Butaev has a big amateur background, was a WSB fighter, but James is the more experienced professional, has a lot more experience over 10 rounds, and has fought the better opposition overall. James has more speed in hand and foot, and he makes great use of his speed by using the ring and throwing combinations, Butaev hits harder than James, James doesn't have a good chin, the pocket favours Butaev down to the ground. Butaev has good timing, great accuracy, and good variety, James is at risk when he's in range, but Butaev has to deal with James's lateral movement, cutting off the ring will be a challenge.
I think this will be a fight with two halves, I think James will use the ring and throw fast combinations from long range, Butaev will block well, but James will be varied, will get off before Butaev can, and Butaev won't be able to cut James off, but Butaev will be busy with his jab, James will have to stay on the move, and the rounds will take more out of James. I think Butaev will be able to cut distance more easily in the second half, when James's movement has slowed down, James's will keep moving and throwing combinations, but Butaev will land the more damaging shots, and will get the better of the second half.
I think this is a 50/50 fight, my prediction is James by UD. I'd be surprised if James stopped Butaev, but I could see Butaev stopping James.
I think it’s supposed to be the 2nd Chisora fight. Some fights were added by older contributors, who aren’t on the site anymore. Those of us around that can still add fights, unfortunately, cannot go and edit someone else’s contributions, only Zoe, the site owner, can. You can maybe shoot her an email. We have a contributor only forum, and I added a number of corrections to a list that needed to be done, but maybe Zoe can get that on there as well with an email prompt from you.
Round 1
Both fighters start cautiously. Wlad takes the centre of the ring while Shufford is circling around. Wladimir throws jabs at a certain rhythm and occasionally lightly feints a straight right, not with intent to land but rather to see how Shufford reacts. When Wlad throws jabs at medium speed, Shufford mostly uses his right hand to block it, when Wlad turns up the speed, Shufford moves his head to his right and backs away and to his left. Wlad lands the best punch of the round a minute in - when he sees that Shufford is adapting to the rhythm at which he throws his left, he first makes sure Shufford is against the ropes so he is unable to back away, and then throws a fast jab that catches Shufford off guard. Wlad's work behind the jab pays dividends - Shufford is not entirely sure how to react to Wlad's left hand, which sometimes results in Wlad pressing him against the ropes. Shufford's attempts to find a way to counterattack Wlad's left hand are unsuccessful. Wlad's attempt to throw straight punches to the body to sap Shufford's stamina fall short as well.
10-9
Round 2
Shufford now fights for the centre of the ring but becomes more stationary in the process, which Wlad almost immediately takes advantage of, so Shufford returns to the circling around strategy. Wlad continues with the jab work but is now looking more actively to set up the right hand. The first time he fully throws his right, Shufford blocks it with hands, moves his head away from the shot and backs away. The second time Wlad makes sure that Shufford is focused on the left hand and is against the ropes, he feints a jab to block Shufford's vision, Shufford tries to put Wlad's left down but Wlad immediately pulls his left and uses it to put Shufford's left down, and throws a straight right that sends Shufford for the count. Shufford gets up and tries to stay away from Wlad and bite time to recover, but Wlad doesn't allow him to do that. However, on one occasion, Shufford counters Wlad's left with a left of his own, and Wlad didn't see that coming. It was a moment when Wlad got a little overconfident and didn't really make his shot unreadable. He went down, but it looked like he slipped rather then went down from the impact, which is probably why the ref doesn't start the count. Questionable decision, in my opinion the count should've been started. Shufford is trying to fight more aggressively, however Wlad easily deflects his attempts and keeps his opponent at a safe distance, occasionally attempting to counter and trying to be more diverse and less predictable with his defense and not give away the centre of the ring. Shufford also tries to confuse Wlad by occasionally circling to the right, however Wlad is always quick enough to immediately be in front of him.
Normally a 10-8 round, however I think Wlad should've been counted when he got hit with a counter left hand.
10-9
Round 3
Similar pattern continues. Shufford is circling around, mixing in moving to the left and right. When Wlad is pawing with his left, Shufford tries to slightly grab it and put it down. The first time Wlad throws his left at a medium-high pace and fully extends his arm, Shufford also ducks to his right and covers his face with a glove, anticipating a straight right from Wlad. Klitschko notices it, so the second time he throws his left at a medium-high pace, he immediately follows it with a right cross instead, right where he expected Shufford's head would be, and knocks Shufford down again. Shufford gets up but looks disoriented, making Wlad less reluctant to work with the jab. Shufford looks dazed throughout the entire round, he mostly tries to stay away from Wlad and recover and occasionally counter, however his counterattack attempts are still easily deflected - Wlad's footwork along with long arms make it hard for Charles to get to Wlad's chin.
