Can Kovalev be an ATG?

[crold1]

If Victor Postol becomes the champ at light welterweight, Lomachenko at featherweight and Ponomarev at welterweight, will those become "weak" divisions too?

You're being a tad belligerent. Lomachenko is already getting fawned on as he should be and the Featherweight division has people excited. He might end up with the best first ten fight run since Fidel LaBarba.

As to Kovalev, he's good. Very good. He might be the most destructive LH since Foster before he's done. Not quite as slippery or fluid, but he's a menace. If he can clean out Light Heavyweight, even if the class isn't that deep right now (and it's not but that can change and is as guys like Beterbiev hit stride), he'll have his place. It's too early for people to worry about historical place but speculation is never harmful.

One doesn't have to dominate a good class to be considered great. Hopkins cleaned out Middleweight and posted 20 during one of its weakest eras. That was enough.

Fans like Kovalev, Loma, and GGG. That they have skeptics is par for the course. Every fighter does.

BTW, Dariusz belongs in the Hall every bit as much (or not) as Hill. Agree with you there. His issue is visibility to the voters. Personally didn't vote for Hill but there is a strong case that it reflects of too many US voters in the "International" Hall (and a voting system that doesn't require a fighter to inherently even appear on a majority of ballots but simply be top three) that Hill went first ballot. Dariusz was little seen outside Europe and there is a feeling (not entirely unfair) that his numbers at Light Heavy are hollow because he didn't fight Jones.

[TheRichCoward]

Hmmm... I see you joined boxingscene soon after our most notorious East Euro hater was permanently banned.

Obviously u can't handle the reality of the situation. You asked a question and I answered it realistically. If you READ I actually said YES. However that's also due to what else I said.

And your speculation on someone being banned being me, is WAY OFF. You don't have t believe me, but I'm telling you...that's the wrong tree your barking up. So wrong it's hilarious. Literally. To see someone be so adamant about something so incorrect is absolutely tear jerking.

[NEETzsche]

there seem to be a lot of talented prospects appearing in and around lhw at the moment - if kovalev can fend them off he'll surely retire with a formidable record

[Weebler I]

If he can clean out Light Heavyweight, even if the class isn't that deep right now (and it's not but that can change and is as guys like Beterbiev hit stride), he'll have his place.

I'll infer you think it could be construed as deep because I believe it is one of the deeper divisions around.

Kovalev, Hopkins, Stevenson, Beterbiev, Pascal are five top tier names.

Strong underbelly with Storm Alvarez, Isaac Chilemba, Andrejz Fonfara,Egor Mekhontsev, Juergen Braehmer and Gabriel Campillo. These guys don't get the media push in the West but they're all formidable fighters.

Other good fighters too like Lucien Bute, Edwin Rodriguez, Beibut Shumenov, and Nathan Cleverly talking moving back down. Guys like Dawson, Cloud, Agnew, Oosthuizen are beneath that too.

I look at some of the other divisions, and they don't have that level of depth and quality. To my mind LW, JWW, SMW, MW, LMW and HW are all weaker divisions.

[crold1]

I'll infer you think it could be construed as deep because I believe it is one of the deeper divisions around.

Kovalev, Hopkins, Stevenson, Beterbiev, Pascal are five top tier names.

Strong underbelly with Storm Alvarez, Isaac Chilemba, Andrejz Fonfara,Egor Mekhontsev, Juergen Braehmer and Gabriel Campillo. These guys don't get the media push in the West but they're all formidable fighters.

Other good fighters too like Lucien Bute, Edwin Rodriguez, Beibut Shumenov, and Nathan Cleverly talking moving back down.

Others like Dawson, Cloud, Agnew, Oosthuizen are beneath that too.

I look at some of the other divisions, and they don't have that level of depth and quality. To my mind LW, JWW, SMW, MW, LMW and MW are all weaker divisions.

It's not without depth. I think Light Heavyweight is pretty good. It's going to be better in the next couple years. It's not a top 2-3 class right now but it's getting there. A BIG plus: it's top ten fights each other. Don't know if you saw this, but I did an analysis of the competitiveness of the classes not long ago. Light Heavyweight is in the upper half of the sport:

http://www.boxingscene.com/clash-amo...visions--81020

[Weebler I]

It's not without depth. I think Light Heavyweight is pretty good. It's going to be better in the next couple years. It's not a top 2-3 class right now but it's getting there. A BIG plus: it's top ten fights each other. Don't know if you saw this, but I did an analysis of the competitiveness of the classes not long ago. Light Heavyweight is in the upper half of the sport:

http://www.boxingscene.com/clash-amo...visions--81020

Yeah, I remember reading it. One of the things I inferred from it was a pattern of the more money available to a division, the greater clash score.

Four of the top five: WW (#1), JMW (#2), SMW (#4) and JWW (#5) are all American/Brit divisions, or at least divisions their paying public are most interested in.

[John Locke]

Not sure about ATG but he can become a HOFer. People underrate his skill (especially before the BHop fight) because he's a big puncher.

I'd like to see him fight Mekhonstev and Beterbiev. I think he loses to both.

[Slick_Rick]

HOF yes, ATG maybe...

Calzaghe is a HOF, ATG is debatable (depends how is measured..)

Kovalev is 31, if he fights till, say 36, and is able to stay undefeated or beats everyone he fights and fights the best, HOF yes, ATG? depends on what challenges he has to face.

[crold1]

Yeah, I remember reading it. One of the things I inferred from it was a pattern of the more money available to a division, the greater clash score.

Four of the top five: WW (#1), JMW (#2), SMW (#4) and JWW (#5) are all American/Brit divisions, or at least divisions their paying public are most interested in.

Not necessarily. Money still plenty at Heavyweight but the clash was weak. Sometimes, it's a symptom of a reload in a given class.

[IronDanHamza]

Maybe at LHW if he stays there for many years and cleans it out.

But I doubt it honestly, the quality isn't there.

But you never know the quality could arise, If Ward moves up and he beats him, beats Stevenson, beats Pascal, beats other contenders then he'd have a good shout for the HOF.

He's still relatively early in his career despite his age.