A Farewell tribute to America's best heavyweight of the current era.

[Willow The Wisp]

True! Fury 1 was a cherry pick gone wrong, and Ortiz was simply too old.

Fury was the reigning champion, and Ortiz was a Cuban national hero who turned pro late, became the top contender, and was undefeated. Just because Wilder missed out on Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua, Dillian Whyte, Andy Ruiz Jr, Alexander Povetkin and Joe Joyce, it doesn't mean he wasn't very busy (Fury wasn't), and not losing to underdogs (Joshua), while wiping out the WBC ranked contenders; which was his ONLY obligation to the sport, as the WBC champion.

Everyone has their favs. That's just being a fan; but the facts don't care about that.
Wilder did aright.

[Pac=Duran]

True! Fury 1 was a cherry pick gone wrong, and Ortiz was simply too old.

Yeah it's the most insanely stage managed career we have ever seen. Prime Carnerra tier

[SUBZER0ED]

Fury was the reigning champion, and Ortiz was a Cuban national hero who turned pro late, became the top contender, and was undefeated. Just because Wilder missed out on Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua, Dillian Whyte, Andy Ruiz Jr, Alexander Povetkin and Joe Joyce, it doesn't mean he wasn't very busy (Fury wasn't), and not losing to underdogs (Joshua), while wiping out the WBC ranked contenders; which was his ONLY obligation to the sport, as the WBC champion.

Everyone has their favs. That's just being a fan; but the facts don't care about that.
Wilder did aright.

Fury had been away for 3 years, was drugging and drinking, was suicidal and ballooned to over 400lbs. Given those circumstances, I give him more credit for getting into decent shape and fighting the very fit and active Wilder to a draw, than I give Wilder for fighting him. And once Tyson got back into full swing, he destroyed Deontay twice and took years off of his boxing life. Ortiz was the age that Wilder is now (38) the first time that he fought him and was 40 for the rematch. The only world champion that Wilder ever beat was Stiverne. I'll credit Deontay for being a limited, one-dimensional fighter, who managed to make millions with what he had, but that's about it.

[Willow The Wisp]

Fury had been away for 3 years, was drugging and drinking, was suicidal and ballooned to over 400lbs. Given those circumstances, I give him more credit for getting into decent shape and fighting the very fit and active Wilder to a draw, than I give Wilder for fighting him. And once Tyson got back into full swing, he destroyed Deontay twice and took years off of his boxing life. Ortiz was the age that Wilder is now (38) the first time that he fought him and was 40 for the rematch. The only world champion that Wilder ever beat was Stiverne. I'll credit Deontay for being a limited, one-dimensional fighter, who managed to make millions with what he had, but that's about it.

......Who would've flattened Joshua beteen 2016 - 2021.

[billeau2]

Experiences with F.I.S.T., the IBHOF, the ABC Retired Fighter Charitable Fund, Alex Ramos' Retired Boxers Foundation and looking after Greg Page and others has left a deep impression on this poster.
This is the ULTIMATE sport and there's no tapping out. This is the sport that is NOT A GAME.
So I say, if a champion has passed the 50 million mark in earnings, which Deontay has; the 40 years AFTER retirement must become the priority.

The mop bucket critics up in the cheap seats here don't get that, but I do.

I think it was Bernard Shaw who said "too bad all the people that should be running the country are driving cabs, waiting tables," etc... Perhaps said with a touch of irony lol.

To which I would add, too bad people with common sense, respect for human endevour, and love for the sanctity and quality of life, could not step in and make fight decisions for those chasing that last hit on the pipe... "Just one more fight! I can do this!"

[billeau2]

Willow is among the finest history keepers of the sport. I believe his range stretches from antiquity to Zhang's KO over Deontay with no era in between exceptional or lacking.

That said, I find it disrespectful all these surface scratchers come to Willow's post to disparage it with nothing but their opinions, most of which seem racist in nature.

Wilder' behavior matters How many alcoholic wife beaters grace your lists of greats? But Wilder said some words you didn't like though and that disqualifies his time as champion? Bro, that makes sense if you've already an underlying hate you're trying to rationalize.

That along with this backlash against American heavyweights. What I do not get is Daggum and his idiot brigade... The total absence of understanding that Wilder drank from the same well as all the marque heavyweights! Sure he did not fight everyone, but he fought from the same level of competition... unlike the times when, for example, a European champion had never challenged across the pond.

People act like because Wilder missed temporarily flat lining a few routine stiffs in the division like Whyte, Wallin, Pulov, etc... That this made him inferior... No! Ortiz was a better fight than virtually all those guys, old and all... Stiverne was as good as any of them. lol.

[SUBZER0ED]

......Who would've flattened Joshua beteen 2016 - 2021.

You're underestimating Joshua's skill, power and resolve, and overestimating Wilder's ability to KO a better all-around fighter with just one punch.

[Willow The Wisp]

Just think, if Charles Martin hadn't taken the Joshua money then this could have been him.

Wilder was a better heavyweight than Martin OR Joshua.

Joshua?? Wilder a little taller, Josh a little heavier.
Joshua a better boxer , Wilder a better puncher.
Against A, B and C class opposition; Joshua went 14 - 3 - 0, Wilder went 17 - 4 - 1.

What really draws the distinction between them is that when really hurt and behind; Wilder gets up and wants to fight, Joshua looks at his feet and quits.
Both men are among the 10 best of the last 35 years.

Joshua has a good chance to clearly pass Wilder, but he's got to destroy Dubois for that to happen.

Soak in the knowledge fans.

[HrNY]

BOMB SQQQQQQUUUUUUUAAAAAAADDDD

got a bomb of fury's cum to the face

heck even the chinese dude gave him the business

loses all hood points in that one.

they whoopin on chinese dudes in the hood, wilder did the opposite

[Toffee]

Wilder was a better heavyweight than Martin OR Joshua.

Joshua?? Wilder a little taller, Josh a little heavier.
Joshua a better boxer , Wilder a better puncher.
Against A, B and C class opposition; Joshua went 14 - 3 - 0, Wilder went 17 - 4 - 1.

What really draws the distinction between them is that when really hurt and behind; Wilder gets up and wants to fight, Joshua looks at his feet and quits.
Both men are among the 10 best of the last 35 years.

Joshua has a good chance to clearly pass Wilder, but he's got to destroy Dubois for that to happen.

Soak in the knowledge fans.

But back to my point, if Martin hadn't fought Joshua... and instead went on to defend against soft touches, then he'd have walked the earth like a king.

Until he met top contenders.

That is exactly what Wilder did.