How would you rate guys like say Benvanidez, Bivol, and Grozdyk? Bivol for example seems very skilled and capable aside from lack of power.
We don't have enough evidence to assess Furys ability due to his resume. He simply hasn't taken the fights to prove himself. We also don't know how much he has declined.
Yeah, I think fans pivot/knee jerk more on single performances/outcomes since it’s now a lot longer between drinks in terms of the HWs of today fighting a lot less frequently than than the HWs of several decades back. Therefore, there’s much more guess work and extrapolations involved in predicting outcomes. Theses guys now are also fighting into their later 30s (Zhang at the extreme is 41 I believe). If fighters aged in their later 30s + fight now, they might still look relatively good but, in all possibility, in another, say, 10 months when they next climb into the ring, it’s not impossible that a sudden downturn in performance, due to age (and rust), might be witnessed next time around.
I agree with your evaluation of Bivol but when you compare him to guys like Spinks, Moore and Charles who actually moved up to heavyweight, he falls far short. Size does make a difference but talent also comes into play.
Usyk has 6 fights at HW and 4 of them have been competitive decisions. Usyk is the best HW of his era but he does not deserve the level of reverence he is receiving. People have this tendancy to act like Usyk is Langford or Qawi. Hes 6 ft 3.
Easy to have such takes when one has fought 60 heavies and another has fought ~5. We know how Ali looks against every prototype of heavyweight there is, we bare Precisely. Easy to pick holes in Ali's game when 40 odd heavies have had a go (not counting guys who weighed under 200lbs against him). I do believe both renditions of Ali would beat Usyk, just in different ways.
Yeah and that's why we know Usyk's style would give Ali trouble. Ali struggled with the only southpaw he fought and he struggled with technically sound pressure fighters Usyk is both. (Not even mentioning that the cruiserweights that Usyk fought are the same size and in some cases even larger then most heavyweights in Ali's era)
Miildenberger wasn't the only southpaw Ali fought. You write a lot about Ali for someone not knowing that simple fact.
The Gassiev that fought Wallin wasn't the same that fought Usyk he was deplated and injuried and slow not at all the same fighter.
Serious question: Why is it that every newbie dilettant has an anti Ali agenda? Is that an age thing, that kids has to be what they see as contrarian?