Boxing: Klitschko vs Ibramigov

[Frank]

I'm in a motel room with no sports to watch except an increasingly dull Blue Jackets-Canadiens game, and I've no interest in what's on Turner Classic. So I figure I might watch my first boxing in some time. (Possibly followed by Raging Bull on Turner Classic. )

Either of these guys any good?

[gonzomax]

http://msn.foxsports.com/boxing/stor...-vs.-Ibragimov


Klitchko is a 6 ft 6 240 lb heavyweight. He is the best now. Ibragimov is a weaker hitter but still one of the titleholders. It could be good .

[Lamar Mundane]

A good srticle on the matchup.

Klitschko and Ibragimov are sons of the former Soviet Union who come to this fight from different backgrounds and with different philosophical approaches. Klitschko, who wears clothes by Hugo Boss, is urbane. Ibragimov, who still identifies himself with a tribe (Avars), is rural.

Klitschko, 31, was born in Kazakhstan but raised in Kiev, Ukraine. His father was a colonel in the Soviet Air Force; his older brother, Vitali, is a former heavyweight world champion who ran for mayor of Kiev. Klitschko won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics and has a doctorate in sports science from the University of Kiev.

Ibragimov's mother died as she gave birth to him. His father gave him to an aunt to raise when he was 3 and then started another family. His remote village in Dagestan in the mountains of Caucasus had no electric lights until 1978. Children weren't allowed to walk around outside alone at night for fear that they would be attacked by wolves.

[Frank]

Good articles. Thanks, guys!

[Frank]

Well, that wasn't worth writing home about.

[gonzomax]

There is a reason heavyweight boxing is on the decline.

[fiddlesticks]

Yawn. At least no one spent pay-per-view money on this one.

[The Tof]

I'd never seen Ibragimov. I've seen Klitschko put up some good fights, and put a lot of guys on the Mat.

This was a yawner though. All tactical hitting and defense on Klitschko's part. Although Ibragimov is lucky he had the ropes there at one point, he'd have been down. (Although I don't think he'd have been out)

[gonzomax]

They may need a new heavy weight division. Klitchko was so much bigger.

[Chefguy]

Yeah, a pretty boring match. Klitchko has a jab that can stun an ox, but seemed reluctant to double up on it despite ample opportunity. Perhaps the southpaw stance was throwing him off.

[pravnik]

Crap, I missed it.

[Dumbguy]

Heavyweight boxing isn’t on the decline. It’s dead. Any great athlete over 200 pounds is playing football or basketball for far more money and fame than they could ever get as a boxer. The UFC and Pride have cut into the talent pool even further. Klitschko is the best out there, but he’s a stiffer, more tentative version of Lennox Lewis. And Lewis was just Larry Homes with no chin. There hasn’t been a great heavyweight since Tyson got mad cow disease, and I don’t think there will ever be another heavyweight of Louis/Ali/Foreman caliber.

[Marley23]

Originally Posted by gonzomax

They may need a new heavy weight division. Klitchko was so much bigger.

There is a super heavyweight division. I'm guessing Klitschko doesn't qualify.

[Busy Scissors]

Originally Posted by Marley23

There is a super heavyweight division. I'm guessing Klitschko doesn't qualify.

superheavy is an amateur division - it doesn't exist in the pros. Hence the size miss-matches that are getting to be prevalent nowadays. Anyone over 200lb is a heavy, there's no upper limit.

[Chefguy]

Originally Posted by Dumbguy

Heavyweight boxing isn’t on the decline. It’s dead. Any great athlete over 200 pounds is playing football or basketball for far more money and fame than they could ever get as a boxer. The UFC and Pride have cut into the talent pool even further. Klitschko is the best out there, but he’s a stiffer, more tentative version of Lennox Lewis. And Lewis was just Larry Homes with no chin. There hasn’t been a great heavyweight since Tyson got mad cow disease, and I don’t think there will ever be another heavyweight of Louis/Ali/Foreman caliber.

Sadly true. I much prefer watching the Paquiaos of the world.