Philip Anselmo: Will Wlad’s Stubble Burst His (Own) Bubble?

BY PHILIP H. ANSELMO (in cahoots with the BI staff and other choice boxing icons)

We’re taking a look at how us “insiders” feel about Wladimir Klitschko’s chin and how it will hold up in his up-coming unification bout with WBA Champ Davey Haye. Check it…

Philip H. Anselmo:
Wlad’s chin is pretty descent, even above average I’d say. People always look at his whopping 3-loses and overreact. There’s not a single “KO” going against him. “TKO’s” yes, but he’s never been flat on his face, out cold. In his first fight with Sam Peter, Wlad got Sam’s best; the BEST Sam ever. We all know 2-out-of-3 of the knockdowns were bullshit calls, but Wlad got hit that night and still won convincingly. The proof of Wlad’s chin is in that fight. And he’s improved defensively vastly since then, so Haye’s biggest problem will be reaching Wlad’s chin, period! Sure, a flush shot from Davey could hurt Wlad, but will that flush shot land? I’m not too sure.

Scoop Malinowski:
I really believe Wlad’s chin is solid and stronger than the majority of critics estimate. Sure, he’s been down a few times, but never for the count. Like George Foreman said during the Sanders fight, “He always got up.” Going down against Brewster was more from a mysterious exhaustion than from any blow to the head. The Williamson knockdown was an off-balance situation. I have never seen Wladimir hurt to the point of being unconscious or incoherent. A questionable chin is seeing Roy Jones out cold against Glen Johnson. I believe the boxing-loving public has been deceived into believing Wladimir has a bad chin, similar to how many thought Lennox Lewis couldn’t take it. Or also how Floyd Mayweather promoted his image as a fighter who doesn’t duck or dodge anybody and he’s only interested in making the biggest money fights.

We’ll see how Wladimir’s chin holds up if Haye can slam home a perfect strike. Sometimes even strong-jawed fighters take a single shot and just fall to pieces – Berbick with Tyson, Duran with Hearns, and Williams with Martinez. I believe Wlad can take anything Haye can deliver, just as Lewis took the best of Tyson and Vitali. We will see.

Ezio Prapotnich: “Would I be able to knock out Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi if I got close enough to him? Definitely yes! The problem would be to get through all the bodyguards and security around him. Would Wlad’s chin hold if David catches him flush? Probably not. Will David be able to get through Wlad defense without getting caught first? As another UK writer said before me, “That is the question!”

Johnny Bos: “If it can be reached, it is far from being Oliver McCall or George Chuvalo!”

Lou Dibella: “Issue not his chin. Has had stamina problems when the going tough. Wlad’s chin won’t be an issue against Haye, but Haye’s chin might; in today’s weak heavyweight division, size matters.”

Charles Jay: “Well, we’ve seen Wlad get stopped and knocked out, and I suppose his best defense is a good offense. I lot of people probably regard his chin as below average, but I’m not sure that, relatively speaking, this is such a huge weakness. Show me all the heavyweights around today who wouldn’t get woozy if you hit them on the button… And come to think if it, show me the list of heavyweights throughout history who have had tremendous power and a tremendous chin at the same time. There are some, for sure, but the list is shorter than many people imagine. Actually, brother Vitali might belong on that list, after watching him take some shots from Lennox Lewis.”