Heavyweight landscape Prediction...

[dragosuhail]

okay folks here's my prediction for what the heavyweight landscape will look like by 2010. seriously i thought about it and it doesn't sound that crazy after you give it consideration. here goes.

wladimir and vitali's dream of holding two belts each is still possible:

wladimir fights sanders (revenge) or holy/rahman (big names) by end of 2007.

sultan/ruslan unify end of 2007. for arguments sake say winner is sultan.

in early/mid 2008 vitali beats the wbc champ no matter who he is (peter, oleg, mccall)

now, when vitali gets the wbc belt, sultan will get his mandatory out of the way quickly (i am becoming a believer of Warrior Promotions) which will be a limited thompson or damaged krasniqi.

meanwhile wladimir will have already finished negotiating with sultan's team for a 3 belt unification. why will this happen? 1. warrior promotions are the real deal and aren't afraid of their fighter losing AND 2. wladimir knows that if he doesn't unify he will have to retred old ground in fighting his mandatory who will be none other than BYRD! OR BROCK!!! can we all say BORING?

anyway, wladimir will unify with sultan knowing he will be stripped of his ibf belt. however in turn he gains the wba/wbo belts as compenstation.

bryd and brock fight for the vacated belt with bryd being just a little too slick for poor brock.

okay, vitali will then fight his mandatory by end of 2008 and so will bryd. (i think you can see where this is heading).

2009. wladimir defends his wba/wbo belts. while the hype turns to big bro vitali and his revenge match against the the returning champ chris byrd! vitali and byrd will once again face off and vitali's shoulder wont be an issue this time since he knows how to avoid byrds pulling tricks to throw opponents shoulders out. (wladimir used those tricks on bryd in their rematch. watch how he bashes bryds lead hand down hard.)

by end of 2009 vitali will have wbc/ibf and wladimir will have wba/wbo.

vitali will only make one (maybe two) defenses of his belts then retire due to Old Fart status. wladimir will hang around for a few years more and might try to annex the ibf/wbc belts from who ever claims them. possibly a povetkin or such. he will win, netting 3 belts in 2010 then retire on top :hey

if this thread is correct. i will be considered a genie-ass! if not... well err... i'll just die from :oops: :lol: :bbb

what cha all think?

[peter5]

what about povetkin, and david haye?

[joma86]

I think you'll just die from:oops: :oops: :oops:

[peter5]

What about them? Both are non factors (especially haye) at this point.

i thought the original thread said by 2010? so i think they will be by then!:happy

[dragosuhail]

david haye is quite good... but as a cruiserweight. we already saw how wladimir handles guys on the smaller side. i realise haye had a good debut at heavy but seriously he dude he blasted wasn't top drawer material and haye HAS been ko'ed by a cruiser. at least wladimir has been ko'ed by sanders who is a legit banger at heavy. haye wont be a threat.

as for povetkin he's good too, but i just cannot see what physical skills he can bring to the table. the biggest danger a guy like povetkin brings to wladimir is pressure i think. but aside from fast combos he doesn't have that extra something. sanders had a fast southpaw left which has ko'ed many fighters early. brewster had a homer like talent for absorbing TONS of punishment while pressuring his foe. and also brewster is a good banger at heavy. povetkin is coming along good, but i just think he'll be a slightly more tougher version of brock. (not in styles but in talents. remember how brock do a lot of things good, but not great? well i feel it's the same for povetkin).

yeah yeah, i know im prolly gonna die from embarrassment but hey it's all good!

