Klitschko in Top 10 If...?

[BennyST]

I think hes borderline top 10 right now and would most definitely be inside the top 10 if he beat the above fighters impressively at his advanced age. it would be a no doubter imo

I agree with this. I think he could retire now and (should) be a top 10 HW. Vitali no, Wlad yes.

Wlad has the skills, the resume and the longevity to be a top ten ATG HW.

[soul_survivor]

I agree with this. I think he could retire now and (should) be a top 10 HW. Vitali no, Wlad yes.

Wlad has the skills, the resume and the longevity to be a top ten ATG HW.

No on the bold part but the rest yeah. I can't place him top 10 for the reasons I've given before but if he manages to beat the best contenders out there over the next couple years, he might just get in.

[BattlingNelson]

Liston gets in above Dempsey and Lewis and Marciano? Why? I'd love to hear your reasoning.



No way does Wlad lose to all these guys, I think the 80s was very weak for HW boxing and most of the 90s, outside of Holy, Lewis, Tyson and sometimes Bowe, it wasn't all that good.

Ruddock might give Wlad trouble, McCall with his power and chin possibly, and Ike with his ferocity but I can't see any of the other guys beating the prime Wlad we've seen in the ring over the last several years.

Liston was a monster. He should have been champion way before he actually did. He had great wins against Williams and Folley prior to Patterson. I feel he was unlucky in being champion late and losing his title to the best there ever was.

[soul_survivor]

But surely you can't rank someone on what could or should have been.

Don't get me wrong, Liston was a monster puncher and terrific fighter but he can't be ranked over guys with established title reigns and better resumes and wins over other champions.

[Suckmedry]

I'm a level headed boxing fan first, fighter fan second. I call it how I see it and as it currently stands I reckon Wlad is a top 15, ATG heavyweight. Skills are tremendous, scary power and very disciplined. What lets him down is his chin, inability or unwillingness to throw combinations and a weak era.

But, what if, over the next couple years, he fights and beats everyone who rises the ranks as top contenders, namely:

Fury
Fury/Wilder/Stiverne
Pulev
Possibly the likes of Helenius/Boystov/Chisora, if some of these guys can come again

And he looks impressive doing it too.

Does he get a top 10 nod from you, the true boxing fan?

Klitschko nuthuggers or haters need not apply.

You say hes top 15 ATG, yet you acknowledge he has these glaring flaws. He can make it look good vs the guys in this era, but if a well conditioned, talented heavy with some decent skills was around Wlad would have his hands more than full. Wlad's style relies on his size, height, and his ability to dictate the fight with his jab, then finish you off as he brings the right hand in. This style works because no one makes Wlad work. And by that I mean angles, pressure, combinations, head movement, counters. Imagine Wlad trying to keep a prime Tyson at bay. just try and imagine how that fight would go down.

[Suckmedry]

But surely you can't rank someone on what could or should have been.

Don't get me wrong, Liston was a monster puncher and terrific fighter but he can't be ranked over guys with established title reigns and better resumes and wins over other champions.

Liston would fcking destroy Wlad.

[BattlingNelson]

But surely you can't rank someone on what could or should have been.

Don't get me wrong, Liston was a monster puncher and terrific fighter but he can't be ranked over guys with established title reigns and better resumes and wins over other champions.

You are of course correct my friend. Wouldas and shouldas doesn't count. The sentence was made as info because, IMO, Liston generally is somewhat underrated due to his relative short reign as champ.

[M Bison]

Wins over...
Ray Austin, Calvin Brock, Tony Thompson, David Haye, Samuel Peters (when he was dangerous), Lamon Brewster, Chris Byrd, Alexander Povetkin, Eddie Chambers (before he went down-hill)...

Yeah weak division my ass, stop being an ass-hole If neither Klitschko was around you'd be sucking off one of those many names in that list off.

[M Bison]

Liston would fcking destroy Wlad.

Liston would of ****ing destroyed Muhammad Ali if the fight wasn't fixed and if he never had a shoulder injury in the first fight.
Sonny would of probably murdered Joe Frazier if their paths ever crossed but luckily for Joe... That never happened...
I wonder why it never happened hmmm...

[BennyST]

Liston gets in above Dempsey and Lewis and Marciano? Why? I'd love to hear your reasoning.



No way does Wlad lose to all these guys, I think the 80s was very weak for HW boxing and most of the 90s, outside of Holy, Lewis, Tyson and sometimes Bowe, it wasn't all that good.

Ruddock might give Wlad trouble, McCall with his power and chin possibly, and Ike with his ferocity but I can't see any of the other guys beating the prime Wlad we've seen in the ring over the last several years.

Actually, those are very underrated eras. Outstanding HOF lock champions, and some contenders that are very good in their own right, who would dominate the majority of todays era besides Wlad.

If you go back and compare the contenders, for instance a video of Pulev vs Thompson to ... I dunno ... anyone ... Pinklon Thomas vs Tim Witherspoon (first video that I found).

Go to 9.10





They look like a different class of fighter. Faster, more mobile, more active, more skilled, both leading and countering and they engage more too.

They're clearly, undoubtedly better in nearly every way. It's basically because there was more competition back then. The heavyweight title was a huge world event still and boxing was incredibly popular, which equals more talent and depth.