10-8
Round 4
Not much happening compared to the previous round. Wlad tries to fight more aggressively and fire a right hand more often. Shufford is in a fully counterpunching mode. He is patiently waiting for Wlad to throw punches. When it's a right hand, he covers himself to block the shot with gloves and attempts to slip under it for a counter. When it's a jab, he either blocks it with gloves and/or moves away with his head or tries to parry it with a jab of his own. He actually finds some success fighting that way. Close to the end of the round he even tries to come forward at Wlad but with no success. Similarly his occasional attempts to slip under Wlad's left hand fail too. Realizing that his jab might be losing in effectiveness, Wlad continues feinting a jab but this time to make Shufford either 1) open himself a little for a left hook or 2) cover himself so he wouldn't be fully able to see the hook coming. He still continues throwing jabs, but mainly when he has Shufford against the ropes. Close round.
9-10
Round 5
Not much landed in this round. Charles Shufford goes back-and-forth between circling around and baiting Wladimir to come forward and open himself, however with little effect this time. Wlad continues pawing and throwing the jab at a certain rhythm, he doesn't necessarily throw it with intent to land, instead he uses it to confuse Shufford, cut the ring, pin Shufford to the corner or against the ropes and make sure Shufford can't successfully escape, then he throws a jab to land and sometimes follows it with a right cross. Sometimes he throws a jab but mid-way changes it to a left hook. Whenever Wlad notices that Shufford is visibly looking for closing the distance, he throws a one-two. When Shufford attempts to slip under Wlad's jab, Wlad throws a left hook. Shufford rarely comes forward himself. When he succeeds in slipping behind Wlad's left, Wlad deflects the attack by either using his arms to keep Shufford down or using the right hand to either block Shufford's left or to bounce it away (throughout the fight Wlad keeps his right close to the jaw), all while leaning away and taking a step back. Wlad's jab work makes Shufford confused, he even attempts to parry the jab with both hands. The second time he does that, Wlad fires a left hook followed by a right hook before Shufford puts his guard back in position.
10-9
Round 6
Wlad continues confusing Shufford with his work behind the jab. As Shufford seemingly starts adapting to it, Wlad starts mixing in a right hand to keep Shufford uncomfortable and unsure. Shufford continues in his attempts to slip under Wlad's left, but this time his main intent is to initiate a clinch as this is where he has the best chance to hit Wladimir with some meaningful shots. With 20 seconds left, as Wlad pins him to the corner, Shufford attempts to initiate a clinch but Wlad slightly pushes him away with his left and immediately throws a short left hook that sends square-footed (in that moment) Shufford down, almost flat on his back. Shufford actually wanted to reflexively counter Wlad's left hook with a left hook of his own as Wlad dropped his right hand at that moment. Shufford gets up but his mind is all over the place, and the ref makes the right decision to stop the fight.
Another dominant win by Wlad, in what was his first title defense in the United States. It's easy to say now that Shufford was an overmatched opponent given how his career progressed after that, but he was actually 17-1 before the fight and was coming off of a win against one of the brightest rising stars in the US in Lamon Brewster (yes, that same Brewster that played a significant role in Wladimir's career afterwards). On top of that, he was regarded as one of the most talented amateur boxers from the area of Las Vegas, Nevada. Were there better opponents available? From what I've heard, many higher-rated contenders declined the fight for one reason or another, and Shufford was the best one to accept.
One thing I noticed is that fighting Wladimir by circling around, bobbing and weaving is not really effective because Wlad is skilled enough to keep up with his opponent and be in front of him all the time. He's rarely (if at all) thrown out of position, his feet and body are always planted correctly, he can put enough leverage behind his shots, not be a stationary target and be at a correct distance. This is one of reasons why, when people say prime Muhammad Ali would beat Wladimir, I tend to disagree with them, because while his fighting ability was exceptional back in the 60's and 70's, it had almost nothing that Wlad wouldn't have an answer for. Ali rarely faced someone his own size or bigger, and even when he did, those guys' movement, athleticism and overall in-ring IQ was nowhere near the calibre of the Klitschkos, Lennox Lewis, Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury. It's not a dig at Ali, though. Every generation of top-3 (cca) heavyweights are always a bit better than the previous one because they learn from their predecessors and advance what they've learnt. It's a natural process of accumulating the knowledge that already exists and adding a little more to make it unique and have something your opponents haven't seen before.
Prediction.