[peter5]

I still think both haye and povetkin will be a factor by 2010, plus all the guys you mentioned will be 3 yrs older, and theyre not young now, i know heavies go on for centuries, but i think haye and povetkin will grow into the division within that time, to me they are the current "prospects in waiting", as for brewster ,byrd etc, load of shit, personally, both haye and povetkin will destroy them both after bedding themselves into the division more

[Dennis]

You might wanna save this prediction in a text file, ESB might crash again a few more times in the next 3 years. Anyway, I think you'll be :oops:..we'll see come 2010.:yep

[dragosuhail]

i also have to say that sultan has to be the winner of his bout to get the ball rolling. i fear what will happen is ruslan wins. as kohl apparently doesn't like wladimir much for leaving him. in much the same way bob arum dislikes del la hoya for leaving his stable.

i know this is all speculation but i usually go with fighters based on two things. physical talent/skils. and mental skill/toughness. i feel wladimir has finally married the two together under steward and his sheer size and atheletic abilities combined with his mental assimilation into the "Kronk collective" will make him too over powering for his foes. steward once said when wladimir clicks, there is no heavyweight on the horizon or even in the amatuers that has the tools to beat wladimir. (this was said 1 or 2 years ago so it's quite likely there is a amatuer or pro debut fighter that could be a danger but by then wladimir will most likely be retiring around 35 which is still young for todays heavies).

[DanePugilist]

Its very viable suggestions - but alot of things can happen in 3 years. Ruslan, Povetkin or someone else can show their worth at HW.

I think Chagaev and Povetkin will be Klitschkos biggest threat as up now and near future. Boris Boytsev also an x-factor.

[dragosuhail]

yeah dont get me wrong. i know haye and povetkin will become forces in the heavies. fighters grow old and simply get replaced by the new guns BUT i feel the way i do simply cause wladimir is young so it's not like he will retire like lewis when he's 39 and lost a few steps. when wladimir retires i think it will be in his peak or damn close to it.

i think the prospects will take over after he leaves in much the way wladimir is taking over after lewis left. it doesn't happen in boxing often especially in the heavies, but i think we'll see a repeat of the lewis era in the sense that wladimir isn't beaten into retirement. it's not satisfying for our bloodlust and to see a new champ defeat the old one. but boxing is changing a bit and fighters are finding they aren't considered cowards if they retire on top or quit if they get damaged.

[dragosuhail]

haha i'll do that dennis but then no one would believe me if it comes from a text file :verysad

BUT! i'll cop it on the chin... in 2010 :lol:

im also sure the timeline, opponents etc might very well end up different due to politics BUT i really do feel one part of the prediction will be true. and that is wladimir unifies knowing fully he will be stripped of the ibf belt. i mean seriously everyone from wladimir to steward to his fans etc will realise how crap a third fight with byrd would be to watch (unless you like executions. i might be a wlad fan but i dont like seeing fighters overwhelmed and damamged bad when they are nice guys). and brock! wladimir will end it earlier and it will be just as unexciting until the hammer falls. so if this is a definate mandatory i think wlad will just say fuck it.

assuming the elmiinator takes place in towards end of year, i think there will be enough time for wladimr to wait on the unified champ to defend once then unify.

i do think a byrd-vitali rematch would sell well as byrd deserved his win and the revenge factor would be great as that would remove one blemish from vitali's record.

[peter5]

remember also that haye struggles to make the cruiser limit, and holyfield was cruiserweight too, made the step up, now im not saying that haye is the next evander, but i feel he will make an impact, he will be much stronger at HW, and hes fast, clever, hits hard, and his chin will be better for not having to drop the weight, but in essence, i agree that wlad will probably retire at the top, hes come a long way, its a shame haye is still pursuing the cruiser title, if not we may have seen them T off against each other within the next few years, and i think it would be a good fight!

[dragosuhail]

to me the biggest threats to wladimir are:

chagaev, valuev (provided he improves his skillset dramatically) and possibly povetkin if wladimir is right at the end of his career and not in his peak anymore and povetkin improves a lot. i mean when wladimir was coming up the ranks as a raw young prospect he was devastating. despite the setbacks you could clearly see his talents and how they affected his opposition. povetkin is good but still isn't showing me that big power needed to scare wladimir. also povetkin/hayes etc need their chin checked well before a wladimir fight since wladimir is a ATG in the power department.

as for boris boytsev... i thought he no longer fought due to having a heart problem. apparently a defect from birth, a valve in his heart is screwy? unless i have the wrong boytsev?

