In a recent interview Lennox Lewis stated that he would knock Wladimir Klitschko out had they ever fought.
?I am a more complete boxer than Wladimir. In most of his fights, he proposes very little. I have much more in my repertoire. I work to the body; I get close to my opponent and throw uppercuts. Against Haye he showed no infighting, and only grabbed. And I saw no punches to the body. I can break the will of my opponent in the ring and I think a little faster. Wladimir I would have knocked out ? probably in the middle rounds,? Lewis said.
Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Talk is cheap.
While truthfully, I do agree with Lennox, his retirement after the Vitali Klitschko fight raised many eyebrows. Instead of giving Vitali a rematch, Lennox decided to call it quits. Since his retirement, Lennox has been talking to the media a lot, discussing who out of the current active fighter he would have knocked out.
In his prime, I think Lennox would have knocked Wladimir out. Lennox was way more experienced and more aggressive than Wladimir is nowadays. Emanuel Steward was able to make Lennox throw a full spectrum of punches in his fights, making his very effective against any and all kinds of competitors.
Thinking about their ?would be? fight, I do think that Lennox would have to try and wear Wladimir out first, and do it carefully. There is no point in the fight where Wlad?s straight right is not hazardous, and where Wlad?s jab is not constantly peppering his opponent?s head. For Lennox, this would pose a very big challenge, thus him and Steward would have to come up with a way to walk through the jab and get closer where Wlad?s right hand was not longer a threat. At that point in time, Lennox would be set for wreaking havoc on Wlad?s body without much concern, as Wlad?s ability to throw body shots is non-existent.
Who knows, maybe with the way things are in the heavyweight division, Lennox could stand behind his words and challenge Wlad?
?He?s always trying to protect that chin, but he?s not going to leave much of a legacy,? said Geroge Foreman about Wladimir Klitschko during Foreman?s interview on Houston?s Radio Sports Talk Show. The whole interview can be read by clicking the following link: http://www.examiner.com/boxing-in-houston/george-foreman-wladimir-will-not-leave-much-of-a-legacy-boxing#ixzz1S9HYQxo9
According to Foreman, it?s because Klitschko doesn?t take more chances in the ring that he is not going to stay a memorable name and a highly acclaimed champion in boxing. It seems to me that Foreman may be uneducated in what Wladimir really is, and what his best attributes are.
Foreman goes on to say: ?Can you imagine Joe Frazier coming after him? I don?t think he would have been able to do well.? While this is a very appealing and thought proposing statement, I would have to disagree with George on this one. Sure Frazier had a very intimidating presentation to his persona, but would he be able to stand and take Wladimir?s straight right? Frazier?s defense was only decent, and getting a punch through was not a complicated task for most. Frazier did have pretty impressive head movement for a fighter his size, but his ?seek and destroy? style made him abandon defense more often than he should have.
As far as Wladimir?s legacy goes, it?s too late to say that he won?t have much of it. At this point in time, his name and accomplishments have already placed him in at least the top 20 ATG Heavyweight champions of all time according to many various sources. He is a dominant champion, with plenty of defenses against top challengers. Whether his competition is on par or not is irrelevant to his legacy, as we get what we have.
The problem with old school champions like Foreman is that they always travel back in time to make comparisons. While this is a fun idea to chew over and discuss, it should never be applicable to current times. He can argue how great Frazier was, while I can say that Lewis would have been able to knock Frazier out as he was way more fluid with his offensive maneuvering, and a much smarter fighter in the ring. Who would be right? Neither. It would only be an amusing conversation to have.
In my book, Wladimir has already achieved a lot and earned his spot in the ATG list. Another thing to note is that he is not nearly finished with his boxing career. If Wladimir keeps successfully defending his titles, I am hoping that Mr. Geroge Foreman can take a closer look and change his opinion.
