In Defense of the Klit Brothers by Gary Anderson

Read here:

http://www.fightbeat.com/article_detail.php?AT=740

 

I'm not reading it. IMO, Wlad had the opportunity impress and make himself into a superstar when the chance to unify the titles at the MSG against Ibragimov came around. I think that was one of the few times when even casual fans tuned in considering the importance of the event. It turned out a complete disaster and further buried the sport.
Simply put, the Klitschkos are the perfect skin colour but have the charisma and personalities of a brick wall with a style as entertaining as watching paint dry. Just not appealing outside of Germany unfortunately, despite their dominance in the division.
Hopefully that coward David Haye can make some noise. Dude talked a lot of sh*t and still is avoiding them.

 

:bears:

 

I'm not gonna read the article because you cost the Vikings a trip to the super bowl.

 

. That wasn't ME! I wasn't the Steelers RB either.

 

They are both good fighters & would be, at a minimum, contenders in any era (though lasting champions in few), the grand '70's included, but I have a difficult time calling either one genuinely great. Their dominance, ultimately, has a little more to do with the competition than it does with them, in my view. They just have too many obvious deficiences to their respective games. Their size does something to paper over this, but great fighters, they are not --- said without any disrespect.

 

Good article.

Dimitrenko was beaten by Chambers, not Kevin Johnson. He also fought well, imo, and it shouldn't lead to him being dismissed as a potential opponent, but since he hasn't fought since then, he's not helping his case. (that fight (chambers/dimitrenko) is being advertised on one of the foxsports this week, too. The only other time it has been played in the usa, to my knowledge, was a TyC replay the Sunday after it happened)

I understand the criticism of them being safety first, but especially in Wlad's case, he has fought aggressively and it led to the Purrity and Brewster losses. When he has fought safety first, no one has come close to beating him. (although I suppose it's arguable about the Sanders fight)

Vitali gets ko after ko. It's not the most enjoyable style, but it's so damn effective that expecting him to fight any other way is only wishful thinking.

 

dammit! ..

 

It's funny, Fraud is the biggest draw in America,.. a decision win, after decision win, fighting safety first,.. a ppv star attraction. The reality is, when you enforce the standard that other fighters are subjected to,.. you realise articles who try to single them out, our motivated rather through some real sinister inhibitions that they dont have the courage to express. They would be better suited to 'lay still' than to go out on the attack, thinking they're armed with equipment that can't be unravelled instantly.

 

I guess it comes down to two things: 1. you have to talk like a bad ass (even if you don't fight like one) to get the usa interested (floyd, toney, hopkins) or 2. you have to fight like a badass (pacquiao, hatton, froch).

Guys like Bute, Kessler, Valuev, and the Klitschkos get shut out for the most part.

This would be even worse if HBO/Showtime/The Ring were running things, imo.

 

Out of curiosity: what do you see as Vitali's weaknesses? For Wlad it is the chin, is there more?

 

Oh they're talking now,.. they're saying shits and giggles things about Haye,.. it still wont change a thing,.. maybe they should indulge in some racism like Hopkins, Fraud and Toney do... HO HO HO,..

I can understand the genuine angle of Wlad's style being boring, it's not that he doesn't engage frequently.. the problem is, it is 'Winky Wright' monotonous,.. but from the perception of somebody who has a 'hidden problem' with both of them, they bandy Vitali in thier aswell,..they clearly dont have the same style.. but they speak of Vitali as if he's identical,.. rather like they've just got problems with both of them for the same 'reason', not alot of details,..not alot of specifics,.. it's suspiciously 'external thinking'.

 

The fact that Chambers basically had his way with Dimitrenko gives lie to the claim that the brothers only win stuff on account of their size. Dimitrenko is a legitimate 6'7" 240lb, with a solid amateur and pro career. Yet he was outboxed, floored and had his will taken away by the much smaller Chambers.

Wladimir won every minute of every round and finished with a 1 punch KO.

 

Vitali probably still has a tendency to cut against anyone who can reach him with continuously with big shots whilst absorbing everything he can throw back.

He is not as fast as he used to be. Watch him against Kirk Johnson. Johnson was fat but he was still good for 3 minutes of speed, and was light on his feet, but Vitali matched him for reflexes and hand-speed that night, regrettably Vitali is not at that level any more.

His left hook is not as lethal as Wladimirs and he does, in keeping with is bone structure, suffer from marking up around the eyes.

With his injury history, I can see one of his injuries coming back to haunt him, smack bang in the middle of a fight.

Wladimir has improved on his poise a lot, his chin is still average.

 

If the American Media has a problem, it is their own fault. They built up these crackas to be big, slow quitters, and now the Kevin Johnsons of this world are getting a bad surprise. "I thought they waz slow...I thought they wud quit...instead I got my head beat off".

 

Dimitrenko is a fuckin bum. People look at his record, his size, his promoter, his nationality and assume he can fight, but he cannot. He should have lost to Vaughn Bean, he was floored by Chris Koval, he was hurt by Batchelder, outjabbed by a shot Luan Krasniqi for a while, and I have lost count how often a shot Timo Hoffmann dropped him. The same Hoffmann, who only 15 months later lost to 42 year old MMA and diet reject Frans Botha. Everybody knew he was a can, except Kohl and that´s the reason his promotion is in the gutter.

Solis, Povetkin, Haye, Adamek, even Tony Thompson again should get title shots before Boytsov or Dimitrenko.

 

Yeah, as I was saying, people putting Wlad/Vitali's success down to their height alone need only look at how badly Dimitrenko has been doing.