[peter5]

im not sure about the ATG in the pwer department, hes not exactly fighting elite fighters now is he? dont tell me he is up there with foreman and louis and liston et al? at the end of the its all conjecture, we wont know till the time comes and we see hows its panning out, but i will be the first to let you know if its not like you see it!!!!

[dragosuhail]

i agree. a fight bewtween haye and wlad would be a great fight. i think the timing is wrong for both but who knows?

about the heavy debut then dropping back to cruiser i really scratched my head on that one. with an exciting debut you'd think his team would plot out a good roadmap but i guess they wanted the prestige of being a former crusier champ.

yeah haye's aint an evander and that is what i think his weakness will be against wladimir. ruslan seems intelligent as shown against valuev. he might prove tricky for wladimir and i think sultan's fast combos would make wladimir uncomfortable at times BUT verses sultan i think the first flush hit will change sultan's gameplay quickly as his chin isn't like brewsters or peter. chaegev to my knowledge hasn't really been hurt or dropped like sultan has. tho correct me if im wrong there.

i know weight drain could have hurt hayes in his ko loss etc. but i think hayes ultimately is unfortunately to be in limbo land. not a super heavy but not a cruiser. he'll definately be a danger to anyone up to wladimir's size.

[peter5]

I agree, i thought haye would just go for the heavies, hes probably setting himself up for a fall facing mormeck if he struggles so much to get down to the cruiser weight, and i know what you mean about him being in between weights, he would probably only go as high as 16stone i think, cant remember what he was for his debut, think it was 15 and a half or so, not sure. but it does leave him light compared to some others, although i think people will struggle with his agility and speed, and if he utilises them both, he will probably win a portion of the belt, although that doesnt mean much these days!

[dragosuhail]

:think hmmm, haha yeah i know when you bring ATG into any conversation it's treading dangerous ground :D

it's just a personal observation, and while yes his opponents might not be the ali's, foremans etc etc. just watching the shots he throws and how he does them combined with his size etc makes me think it's up there.

i mean what impresses me power wise is quite often his shots aren't "straining" shots. what i mean is he doesn't (most of the time) put so much into it that he nearly falls over or takes too much risks. it's kinda like amatuer boxing style of throwing a punch yet with the velocity and energy generated of a power shot thrown by a guy who lunges into it their shots.

his jab probably epitomizes what im thinking. he leaves it half extended, then moves it forward a short distance really fast and hard. i mean some of the slow mos look like the face is being hit by a right hand and not a left jab. let alone a jab which is semi extended!


anyways i enjoy the interesting (and non flamewar) discussion on all this but im buggered. it's late where im at (the land Down Under) so i gotta go. :thumbsup

[peter5]

nice one mate, always up for discussion, get bored of the slaggin off, peace!

[barneyrub]

okay folks here's my prediction for what the heavyweight landscape will look like by 2010. seriously i thought about it and it doesn't sound that crazy after you give it consideration. here goes.

wladimir and vitali's dream of holding two belts each is still possible:

wladimir fights sanders (revenge) or holy/rahman (big names) by end of 2007.

sultan/ruslan unify end of 2007. for arguments sake say winner is sultan.

in early/mid 2008 vitali beats the wbc champ no matter who he is (peter, oleg, mccall)

now, when vitali gets the wbc belt, sultan will get his mandatory out of the way quickly (i am becoming a believer of Warrior Promotions) which will be a limited thompson or damaged krasniqi.

meanwhile wladimir will have already finished negotiating with sultan's team for a 3 belt unification. why will this happen? 1. warrior promotions are the real deal and aren't afraid of their fighter losing AND 2. wladimir knows that if he doesn't unify he will have to retred old ground in fighting his mandatory who will be none other than BYRD! OR BROCK!!! can we all say BORING?

anyway, wladimir will unify with sultan knowing he will be stripped of his ibf belt. however in turn he gains the wba/wbo belts as compenstation.

bryd and brock fight for the vacated belt with bryd being just a little too slick for poor brock.

okay, vitali will then fight his mandatory by end of 2008 and so will bryd. (i think you can see where this is heading).