Butaev has a big amateur background, was a WSB fighter, but James is the more experienced professional, has a lot more experience over 10 rounds, and has fought the better opposition overall. James has more speed in hand and foot, and he makes great use of his speed by using the ring and throwing combinations, Butaev hits harder than James, James doesn't have a good chin, the pocket favours Butaev down to the ground. Butaev has good timing, great accuracy, and good variety, James is at risk when he's in range, but Butaev has to deal with James's lateral movement, cutting off the ring will be a challenge.
I think this will be a fight with two halves, I think James will use the ring and throw fast combinations from long range, Butaev will block well, but James will be varied, will get off before Butaev can, and Butaev won't be able to cut James off, but Butaev will be busy with his jab, James will have to stay on the move, and the rounds will take more out of James. I think Butaev will be able to cut distance more easily in the second half, when James's movement has slowed down, James's will keep moving and throwing combinations, but Butaev will land the more damaging shots, and will get the better of the second half.
I think this is a 50/50 fight, my prediction is James by UD. I'd be surprised if James stopped Butaev, but I could see Butaev stopping James.
I think it’s supposed to be the 2nd Chisora fight. Some fights were added by older contributors, who aren’t on the site anymore. Those of us around that can still add fights, unfortunately, cannot go and edit someone else’s contributions, only Zoe, the site owner, can. You can maybe shoot her an email. We have a contributor only forum, and I added a number of corrections to a list that needed to be done, but maybe Zoe can get that on there as well with an email prompt from you.
rd 4 close
This fight never happened. Haye never fought Tyson Fury. This should be deleted.
Round 1
Both fighters start cautiously. Wlad takes the centre of the ring while Shufford is circling around. Wladimir throws jabs at a certain rhythm and occasionally lightly feints a straight right, not with intent to land but rather to see how Shufford reacts. When Wlad throws jabs at medium speed, Shufford mostly uses his right hand to block it, when Wlad turns up the speed, Shufford moves his head to his right and backs away and to his left. Wlad lands the best punch of the round a minute in - when he sees that Shufford is adapting to the rhythm at which he throws his left, he first makes sure Shufford is against the ropes so he is unable to back away, and then throws a fast jab that catches Shufford off guard. Wlad's work behind the jab pays dividends - Shufford is not entirely sure how to react to Wlad's left hand, which sometimes results in Wlad pressing him against the ropes. Shufford's attempts to find a way to counterattack Wlad's left hand are unsuccessful. Wlad's attempt to throw straight punches to the body to sap Shufford's stamina fall short as well.
10-9
Round 2
Shufford now fights for the centre of the ring but becomes more stationary in the process, which Wlad almost immediately takes advantage of, so Shufford returns to the circling around strategy. Wlad continues with the jab work but is now looking more actively to set up the right hand. The first time he fully throws his right, Shufford blocks it with hands, moves his head away from the shot and backs away. The second time Wlad makes sure that Shufford is focused on the left hand and is against the ropes, he feints a jab to block Shufford's vision, Shufford tries to put Wlad's left down but Wlad immediately pulls his left and uses it to put Shufford's left down, and throws a straight right that sends Shufford for the count. Shufford gets up and tries to stay away from Wlad and bite time to recover, but Wlad doesn't allow him to do that. However, on one occasion, Shufford counters Wlad's left with a left of his own, and Wlad didn't see that coming. It was a moment when Wlad got a little overconfident and didn't really make his shot unreadable. He went down, but it looked like he slipped rather then went down from the impact, which is probably why the ref doesn't start the count. Questionable decision, in my opinion the count should've been started. Shufford is trying to fight more aggressively, however Wlad easily deflects his attempts and keeps his opponent at a safe distance, occasionally attempting to counter and trying to be more diverse and less predictable with his defense and not give away the centre of the ring. Shufford also tries to confuse Wlad by occasionally circling to the right, however Wlad is always quick enough to immediately be in front of him.
Normally a 10-8 round, however I think Wlad should've been counted when he got hit with a counter left hand.
10-9
Round 3
Similar pattern continues. Shufford is circling around, mixing in moving to the left and right. When Wlad is pawing with his left, Shufford tries to slightly grab it and put it down. The first time Wlad throws his left at a medium-high pace and fully extends his arm, Shufford also ducks to his right and covers his face with a glove, anticipating a straight right from Wlad. Klitschko notices it, so the second time he throws his left at a medium-high pace, he immediately follows it with a right cross instead, right where he expected Shufford's head would be, and knocks Shufford down again. Shufford gets up but looks disoriented, making Wlad less reluctant to work with the jab. Shufford looks dazed throughout the entire round, he mostly tries to stay away from Wlad and recover and occasionally counter, however his counterattack attempts are still easily deflected - Wlad's footwork along with long arms make it hard for Charles to get to Wlad's chin.
