Wladimir Klitschko was no better than AJ, he just had a weaker era.

Well said.

 

Your point falls apart in the 2nd paragraph. Even if you're to give Wlad a nice long prime, it was between around 2006 and 2012 (30-35), making him about 5 years out from his prime by the time he fought AJ. It was his retirement fight, and while I don't think Wlad was ever really 'shot', he was way out from his best. AJ, I'd argue, blossomed early, and the Wlad fight was him coming into his (short) prime (2017-2019).

So there's no comparison really.

 

Wlad is overrated too, but he would have easily outboxed AJ in his prime

 

At the time he got nipped by Fury, Wlad had controlled the heavyweight division for something like 8% of its entire MDQ existence, barely losing a round in the process. It is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, run in the division's history. He is a cinch for Top Ten ATG and can be argued, fairly easily, into the Top Five.

 

Against who, though? His good opponents were smaller and even diminutive (Byrd, Chagaev, Sultan, Haye, Povetkin) and the guys of equal size were poor to merely above average (Austin, Wach, Thompson...)

I have Wlad in the top 15 for the reason you mentioned, no doubt. But there has to be at least one real eye-catching opponent in there for me to consider a fighter for top ten.

 

I’ve always said three inches away but get what you’re saying Had that nuclear right hand in the 6th had landed on Joshua’s lower jaw instead of his cheekbone… goodnight.

But imo the best Wlad was around the Chagaev fight. THAT Wlad would’ve slept joshua before the 8th.

 

Sultan was 6-2, 220, Povetkin 6-2, 225, Byrd, 6-2, 213, Haye 6-3, 211, Lamon 6-2, 230, Peter was the most feared heavy around at 6-2, 243. Most of these guys were very close to prime Ali size, at the very least Usyk size, others bigger. Moreover, all the guys you listed were top flight boxers.

 

But Klitschko was 6'6" and found over 240.

Also, some of those guys were notably pudgy or artificially musclebound at the weight they had.

 

We can't criticize him for being huge. The era of heavyweights weren't that small. Modern heavyweights have even more fat

 

It makes for a terrible aesthetic, and I hold Bowe to the same for having natural advantages over Holy.

 

Contenders in the 2000's fought each other as well. And punchers like Peter, Haye and Povetkin would be able to bang with the punchers from the 80's any day.

 

Povetkin Haye yes. Peter is powerful and a threat but Crude, I don't even think he's as good as James Smith. Is Byrd more talented than Dokes or Spinks ? It's an interesting fight. prime Witherspoon, Bruno, Tucker, Thomas, Williams, Douglas, Cooney, Tubbs etc i feel like if you add all the 80s guys to the 2000s they would nearly triple the talent pool but that's just my opinion

 

Peter had similar power to Smith, but was a better boxer in my opinion. Byrd was as talented as Dokes, but not as Spinks who was one of the best P4P fighters in the history of the sport. 80's had a great talent pool, but most of the guys were inconsistent due to the alcohol and drug abuse. Criminal underachievers. Lost generation.

 

Wlad has won 35 more fights, faced a wider array of styles plus many southpaws. I think his jab, left hook, defense, foot work, and ring generalship are all better.

Joshua is more exciting to watch though Wlad was pretty exciting until the Sultan Ibragimov fight