Trust me, I'm the last person that would call professional athletes(especially boxers) "clowns and cans" but when I see the likes of Chisora, Fury, Harrison, Price and Wilder I really can't help myself. These guys wouldn't even dare be considered journeymen in a proper era.
Lewis was able to sell PPV in America because he fought and beat Holyfield, someone that was widely famous in America. That fight all alone brought Lewis all the global attention he desperately craved considering Holyfield was on fire at the time coming off his two fights against Tyson. Did Wladimir have anyone to help him reach such heights?, sadly not. Vitali got serious attention before his retirement(which blew it all away) coming off his fight with Lewis, remember? No offense but not everyone you're going to address with that post is a clueless bumpkin. Fighters need serious competition to make it, without that Holyfield fight no one would have given a damn who Lewis was either.
HARRISON? Why do you talk abaout HARRISON? Price is a prospect nothing more. Just like Wilder! Fury is the only contender right now. Chisora is far away from being a serious contender at the moment. But you also think that Povetkin, Pulev, Haye, Stiverne and Fury are bad fighters right? So bad that they would not even be journeyman in a proper era? Man you just sound stuipid.
Supply and demand. There is no demand outside Germany for his fights. Since Haye his career has been an absolute joke. The lower tier guys are all involved in better and more competitive fights.
Funny thing is, you're completely ignoring the fact that both Harrison and Chisora got title shots and you're calling me stupid. From the list of names you mentioned there the only two fighters I would consider good are Haye and Povetkin. The rest aren't going anywhere.
Lewis also showed aggression and KTFO out of people. Michael Grant wasn't leaps and bounds better than Samuel Peter, but Lewis/Grant got solid ratings. Americans care more about entertainment value than nationality for the most part. Lewis was a KO waiting to happen, one way or another. Yes, the Holyfield fight brought Lewis the attention, but he kept it. Wlad is un-watchable. Even if he had a big name, he would lose his audience due to his lack of aggression.
McCall got a title shot against Lewis. When he was using drugs, having a mental break down in the fight. He cryed and stopped fighting. The fight had to be stopped because McCall was crying in the ring. Dont tell me that only in this era weak opponents get title shots. But it is ok when Lewis fights an opponent like McCall who was a wreck of a human being? Just stop please. You sound just stuipid.
Seriously, from everyone you could've searched for you brought up McCall? Did you forget that McCall had a win over Lewis and Lewis always wanted to avenge losses regardless of circumstance? Am I falling for another troll here or are you for real?
They have obtained the prestige, the fame and elevation in their sport only equaled by someone like Buddy Baer.
If you say so, divonelet. The consensus opinion among serious students of the game though, is that Wlad is already at or close to top ten and Vitali is in or around the top 20.
I think Wlad has shown that he is up there with the ATG's in terms of skill, but his resume` is lack luster. That is not his fault at all. He has a great jab, hooks off the jab, probably the strongest right hand, but his youth and prime are gone, so his movement is a little slow now, and he's massive 245 lbs give or take. He has all the skills that the old school HW's had, and none of the current HW's have. That being said I still have him as a dog vs a prime Mike Tyson, Holmes, and Ali.