10-8
Round 4
Not much happening compared to the previous round. Wlad tries to fight more aggressively and fire a right hand more often. Shufford is in a fully counterpunching mode. He is patiently waiting for Wlad to throw punches. When it's a right hand, he covers himself to block the shot with gloves and attempts to slip under it for a counter. When it's a jab, he either blocks it with gloves and/or moves away with his head or tries to parry it with a jab of his own. He actually finds some success fighting that way. Close to the end of the round he even tries to come forward at Wlad but with no success. Similarly his occasional attempts to slip under Wlad's left hand fail too. Realizing that his jab might be losing in effectiveness, Wlad continues feinting a jab but this time to make Shufford either 1) open himself a little for a left hook or 2) cover himself so he wouldn't be fully able to see the hook coming. He still continues throwing jabs, but mainly when he has Shufford against the ropes. Close round.
9-10
Round 5
Not much landed in this round. Charles Shufford goes back-and-forth between circling around and baiting Wladimir to come forward and open himself, however with little effect this time. Wlad continues pawing and throwing the jab at a certain rhythm, he doesn't necessarily throw it with intent to land, instead he uses it to confuse Shufford, cut the ring, pin Shufford to the corner or against the ropes and make sure Shufford can't successfully escape, then he throws a jab to land and sometimes follows it with a right cross. Sometimes he throws a jab but mid-way changes it to a left hook. Whenever Wlad notices that Shufford is visibly looking for closing the distance, he throws a one-two. When Shufford attempts to slip under Wlad's jab, Wlad throws a left hook. Shufford rarely comes forward himself. When he succeeds in slipping behind Wlad's left, Wlad deflects the attack by either using his arms to keep Shufford down or using the right hand to either block Shufford's left or to bounce it away (throughout the fight Wlad keeps his right close to the jaw), all while leaning away and taking a step back. Wlad's jab work makes Shufford confused, he even attempts to parry the jab with both hands. The second time he does that, Wlad fires a left hook followed by a right hook before Shufford puts his guard back in position.
10-9
Round 6
Wlad continues confusing Shufford with his work behind the jab. As Shufford seemingly starts adapting to it, Wlad starts mixing in a right hand to keep Shufford uncomfortable and unsure. Shufford continues in his attempts to slip under Wlad's left, but this time his main intent is to initiate a clinch as this is where he has the best chance to hit Wladimir with some meaningful shots. With 20 seconds left, as Wlad pins him to the corner, Shufford attempts to initiate a clinch but Wlad slightly pushes him away with his left and immediately throws a short left hook that sends square-footed (in that moment) Shufford down, almost flat on his back. Shufford actually wanted to reflexively counter Wlad's left hook with a left hook of his own as Wlad dropped his right hand at that moment. Shufford gets up but his mind is all over the place, and the ref makes the right decision to stop the fight.
Another dominant win by Wlad, in what was his first title defense in the United States. It's easy to say now that Shufford was an overmatched opponent given how his career progressed after that, but he was actually 17-1 before the fight and was coming off of a win against one of the brightest rising stars in the US in Lamon Brewster (yes, that same Brewster that played a significant role in Wladimir's career afterwards). On top of that, he was regarded as one of the most talented amateur boxers from the area of Las Vegas, Nevada. Were there better opponents available? From what I've heard, many higher-rated contenders declined the fight for one reason or another, and Shufford was the best one to accept.
One thing I noticed is that fighting Wladimir by circling around, bobbing and weaving is not really effective because Wlad is skilled enough to keep up with his opponent and be in front of him all the time. He's rarely (if at all) thrown out of position, his feet and body are always planted correctly, he can put enough leverage behind his shots, not be a stationary target and be at a correct distance. This is one of reasons why, when people say prime Muhammad Ali would beat Wladimir, I tend to disagree with them, because while his fighting ability was exceptional back in the 60's and 70's, it had almost nothing that Wlad wouldn't have an answer for. Ali rarely faced someone his own size or bigger, and even when he did, those guys' movement, athleticism and overall in-ring IQ was nowhere near the calibre of the Klitschkos, Lennox Lewis, Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury. It's not a dig at Ali, though. Every generation of top-3 (cca) heavyweights are always a bit better than the previous one because they learn from their predecessors and advance what they've learnt. It's a natural process of accumulating the knowledge that already exists and adding a little more to make it unique and have something your opponents haven't seen before.
5 10-10 2,3 real comp
6 close 2,7 10-10
Rea stole the 6th in the last 10 secs & he may have done the same in the 7th as well..Smith barely crossed the line with that rd imo
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