In an earlier de-roided era he would still have been a top 10 contender most likely. Would that be considered ATG?
This. 41 years is old and isn't anywhere near prime. Wlad had been on the decline for at least 4-5 years.
67 fights and his best performance is against a shot to pieces non -heavy who wasn't even that good in his prime??? I encourage anybody to go watch that fight and look how Byrd stood in the center of the ring and blocked shots with his face because his old body couldn't move anymore from the the artificial bulk he added to compete at HW. If thats his best performance than a simple NO is the only answer to this thread. Funny how his best opponents couldn't produce a career best performance out of him. Povetkin is his best win and he exposed him as a one -dimensional cheat. Without Louis Pabon in there to protect him , he would've got KTFO!! The fact it takes a shot Byrd to make him look good speaks volumes. Btw , he didn't even look impressive against Byrd. He jabbed and hugged Byrd to death. Ike sparked out a prime Byrd in two rounds less and without a single clinch or back breaker.
Not in my book. An underwhelming fighter, pretty basic, doesn't react well to adversity, never beat a truly elite opponent, had many unimpressive performances. He never really won a classic fight. Was he prime against Joshua, of course not. He still trained his ass off and put in a great performance, by his standards. Was the most fluid version of Wlad I've ever seen. Once again not to say he was in his prime, but he dug deep for that one, and fought with no fear. Very uncharacteristic.
I thought I smelled something rank and vile. I thought that it was my neighbour manuring his lawn again. The neighbour was just about to get a ball bearing through the window when I saw that it was Dildo,who has returned from his ban, complete with rhinestone trousers with a sock down the front and enough hair grease to fry an egg in. Dino
Fury was too big, fast, and elusive. He couldnt pull the trigger. Put Wlad in against Pulev again, he would look like it was 2014 again.
Shut it you clown, since when has a 41yo fighter coming off his longest period of inactivity been "at his best"?