2009. wladimir defends his wba/wbo belts. while the hype turns to big bro vitali and his revenge match against the the returning champ chris byrd! vitali and byrd will once again face off and vitali's shoulder wont be an issue this time since he knows how to avoid byrds pulling tricks to throw opponents shoulders out. (wladimir used those tricks on bryd in their rematch. watch how he bashes bryds lead hand down hard.)

by end of 2009 vitali will have wbc/ibf and wladimir will have wba/wbo.

vitali will only make one (maybe two) defenses of his belts then retire due to Old Fart status. wladimir will hang around for a few years more and might try to annex the ibf/wbc belts from who ever claims them. possibly a povetkin or such. he will win, netting 3 belts in 2010 then retire on top :hey

if this thread is correct. i will be considered a genie-ass! if not... well err... i'll just die from :oops: :lol: :bbb

what cha all think?wlad will have retired by 2010, he is too intelligent to box on for long, plus no doubt soon his body will fall apart like his brothers. Vitali is only back just now to keep sam peter from his brother as he probably sees him as the only danger to wlad.

[RDJ]

Good grief what a load of shit.

[El Bombasto]

2010, Peter Has All The Belts!

:rofl

[brooklyn1550]

2010? Anything could happen by then

[Feiti]

1) Vitali won´t be around that long
2) Povetkin and maybe Solis will become forces in this time

[Erebus]

okay folks here's my prediction for what the heavyweight landscape will look like by 2010. seriously i thought about it and it doesn't sound that crazy after you give it consideration. here goes.

wladimir and vitali's dream of holding two belts each is still possible:

wladimir fights sanders (revenge) or holy/rahman (big names) by end of 2007.

sultan/ruslan unify end of 2007. for arguments sake say winner is sultan.

in early/mid 2008 vitali beats the wbc champ no matter who he is (peter, oleg, mccall)

now, when vitali gets the wbc belt, sultan will get his mandatory out of the way quickly (i am becoming a believer of Warrior Promotions) which will be a limited thompson or damaged krasniqi.

meanwhile wladimir will have already finished negotiating with sultan's team for a 3 belt unification. why will this happen? 1. warrior promotions are the real deal and aren't afraid of their fighter losing AND 2. wladimir knows that if he doesn't unify he will have to retred old ground in fighting his mandatory who will be none other than BYRD! OR BROCK!!! can we all say BORING?

anyway, wladimir will unify with sultan knowing he will be stripped of his ibf belt. however in turn he gains the wba/wbo belts as compenstation.

bryd and brock fight for the vacated belt with bryd being just a little too slick for poor brock.

okay, vitali will then fight his mandatory by end of 2008 and so will bryd. (i think you can see where this is heading).

2009. wladimir defends his wba/wbo belts. while the hype turns to big bro vitali and his revenge match against the the returning champ chris byrd! vitali and byrd will once again face off and vitali's shoulder wont be an issue this time since he knows how to avoid byrds pulling tricks to throw opponents shoulders out. (wladimir used those tricks on bryd in their rematch. watch how he bashes bryds lead hand down hard.)

by end of 2009 vitali will have wbc/ibf and wladimir will have wba/wbo.

vitali will only make one (maybe two) defenses of his belts then retire due to Old Fart status. wladimir will hang around for a few years more and might try to annex the ibf/wbc belts from who ever claims them. possibly a povetkin or such. he will win, netting 3 belts in 2010 then retire on top :hey

if this thread is correct. i will be considered a genie-ass! if not... well err... i'll just die from :oops: :lol: :bbb

what cha all think?

I think you should put your crack pipe in the Trash can......:yikes :hi:

[macp]

what about Golota?

[Rock0052]

im not sure about the ATG in the pwer department, hes not exactly fighting elite fighters now is he? dont tell me he is up there with foreman and louis and liston et al? at the end of the its all conjecture, we wont know till the time comes and we see hows its panning out, but i will be the first to let you know if its not like you see it!!!!

I think Wlad certainly has ATG power. He's taken guys out in one punch, and also showed that his jab is flat out devastating. And, while his competition will never be looked at the way the fighters you mentioned are, he's stopped guys with solid chins.