Ray Mercer vs Wladimir Klitschko Prime for Prime

You can say the same about Wlad - ATG with one of the best jabs heavyweight boxing has seen.

 

Do you really believe Wlad is an ATG like Holmes, Louis and Ali??
Interesting

 

Mercer and it won’t be pretty either.

 

Is Top 10 HW of all time an ATG? If so, of course.

 

not in my top 10, be interesting to see what others think?
Can't be a***d to do another poll lol

 

Some forum members have him in Top 5 as well

 

This

 

He does have a great jab. But he's been dropped what, ten times? I think Mercer at his best gives Wlad a dangerously tough fight, and wining would not be out of the question. While Wlad improved under Stewart, I think his long reign was helped by a weak era of top contenders.

 

I don't think guys like Byrd, Ibragimov, Chagev, Povetkin or Pulev are much worse than Mercer was. Wlad just made them look ordinary.

 

I was just going to say this. Povetkin and Ibragimov were DEFINITELY every bit as good as mercer was. Ibragimov has a granite chin too. Byrd was good in his own way too. The trickiest southpaw in the early 2000’s that made pretty much everyone he fought look bad… except for Wlad. Wladimir completely schooled him using mainly his hand speed and skill. That win is underrated imo.

Chagaev was a good fighter. I’d put him right there with prime mercer as far as all around boxing ability. Maybe doesn’t have mercer’s chin but he had similar power and much craftier boxing wise. Good counter puncher. And Wlad completely shut him down. That win I’d put up there with the first Byrd win.

The whole “Klitschko dominated a weak era doe” narrative is just a cope from the usual suspects. Look at the majority of holmes title defenses and tell me Ibragimov or Povetkin wouldn’t have crushed Evangelista or marvis Frazier. Lol

 

Yeah. Wlad's brother struggled with the guy and wanted no parts of him after the loss.

Give me Povetkin vs Whiterspoon all day every day

 

That would be a good scrap!!

 

Sure, but that's where styles come to play. Mercer had the Olympic pedigree, he was a damn good boxer (If not inconsistent, hence the best version for this H2H). His toughness, jab, and chin are what makes him dangerous to someone like Wlad, who himself is chinny, and as we've seen, susceptible to a breakdown when things aren't going his way (Purrity, Brewster, Sanders).

WLad would have to be the fave, but sure as hell not counting Mercer out if Prime vs Prime.

 

Is he? Purrity and Brewster fights were going 100% his way until he gassed out. He really had problems with his gas tank in his early days. He of course got blasted out by Sanders, but I don't think there was even a time for any breakdowns. Wlad got beat the f up. Was totally overmatched.

 

I agree with this guy.