Can you name five fighters of the last decade greater than Wladimir ?

[DreamFighter]

I agree. Nonetheless, he is a great fighter.

Someone's next reply may be that the word "great" has been devalued itself and thrown around too loosely. Point taken. But either way you slice it, a guy with 59 wins, only 3 losses.

Thing is, the 3 losses came when he actually faced a fairly decent opponent. And thats stretching it, Corrie was way past prime when he blasted Wlad out, he wasnt even any decade's idea of a top contender.


I agree it takes a great attribute to stick around for years and keeping fit, thats a solid mental attribute. But that doesnt make you a great boxer - lots of athletes stick around for decades in their respective fields and in that sense it makes him a great athlete, yes.

[cupocity303]

Thing is, the 3 losses came when he actually faced a decent opponent.


I agree it takes a great attribute to stick around for years and keeping fit, thats a solid mental attribute. But that doesnt make you a great boxer - lots of athletes stick around for decades in their respective fields and in that sense it makes him a great athlete, yes.

I disagree with your analogy. I think he was a pretty decent fighter in his 20's but still not at his best. He wasn't utilizing his size to the absolute maximum potential before working with Steward. He wasted too much energy moving around for a 6'6, 250 guy and ran out of steam on a couple of occasions. Hence, those losses happened.

The current version is the best version. He has faced a bunch of guys who are better then Brewster talent wise and beaten them. Either way, there are some great fighters in history who never lost to a guy because that guy had their number. But simply because they weren't prepared for the fight and thus lost to a guy they never were supposed to lose to.

Then there are those guys who have met their match, and have a triology with them because the first loss wasn't a fluke. Wlad never really had that in his career. The only interesting loss was to Sanders since it was a early KO before he tired out. A rematch would've been interesting.

[The Hammer]

He can't be in the top 5 because he's not American and hasn't had most of his fights in the USA.

If it ain't American, it ain't right.

[Daddy T]

top ten defo, top five probably not ... but he's very close ... 6 or 7 i'd say. And to the guy above me lol plenty have say pac jmm calzaghe or whatever in their picks - you got a chip on your shoulder

[ShoulderRoll]

Limited skill set, fights in one of the worst divisions in the sport. You have to take that into account.

Otherwise Lucian Bute would have been the best in the world when he too was dominating against tomato cans.

[cupocity303]

Thing is, the 3 losses came when he actually faced a fairly decent opponent. And thats stretching it, Corrie was way past prime when he blasted Wlad out, he wasnt even any decade's idea of a top contender.

This usually always happens to dominant fighters who are used to dominant and never really participate in barnburners. They don't lose to someone who is on their level, skill wise or athletic ability. And yet they lose for whatever reason. Whether they were ill prepared or past their prime or whatever.

I.E. Roy Jones losing to Tarver. Now you would think that the only way Roy Jones losses is if he is matched with an equally fast and athletic fighter who has boxing skills as well. But that doesn't always happen

Now I'm waiting for the knee-jerk reaction from someone for me daring to compare WLad to Roy Jones.n.

[Deathknight88]

He can't be in the top 5 because he's not American and hasn't had most of his fights in the USA.

If it ain't American, it ain't right.

Pretty shocking statement considering people widely acknowledge these are the top fighters of the last decade or so 2001-2011

PACQUAIO-CALZAGHE-JMM-COTTO-

Americans
Hopkins-Floyd (possibly Mosley)

I have
1-Pacquaio/Floyd
3-Hopkins
4-JMM
5-Calzaghe
6-Wladimir

[cupocity303]

Limited skill set, fights in one of the worst divisions in the sport. You have to take that into account.

Otherwise Lucian Bute would have been the best in the world when he too was dominating against tomato cans.

The guy in your avatar would slap you for this. Of course you're wrong and are just speaking from a egocentric American perspective, who is used to slick shoulder rolling, **** talking, money throwing fighters ----none of which is Wlad.

He is a superb specimen and has one of the greatest one-dimensional boxing skills ever. THere is no need for plan B when Plan A works 95% of the time. One of the worst divisions is subjective, though it understandable if one were to think that. After all, the natural Heavyweights can't move up or down. At the lower weights, if a division sucks, it's quickly filled out with a bunch of great fighters moving up and making the division not suck as much. This doesn't happen at Heavyweight. David Haye tried and failed. Now we're waiting for the next "great" Light-Heavy or Cruiser to give it another shot.

[Cutthroat]

Pac, Morales, Mayweather, Barrera, Hopkins, Ward, Marquez, Martinez, Wright, Mosley

[ShoulderRoll]

Pretty shocking statement considering people widely acknowledge these are the top fighters of the last decade or so 2001-2011

PACQUAIO-CALZAGHE-JMM-COTTO-

Americans
Hopkins-Floyd (possibly Mosley)

In Boxingscene's latest Pound for Pound list 7 out of the top 10 are not American. So I don't know what this Freedom guy is crying about.