Better fighter, Maidana or Kovalev?

Kovalev, by a country mile.

Maidana is a ****-poor Boxer.

 

So? Look at both of their skill-sets - Maidana is weak as sh*t.

 

Close to beating him? Don't be silly.

 

Without venturing an opinion on their relative boxing skills that's a very poor way of drawing a comparison.

 

Sergey KRUSHER Kovalev dont be silly

 

Boone. Darnell Boone - same guy who KDd Ward and KOd Stevenson.

Darnell Wilson AKA Ding still posts here (or at least was until August) - he's fighting Glazkov in a coupla months apparently. Hoping to hear from him.

 

Maidana is the more proven boxer.

 

Maidana has beaten the better fighters as of now...

 

Maidana has the more experience and better wins. But he also has losses, which Kovalev doesn't have, which some people seem to not take into account. I think Kovalev has a higher ceiling and just because he hasn't reached it yet doesn't mean he is a lesser fighter. His fight vs Hopkins will tell us a lot.

For what its worth I have Kovalev above Maidana in my P4P rankings.

 

I would say maidana he's beaten better fighters than kovalev has. If kovalev beats Hopkins that changes.

 

If they both retire today, Maidana had the better career.

His wins over Josesito (nice war) and Soto Karass (another real good fight) would be Kovalev's clear cut third and fourth best victories by far. Maidana could probably throw in his Petrov fight before Kovalev's third best victory slots in (Cleverly, Campillo, _________...?).

And losing two decisions, one being relatively close, to Floyd Mayweather is a major boost to the resume at the level of fighters Maidana and Kovalev are. Major boost. Similar to how Estrada's loss to Roman a couple years ago highly elevated his worth at the time and is still not exactly a negative despite Estrada going on to have great success of his own.

Of course, Kovalev has the chance to change things against Hopkins.

 

What about Maidana's losses to Alexander and Khan, and (going back a way) but even Kotelnik and struggling vs old Morales?

I guess what I'm asking also is does having a better career = better fighter or are they two different things? Depends on your definition of better fighter I guess.

 

(in my opinion...)

Better career is pretty much all that matters.

I could try to say that I think Valuev is better skilled than Carnera, but what merit would that hold when Carnera had an incomparably better career?

Opinion of skill becomes irrelevant compared to opinion of accomplishment.

(this Valuev/Carnera was just an example, not my actual opinion that Valuev is better skilled than Carnera)

 

The losses do factor in for sure and that is why it is pretty close as is (I also value undefeated fighters when they are on the world class level; some posters don't and actually frown upon it somehow).

However, on Maidana and Kovalev's level, the Mayweather losses actually enhance his standing, in my opinion.

Struggling against an ancient Morales and Chop Chop, well, he still won the fights (which were wars) and I could say the same thing about the legendary yet unseen Boone fight SD win for Kovalev... and could stress the Caparello KD, etc etc.

Maidana has just done more. I have no doubts and expect Kovalev to get there, though. I think he beats Hopkins next month and then this conversation dramatically turns if that is the case.