What the Klitschko fans predicted years ago turned out to be correct.

[The Big Dunn]

No other boxer at REAL heavyweight (200+ pounds) has as many fights as Wladimir Klitschko (60+) with as few losses.

No other heavyweight boxer stayed on top as long and dominated the division as Wlad did.

These ACCOMPLISHMENTS deserve an A rating to me.

Losing one or two fights doesn't have greater precedence over a boxer's accomplishments in a span of a decade. That's utterly ridiculous!

And what exactly was so much better about the heavyweight divisions in the 1980's and the 1970's compared to Klitschko's era?

Ok, I have no problem with that. But what about the prime KO losses? They should also be factored into that rating. Had these KO losses occurred at the end of his career then we'd be on the same page.

See what you did-you made up something I posted and are arguing that instead of my point.

I never posted the KO losses should have "greater precedence over a boxer's accomplishments in a span of a decade." I said they had to be factored in. Your whole record counts, not just the time you were at the top. Right?

IMO those losses knock him down from A to B+. It's not like I said he sucked or wasn't a HOF'er.

The volume of quality fighters makes those eras better. i think its safe to say Ali/Frazier/Foreman/Norton/Shavers/Patterson/Liston and Tyson/Holyfield/Lewis/Bowe/ were better tham the Wlad era.

[SAINTSTEVE]

I think without the Klitschkos that the belts would have been passed around quite a bit without anyone holding on to them long enough to establish the era as their own. Vitali desperately wanted a rematch with Lennox in order to shortcut his claim to the era. Joshua fans want to do the same by elevating his win over Wlad and diminishing Wilder but ultimately they both have a ways to go before claiming this era as their own.

[HarvardBlue]

Couldn't disagree more, most of Wlads reign was C and D level fighters. The only B level guys were Byrd, Haye, and Povetkin. They are all small heavies who play into the Klitschko style.

As soon as a few big men with dimensions and good ability turned up Wlad lost. You can blame it on age, but I think Wlads style was heavily geared towards beating fighters who were outsized and couldn't reach his torso and chin.

I think as a total package Wlad is better than all the current crop, but I think any one of them has the ability to beat him including Wilder. Fury was no fluke, Wlad didn't like the picture he was seeing so he couldn't reprogramme himself in the ring and go for it because that cautious style was the reason he became successful and the reason he turned his career around.

Vitali on the other hand, different kettle of fish. We can see even from the Lewis fight and the Corrie Sanders fight that he could have stood the test of time against any era head to head.

Man, you were spot on with this post. Green K coming your way.

[Kagami Taiga]

Are we forgetting the guys who ACTUALLY beat Vlad? Not one of them were better than Wilder OR Joshua, so please lets stop.

[SAINTSTEVE]

Also it took for Vitali to avenge Wladimir's loss to Corrie Sanders because the hard hitting southpaw was a bad matchup for him indicating that Ortiz may have also been a bad matchup for him.

[paulf]

It's a bit of both.

Klitschko never had a crop of heavyweights like Joshua, Wilder, and Ortiz chasing him. This new generation is unquestionably better. Klitschko had mostly Jarrell Miller-level guys.

The best heavyweights in Wlads run were Haye and Povetkin.

[Thraxox]

Also it took for Vitali to avenge Wladimir's loss to Corrie Sanders because the hard hitting southpaw was a bad matchup for him indicating that Ortiz may have also been a bad matchup for him.

You are comparing one of the FASTEST Heavyweight Southpaws that had ever been created in Corrie Sanders to the one of the SLOWEST Heavyweights of the recent years.

[bigjavi973]

ya wlad fans should be the last ones to talk:




only one I see beating wilder is probably vitali imo hes better than wlad

[BigZ44]

This is always the case after a dominant champion retires. Eventually someone will establish themselves as the class of the division they will build that resume up to the point they can be compared to past greats.

Imo, this is the most interesting and entertaining period in a divisions development. Once the champ is established things can get a bit stale. Right now everything is up in the air and everyone is trying to claw their way to the top.

We should appreciate this period while it is happening.

This right here is also a big part of the reason I think both Joshua and Wilder should have another fight or 2 before meeting. After those 2 guys fight, what's left in the division? Some hope that Fury can revert to old form, it's a long shot, after that it's just going to be a list of dudes that nobody will give much of a shot against The Guy. Wilder vs Whyte and Joshua vs Miller are both fights that are more intriguing now than they would be after one of them has emerged as the true no. 1 in the division.

Let's just say for arguments sake, Wilder brutally KO's Joshua in the first 4 rounds of back to back fights, permanently eliminating Joshua from the top of the division, maybe sending him into early retirement. Then what does Wilder do? Back to beating bums like Arreola and Stiverne in Birmingham? People hate the Larry Holmes and Klitschko era's because of the dominance at the top and lack of credible contenders, but I think that's where we are heading again after Joshua and Wilder finally face off, that's why I'd rather wait a bit and continue to build it up while other fights that are still viewed as competitive can be made.

[Motofan]

They said if Wlad wasn't dominating the B level guys, the B level guys would be at the top of the division, having competitive fights and everyone would be saying how great it is.

This is exactly what's happening right now. The shit has risen to the top. We need a plunger to flush the turds like Wilder.

Quoted for truth.