Wlad is a great athlete and a great current HW champ but an ATG? Definitely not. To be an ATG you must beat somebody of the same standing. Wlad hasn't beat any Elite/HOF level fighters. You cant dominate a weak division and earn ATG status by default. You dont't earn ATG status by winning fantasy h2h match-ups. Mental weakness and the inability hold up under pressure. No inside fighting ability and minimal use of combinations. 3 knock outs to very average fighters. Fighting the worst opponents in the division in the late stages of his carrer. No standout/memorable moments. Over emphasis on achievements rather than skill. . A great fighter for his time and certainly a HOF but there's no way he is an ATG. There is the opportunity to impove his legacy against the decent young HW's that are emerging but he will have to take big risks. A possible fight with Huck after Wach is another step down the legacy ladder.
I'd agree with you that Wlad lacks an inside game and doesn't hold up well under pressure. I'd also agree that 3 ko losses hurt him, but I wouldn't classify Sanders and Brewster as average they were solid-good fighters. I definitely agree that his current stretch of fights is a step backwards for him and doesn't do muich to improve his all time standing and there are some good young heavies coming up that he should start to set his eyes on. I'd disagree in that there is a greater emphasis on accomplishment over skill. It takes skill to rack up his accomplishments and Wlad may not have an inside game but he truly has a great outside game. He's taken his tools like size, speed, jab, etc and become very effective at doing what he does best. Its not always exciting but he is very good at winning from the outside. I don't think not having any great moments carries a lot of weight in deciding a great fighter or not. I also don't think you have to beat a great fighter to become great. Guys like Johnson, Dempsey, Tyson, Holmes, etc never beat a great fighter at/near their peak and they are in almost every top 15 list you'll find. Wlad has been a dominant heavy for a long time while beating a number of good fighters-that can qualify you as a great fighter. I guess a lot depends on what you consider an all-time great to be. I think Wlad is a lock for top 15 right now and maybe higher. Considering there have been tens of thousands of heavyweights and he's one of the 15 best than that alone would be a solid argument for being an all-time great heavyweight.
But a load of ATG heavyweights don't have any top opponents on their resumes, what great's near their prime did the likes of Tyson,Marciano beat?
He's an ATG Heavyweight. That really can't be denied. He certainly must rank as one of the top 15 in that division's history. I think I'd have him at 11 or 12. P4P? Nah. I'd consider maybe about 8 or so natural Heavies to be genuine, P4P greats, and Wlad isn't one of them.
I think the fact that he hasn't beaten any ATGs and only one HOFer in David Haye makes his record quite thin, plus unlike Vitali, he never had the chance to show that he is good enough to go toe to toe with an ATG.
I can't disagree with any of that except size and strenght is more prevalent than any resemblance of skill. Also the way Tyson, Holmes, Dempsey etc beat they're opponents was far more impressive than the way Wlad takes care of his.
Tyson beat Holmes and Spinks. Yes, Holmes was past it but he's still a legit ATG and a solid win on Tyson's resume considering his work post the Tyson fight. Exactly WHO has Wlad ever beaten?