Is Deontay Wilder really a A-Level fighter? If so, why isn't Shawn Porter

[b Murphington]

I don't think anyone is making the claim that Wilder is a highly skilled boxer. He's not. That much is clear. People get caught up in the knockouts, but the knockouts are impressive and you can't deny his athleticism.

Wilder is a special breed of heavyweight because he's freakishly gifted in athletics in the era of the fat and slow heavyweights. It's because of this, that he never needed to be technically sound. What he lacks in skill, he makes up for it in athletics.

Let me put it this way. Wilder is one of those weird people who could pick up any sport, and because of his athletic gifts, he would probably perform pretty decently.

[Piper the Great]

Shawn Porter not knocking heads off

[boliodogs]

No matter how flawed Wilder may be he has knocked out everyone he ever fought and he appears to be one of the two best heavyweights in the world. I'd say that makes him A level, flaws and all. Porter is a good all around fighter and I have no problem with him being rated A level. In his last fight he lost the last two rounds because he injured his hand. He had won just about every round before that. He only has two close loses to Brook and Thurman. He beat everyone else.

[Real King Kong]

Nonsense. All the heavies from the past have shown flaws, nobody has been perfect. If anything HW is the strongest it's been in years.

Ali didn't get dropped by 185lb Henry Cooper?

Tyson didn't get knocked out by Buster Douglas?

Lewis didn't get knocked out by Rahman and McCall?

Haye didn't go life and death with Valuev?

Wlad didn't get stopped by Brewster, Purrity, Sanders, dropped 3x by Peter, Joshua, Fury?

Vitali didn't get stopped by a 38 year old 256lb Lewis? Didn't get put on bambi legs by a retired golfer Corrie Sanders?


You could put Wilder, Fury, and Joshua against anybody in history and they could more than hold their own. Far too big, this is a new era of MONSTER heavies.

Just cuz they're big doesn't make them A class fighters. The comparison wasn't today's hws vs past hws...it was wilder compared to Shawn porter and today's hw vs ww divisions.

[Real King Kong]

Joshua has no fundamentals. He doesn't have the potential. He has many flaws. He imo has more flaws than Wilder.

Maybe so, but his all around technique is better than wilder's.

[sotgoda]

This is the repeated foolishness I see on here. Wilder has a great jab, a great right hand, is very mobile, great stamina, above average head movement, average defense, average upper cut, not fundamentally compact or looking like a boxer, but he uses his tools well and it is not just athleticism. Some are taller than Wilder and cannot use their jabs. Most are bigger but do not have Wilder's power - that also is not athleticism. Wilder keeps a good weight on himself which allows him to have more endurance than others. And for all the criticisms on here, he keeps finding people with either of his hands and knocking them down - that is not luck, but skill. When will he ever get his credit on here? It is not about looking the part but being the part.

Kobe looks better than Lebron shooting and handling the basketball but Lebron is more effective. Does that mean Lebron is not as talented or skilled?

[Cutthroat]

Just cuz they're big doesn't make them A class fighters. The comparison wasn't today's hws vs past hws...it was wilder compared to Shawn porter and today's hw vs ww divisions.

Their size alone is an massive obstacle to overcome, when you combine that with their power, movement, speed it makes them capable of beating anybody. People don't consider them A class because of their flaws but heavyweights have always shown flaws that's just how the division is regardless of era.

Guys that are just "big" are guys like Valuev, Grant, Wach, Carnera, etc. the only guys around AJ's, Fury and Wilder's size are the Klitschkos, Lewis, and a prime Bowe.

I personally consider it just as good as welter if not better where plenty of guys have also shown a lot of flaws. Thurman has been hurt bad by Collazo, Spence went down to the wire with Brook, 5'5 38 year old Pac still hanging around, Cherrypicker Garica, etc.

We've seen better from welter before, but HW we haven't seen 3 guys this size, this good, ever at the same time. Even the contenders and up and comers are bigger, more powerful than ever.

[Sheldon312]

This is the repeated foolishness I see on here. Wilder has a great jab, a great right hand, is very mobile, great stamina, above average head movement, average defense, average upper cut, not fundamentally compact or looking like a boxer, but he uses his tools well and it is not just athleticism. Some are taller than Wilder and cannot use their jabs. Most are bigger but do not have Wilder's power - that also is not athleticism. Wilder keeps a good weight on himself which allows him to have more endurance than others. And for all the criticisms on here, he keeps finding people with either of his hands and knocking them down - that is not luck, but skill. When will he ever get his credit on here? It is not about looking the part but being the part.

Kobe looks better than Lebron shooting and handling the basketball but Lebron is more effective. Does that mean Lebron is not as talented or skilled?

Lmao with the Kobe and Lebron analogy. Lebron and Kobe play basketball which is a team sport. There stats and abilities to a certain extent is dependent on their teammates whereas in boxing it is dependent on the individual. Also, it is very clear that Lebron is a better overall player than Kobe when you look at their whole body of work. But that is another topic for another day. Wilder, on the other hand, is a fighter that lacks fundamentals that every average boxer should have. Yet, because he is athletic and powerful he being touted as an A-Level fighter when there is a fighter at WW like Shawn Porter who is a better fighter P4P who many consider being a B- Level fighter. Even looking a resumes it is clear that Wilder hasn't even beaten anyone on Broner ir Malinaggi's level.

[sotgoda]

Lmao with the Kobe and Lebron analogy. Lebron and Kobe play basketball which is a team sport. There stats and abilities to a certain extent is dependent on their teammates whereas in boxing it is dependent on the individual. Also, it is very clear that Lebron is a better overall player than Kobe when you look at their whole body of work. But that is another topic for another day. Wilder, on the other hand, is a fighter that lacks fundamentals that every average boxer should have. Yet, because he is athletic and powerful he being touted as an A-Level fighter when there is a fighter at WW like Shawn Porter who is a better fighter P4P who many consider being a B- Level fighter. Even looking a resumes it is clear that Wilder hasn't even beaten anyone on Broner ir Malinaggi's level.

Seems you did not read again what I said. I said Kobe looks like the better shooter - his form shows that obviously, but Lebron's efficiency is better. What does that have to do with team spot? Then, you compare Wilder's win to Malignaggi. Ok... whatever.

[Sheldon312]

Seems you did not read again what I said. I said Kobe looks like the better shooter - his form shows that obviously, but Lebron's efficiency is better. What does that have to do with team spot? Then, you compare Wilder's win to Malignaggi. Ok... whatever.

The point is Wilder has not proved to be elite and he is the most flawed boxer in history who uses his power to bail him out