 

What I hate about this article, and the media's treatment of Wladimir and Vitali in general, is that the two are lumped together, as if they're one fighter.

In the article listed above, the author seems to credit Wlad with wins that Vitali has had, and vice versa. As if one should be off the hook for fighting a guy just because his brother already did.

When you consider that the Klitschkos are two fighters, and not one, it puts in a different perspective the number of contenders they've faced.

I'm not claiming Wlad and Vitali haven't faced top competition, but let's not exaggerate it by talking about them as if they're one fighter.

 

Well, I'm not going to step up and be Dimitrenko's cheerleader. He had a bad night against Chambers...anyone who gets dropped by Chambers didn't have a good night...but I thought he fought well against a very competent Chambers. Far better than the reports had led me to expect.

Having one bad loss shouldn't mean he is dismissed as a challenger. Styles make fights. People lose.

 

Normally, I would agree with you, and I do to some extent, but grouping them together when looking at their dismantling of the top 10 challengers makes sense. Do you think every challenger should get a shot at both of them?

 

Yes, but as El Terriblee has pointed out, the 6'7" Dimitrenko has a history of bummishness. I just use Dimtrenko as a good example for the point that being tall is not always going to save you. You have to be able to fight. Wladimir and Vitali are FAR better fighters, even though they are roughly the same size as AD.

 

No. Didn't say that. But when the author is trying to make the case that they "do" in fact fight top competition, but doesn't bother to distinguish which one has faced whom, but instead treats them as if they're one, it's irresponsible. What fighter's competition wouldn't look better if that of a second fighter were added to his resume? As if he'd faced and beaten them too?

I'm starting to think that along with the promoters, managers, and cable stations, journalists too are responsible for the state of this sport.

This is a bad example, because it's not that big of a deal. But does anyone really wonder why nobody can tell the difference between the two? When there's articles like these?

Let's be honest. Vitali is twice the fighter Wlad is. But nobody fucking knows that.

 

Big brother, in my eyes, has never been on the same level as junior. I'm aware that's become an increasingly-unpopular viewpoint following junior's damaging KO defeats, but I just have never viewed him as the better man, he's certainly a lot stiffer for mine. He's a good fighter who knows how to use his height & range to positive effect, has a decent, if not great, punch, & can certainly take a licking...but I see him as vulnerable to both smart boxing & volume-assaults in particular. With his dimensions, most fighters could not simply box outside with success against him, but he's not now, nor was he ever, a swift fighter with strong reflexes. Stepping in with combinations, out & circling with movement is the type of fight to give someone as robotic as big brother an awful tough night, in my view.

Even the well-conditioned bigger men don't like being made to work at the higher levels, & if a fighter came along who could withstand big brother's physicality at close-quarters & provide the endurance to throw all night, I think again his speed & punch output would be found wanting. These styles aren't necessarily as difficult to produce as they may sound against a big, sturdy (but ultimately limited) fighter such as he. Best attribute, for mine, would be his size --- it edges out chin as the most significant factor in his wins. A 6'1, 220lb. Vitali Klitschko would still make noise in a division as tepid as this one, but nowhere close to as much as he has.

As for junior, I've inversely felt all along that his frankly embarrassing lack of durability closes the gap between himself & big brother, but not enough to negate what I see as a considerable talent gulf. I'm not saying I think junior is a great fighter --- he isn't, IMO --- but his movements & timing in the ring have always struck me as more fluid, more natural, than his brother. Yes, his chin is a clear liability, but beyond that, I have my doubts he could really cope with top-flight versions of a fast, fundamentally-sound boxer (he doesn't have the volume), or an aggressive, heavy-handed banger of similar size & strength with strong finishing instincts (an excellent jab & a repetitive clinch game aren't enough to hold off such a fighter). Swarmers would have greater difficulty, because junior, as stated, has a terrific jab, plenty of size on most in-fighters, & he's strong physically. Again, though, I would have to nominate size as his greatest asset -- ahead of the left hand & a fundamentally-sound ability to play to his strengths, albeit against lesser competition.

As I've stated before, I consider them, warts-&-all, good (certainly not great, though) fighters who would compete pretty well in just about any historical era, but the thing about most such timeframes is they included at least one all-time legend of the division, & that makes it difficult for me to see either brother becoming a champion or, at least, a memorable one, which would be a far cry from their continued dominance today.

 

I do know this much: If the Klitschkos had been around in the mid 1990's, Foreman would never have become a 2 time Champ and Moorer would have found Cruiserweight more his kind of town.

 

I didn't read the article or read any comments on this thread. I just have one thing to say and that is the Klits are amazing athletes and classy boxers. I root against them but to put down their skills is crazy.

 

They would have also been Ko victims of Lennox Lewis, Riddick Bowe, Evander Holyfield, and a come backing Mike Tyson..

 

or it could have been the other way around

 

Interesting prospect. Both would be Foreman victims more likely than not, IMO, but they'd each have a very good shot to beat him. Probably a 60-40 fight in both instances, in my estimation. Moorer, though I liked him & always ranked him an under-rated force, didn't have a great track record against bigger men, & struggled to consistently implement any of the elements I outlined which I feel would make life difficult for the Klitschkos'. I think both would have beaten him, junior more decisively than big brother, though.

 

OHhhhhnn...NO.

 

You are correct sir, and I've submitted a correction. I fucked up on a couple things, one of those being that I seemingly melded the two fighters into one.

Thanks for reading the article though. I'm actually someone who likes the brothers. I think they get a bad rap by people who are preoccupied with their level of competition, when in reality there's not much out there in the way of competition that hasn't already lost to Wlad and Vitali, are totally not ready to face them, or have backed away from the fight.