top 5 guys if they were around in this era rather than when they fought, and a lot of those guys were thought to be in weak eras themselves. I mean, seriously, tell me you wouldn’t fancy any one of those guys beating Povetkin or Valuev or Chagaev or Arreola.
Vogt early, Vogt often.
Not Frank Bruno or Reynaldo Snipes….nooooooo way. They would still be competitive now, but marginal. I’d pick Tony the Tiger to beat Snipes, and Arreola over Bruno. Meanwhile Bonecrusher Smith was a bit underrated in his era, in my opinion.
Brick, I’m not sure if you are saying Pinklon and the Tua were considered “second and third tier” fighters in their primes, but I’d strongly disagree with that as well.
"This fight'll be the nastiest thing you'll ever see. I been sober for six weeks, and that makes me vicious." - Randall "Tex" Cobb
maxiraps Wladimir Klitschko article
Dear Maxirap, I hope you respond to some of the comments. You sound like an articulate person. But I wonder if you’ve ever considered your own biases about the Klitschkos. When you talk about the “disgust” boxing fans supposedly have toward Wlad, are you actually considering what it’s based on??? I really like Uncle ChopChop’s take. These are things I’ve said before on blogs. And they’re worth repeating. If Wladimir Klitschko was the EXACT same fighter with the exact same record, but named Wladimir Jones and was African American, pundits would be debating where he belongs on the all time great list. No doubt about that in my mind. I really think this is all sour grapes, and racial bias. The guy who said no one cares in America about Federer and Nadal because they;re not Agassi and McEnroe has a very good point. It’s over simplified because Federer and Nadal do have American fans – like myself. But they should be way bigger over here than they are. The Klitschkos should be as well. But people like yourself – who seem to know very little about boxing – love to make ridiculous statements about former champions, and how a great fighter will ultimately usurp Wlad’s throne. So what if that does eventually happen? The guy has held one or more championship belt for a total of ten years. He’s got 50 wins, most by knock out. Credit where credit is due. And as far as the “disgust” you appaently have about him, maybe you should examine that. I never find the guy boring. Why? Because he’s very good. I never find Floyd Mayweather boring for he same reason. I root for guys like that because they’re the best. That should be worth something.And as far as the Klitschkos go, outside the ring, I can’t see anything not to like there either. Maybe Wlad would be more appealing to you if he assaulted women, got DUI’s, disrespected his opponents, acted like an asshole every chance he got – like David Haye. Then he’d fitt the mold, right? He’d have the kind of street cred that would make him cool to people like you. After all, what’s to like about a disciplined athlete who shows up in top shape for every fight, wins, is a gentlemen, has a PHd, does year-round charity work, ducks no opponent and is 50-3? I think we need Mike Tyson back. Don’t you? He was really great, huh? I suppose you’re DELUSIONAL enough to think he’d beat Wlad in his prime too, right? If so, please educate us on why you think so. It would be a delight. Explain how at 5’11’ with short arms, he get inside. How he’d get past that boring jab Wlad has. Then tell us some of the fighters Tyson beat that even RESEMBLE Wlad in terms of height, weight, power, athleticism, etc. We can’t wait. And lastly, David Haye is acting like an asshole. If that sells tickets, freat. But believe this: he’s gonna get smoked. It won’t be close. And after that happens, please dazzle us some more with your punditry.
Dear Zack
Zack, that was quite a long-winded way of saying you disagree with me on the subject of Wlad, but i’m happy to explain myself, and respect your opinion.
Let me start by saying this. I have the utmost respect for the way Wladimir conducts himself and the record he commands. Remember, I call him a ’ “worthy champion” in my article.
For your information, i’m not one of Haye’s biggest fans because he is a bit of a poser outside the ring, a bit too contemptuous towards his opposition. I do like his attitude in the ring though. And I know that Haye is a genuine life-long boxing fan, like us, and it hurts him that the modern heavyweight division is devoid of excitement. I know many boxing fans who think the same. I happen to agree. I think there is a lack of the type of supreme athletes we have seen litter the division throughout history. Not to mention, a lack of characters. By characters I don’t mean those who assault women, I mean those who exude energy, charisma and have a magnetism about them.
Now maybe I haven’t given Wlad his dues? He is a superb athlete who has walked through his opposition, getting KO’d a few times on the way, by a couple of very questionable fighters. What I dispute about Wlad is this: his ability to take a punch, his style (which I personally find uninspiring) and the level of opposition he has faced.
I’m not going to mince my words, I am disgusted at the heavyweight division – not Wlad. It has transformed from the most iconic, awe-inspiring division into the exact opposite, a dull, comical arena where out-of-shape, bloated fighters slug, hug and plod. I’m not deluded enough to think Wlad would not cope in a higher class of heavyweights, nor am I in any way, shape or form, racially biased. I personally prefer Vitali, because I think he has more substance and a tougher core.
Wlad would be a big obstacle for any fighter and he’s way too good for most of the sluggish heavyweights out there. And those more technical fighters he has fought, like Ibragimov, don’t have the power to threaten his position. But I want to see him tested against a fast, powerful, young heavyweight like Haye before I call him a great champion. Great champions should defend their title against dangerous, worthy opposition if possible. It can be disputed whether Haye has earned his shot, but he provides a unique test for Wlad and let’s see how he copes with Haye’s explosiveness, because trust me, he will have to adapt his style in this fight.
As for your Wladimir Jones analogy, I can’t speak for other pundits. For me, I ask you to think about Audley Harrison in terms of STYLE alone. He is a product of my own country and an Olympic gold medalist. I never liked his style, because like Klitschko, he is too reliant on sticking his paw out and using his reach to try and fend off any attacks. That’s where the comparison ends between the two, but it proves my point -that I am not drawn to that type of fighter.
Floyd Mayweather is a different kettle of fish. He was perfection in the art of defence and accurate counter-punching. Although his style was not my favourite, he inspired me with the skills he possessed.
Now even though I disrespect the heavyweight division make no mistake, I follow it as avidly as ever. And yes, I am waiting for a fighter to come along and excite me, and to destroy the status quo, which for me needs freshening up. Make that a fully blown spring clean.
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