Raymond H. (London, UK): As a HUGE Joshua fan, I was elated to see him actually pull the victory out last Saturday! How did you rate his overall performance against Klitschko? And how do you see a potential rematch going?
Vito W. (ESB): Going into the showdown I had a laundry list of questions surrounding both men. On the heels of everything we saw take place up until the final bell, I think it’s safe to say that many questions raised are now questions answered; but not quite all. I think we first have to start by congratulating both men on an amazing effort. Secondly, I think we have to give thanks to both men for actually putting it all on the line and agreeing to face one another in an era of the sport where men find more reasons why they shouldn’t square off than supportive reasons why they should (square off)! Final feedback from my angle includes both pluses and minuses for both men. Here’s a quick rundown of what they look like:
In the case of Joshua, my biggest question going in was “how will a fighter who relies on power primarily handle the deep waters of this magnitude with only 44rds boxed in his entire pro career”? In the case of Wladimir, it was more along the lines of “how much can we really expect from an aging veteran coming off an extended layoff only days after his 41st Birthday”? Surprisingly, Wladimir looked as nimble and quick on his feet as I’ve ever seen. Most of his career was stained by the proverbial ‘asterisk’ in my book, for the simple fact that I never felt he had adequate competition to actually challenge him. The performance he displayed last Saturday night placed more respect on his name in my book than any act we’ve seen before of him. I literally walked away feeling he did more to seal his legacy in defeat than he ever has in victory.
I was very impressed with his ability to answer the questions most of us had about his chin, and close the book on any other questions we had about his relative toughness. The only area of improvement I could ask for is the one he couldn’t shake….which was the ring rust (due to the layoff). Other than that, I thought he was an absolute stud! Joshua on the other hand, proved to me that he despite the limited rounds on his resume, he does in fact have the grit and toughness to dig deep when all else fails. The only thing I struggle with relative to Joshua is conditioning. I’ve never liked the stamina of men with too many muscles, and to an extent, he proved that theory correct, again. Similar to David Haye and many others, I just thought Joshua was totally vulnerable after a few stints of combinations in very heated exchanges.
Works great against a dead-man-walking. But had Klitschko been 2 or 3 years younger and not have had the ring rust, I sincerely think we’d be having a different conversation today. A rematch would be incredibly fascinating, but on the strength of my last point, I totally see a rubber-match between the two, as a more active Klitschko wouldn’t have missed with as many shots and would have probably had the edge to land some of those bombs he missed when Joshua was clearly out on his feet. I hope like hell we get to see it! But truthfully, there’s no way to tell WHO will win if it happens, as both men had their chances and both men loss them. Joshua was simply fortunate enough to be the one win the ‘chance’ that counted most!
Javier N. (Phoenix, AZ): I’m a huge fan of the Chavez family and really believe Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has a shot against Canelo. Do you think he can pull it off this week?
Vito W. (ESB): Any time two men lace up there’s a chance that either can win! And I don’t say that to be politically correct. Sometimes, I really think on the outside looking in, fans have no idea how difficult it is to fight the type of fight that lands a victory while escaping the jaws of defeat. From timing, to skill, to anticipation, to will; there are just so many things that have to be exactly right and air tight! We’ve seen upsets and miracles time and time again in the sport and watched in utter amazement. The irony here is that for Chavez, although he’s an underdog, he actually isn’t coming in against a talent that’s impossible to defeat.
I always said that despite the illegally padded gloves of Antonio Margarito, the two things that made him far more dangerous was his incredible stamina to throw punches in bunches, and an incredibly durable chin that gave him the confidence to handle yours! In Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., he doesn’t have the speed and he doesn’t have the skill. What he does have is the confidence and the will. Any time you have a fighter determined enough to walk through your fire and take you down to the wire, you have a recipe for what I view as a pure ‘oddsbuster’, as all bets are off! I won’t go on record and say Chavez Jr. wins this bout, but even against Canelo (whom I consider myself a big fan), Chavez has as great a chance as anyone else. Lets stay tuned and see how it all pans out! See you on the flip!
Maurice M. (Brooklyn, NYC): The Heavyweight Division is fired up for the first time in years and so am I as a fan of the sport! When you look at the talent we have today in the division, who do you see being the last man standing?
Vito W. (ESB): What I love most about the division is that not only do we have a number of key players involved, but each of them bring different attributes, so stylistically it makes it that much harder for any one of them to be labeled a ‘favorite’. After watching Joshua whether the Wladi-K storm, you’d think he was ‘the man’! That said, someone has to be honest enough to assess that the rest of the division isn’t quite as old as Wladimir, and would have equal or greater stamina than Joshua to go along with just as much power and will to use it. When I look at someone like Luis “King Kong” Ortiz (27-0, 23KO’s), I see a guy who has extremely strong fundamentals as a Heavyweight with an amateur record of 343-19. He’s the only HW with a dedicated body attack. Add power, strong chin, and southpaw stance to the mix, and Joshua could be in for a long night.
Go further down the roster and take a look at a guy like Deontay Wilder (38-0, 37KO’s). Comparable reach to Joshua, an inch taller, gripping power in both hands, and arguably the most athletic of the group. I wouldn’t go out on a limb and say he’s as polished or as good, but anyone knocking his chances of landing a flush shot and having what it takes to close the show is totally mistaken! Not only is he a live wire in this crew; but he’s a live enough wire to generate the type of power that could put every other lamp out! While there are a few other players in the division who could emerge as perennial players, I think these three have the best path to the top as I look at today’s current landscape. The great thing is that in this division, anyone else can land a shot heard around the world and change this equation at the drop of a dime! Stay tuned….
(Vivek “Vito” Wallace can be reached at 754.307.7747, Wallace@eastsideboxing.com, or Facebook. To follow more of his work, tune in every Monday for his weekly mailbag)
