If Wlad/Ibragimov wasn't a stinker...

[Beanflicker]

Why do people like to bring up the Klitschko-Ibragimov fight? Wlad had trouble with Sultan's feints and movement, and so he couldn't get his punches off. Shannon Briggs and Evander Holyfield had even more problems with Sultan's defense-first approach taught by Jeff Mayweather, but it seems no one complains about all the dull fights American heavyweights had.

Seems to me a lot of boxers had their share of "stinkers", but sadly some people just love to criticize Wlad.

You're missing my point. It doesn't matter who's fault it was that the fight sucked, this isn't a bash fest for Wlad. All I'm saying is that the fight had a ton of mainstream attention, and so it was given a large stage for it to perform. Who's fault it was isn't relevant. The fact is, the fight was a complete abortion and surely soured potential boxing enthusiasts who decided to check this fight out due to the hype and media coverage leading up to it. These fans don't care who was at fault. All they care about is the fact that they plunked down a nice chunk of money to watch two guys stink out MSG.

If it was an exciting fight and/or ended in a great knockout, it would have gotten a ton more exposure post fight (making people more likely to check out Wlad's next fight) instead of turning would-be fans off and fading away like a fart in the wind.

[El Kabong]

People blame Wlad, fine he won I guess that's why he gets blamed. Sultan Ibragimov fought in a retreating manner, crouching down low and to the right thereby making Wlad reach any time he wanted to land any punches. Sultan was counting on Wlad overreaching so he could counter Wlad and get him off balance, this was seen as the only way for the smaller Sultan to win the fight. Hand Sultan been on the attack at all we may have seen a better fight but he was waiting for a moment that never came in the fight. Sultan Ibragimov was a good fighter. He had some good fights but this matchup was poor because of the styles, strengths and weaknesses of each fighter.


The heavyweight division would still be where it is today (if not worse) without the Klitschko's and without the Wlad-Sultan fight. Chris Byrd vs Davaryl Williamson fight was worse.

[TitoFan]

Why do people like to bring up the Klitschko-Ibragimov fight? Wlad had trouble with Sultan's feints and movement, and so he couldn't get his punches off. Shannon Briggs and Evander Holyfield had even more problems with Sultan's defense-first approach taught by Jeff Mayweather, but it seems no one complains about all the dull fights American heavyweights had.

Seems to me a lot of boxers had their share of "stinkers", but sadly some people just love to criticize Wlad.

You're missing my point. It doesn't matter who's fault it was that the fight sucked, this isn't a bash fest for Wlad. All I'm saying is that the fight had a ton of mainstream attention, and so it was given a large stage for it to perform. Who's fault it was isn't relevant. The fact is, the fight was a complete abortion and surely soured potential boxing enthusiasts who decided to check this fight out due to the hype and media coverage leading up to it. These fans don't care who was at fault. All they care about is the fact that they plunked down a nice chunk of money to watch two guys stink out MSG.

If it was an exciting fight and/or ended in a great knockout, it would have gotten a ton more exposure post fight (making people more likely to check out Wlad's next fight) instead of turning would-be fans off and fading away like a fart in the wind.

Personally, I had high hopes for this fight because of the pre-fight hype. But it hugely disappointed. Had it been Wlad's only dull, safety-first performance of his career, I could've written it off..... similar to what happened with Lewis-Tua. But it wasn't, and I didn't. It became crystal clear that this was going to be the Wlad we would see from here on out. Probably ever since the two devastating KO's he suffered.

Would an exciting fight have made the difference in the HW division among American fans? Good question. Maybe. I know a lot of short-sighted fans just get behind American heavyweights... but a great deal more would've warmed up to Wlad if he had shown some of the fire people like to see. And to hear that Stewart himself got on Wlad's case for not taking Sultan out? That's a pretty telling fact right there.

[Beanflicker]

I think the public are willing to overlook nationality, race, ect if the fighter can deliver the goods. The popularity of Tyson and Pacquiao (a guy who can barely speak english and doesn't really have a showman's personality) showed that I think.

The weird thing about Wlad is that we're not talking about the typical feather-fisted dancer. He has the punching power to stop a tank and a KO percentage comparable to bombers like Foreman and Shavers I think.

Obviously I'm not a boxer or a trainer, but I wish he could find a balance in his gameplan. Upping the pressure he puts on his opponent without putting himself in a position to get KO'd like an amateur.

Only 9 guys have been able to go the distance with him, but it seems like some of those 9 times (the Haye and Sultan fights) were times when the world was watching and he really had the opportunity to bring more fans to the sport.