Wladimir Klitschko is now the greatest heavyweight who ever lived, according to Boxrec.

More proof that IDKSAB.

 

That's worth about as much as a Nobel prize is anymore.

 

If you think that U.S based boxrec is so pro EE fighters biased you better should lurk at their rankings.
1. They use only algo and programm to rank boxers. Not a ranking panel with humans.
2. Boxrec ranks a lot of active western boxers, also a lot U.S boxers very highly.
I do know that you are a bit anti EE boxers biased.

However If boxrec rankings does not likes you because they had or currently have highly ranked boxers not from western countries then you should know where they are placing for in rankings boxers like Canelo and Wilder.


This too does not likes you? You are so sure?
They are ranked not properly or properly?
Do you agree with Canelo current ranking in boxrec or do not agree?
If you agree then by logic you should agree also with EE boxers ranking.

If you do not use dual standards for boxers. If from EE= then must be bad?

Okey, this is casual thing in internet forums.
.

 

Most likely ppl didn't had talked about Wlad or Vitali or even Povetkin so much IF not this reality:
a lot of top ranked modern era boxers had fought with boxers from their era, also boxers already defeated by them.
More than this: some from them had title fights in modern era, even recently and are highly ranked by boxing orgs even today.

Looks that HW division is relatively stagnant in modern times.
Low numbers with fights, a lot of the same boxers in top 10, top 15, boxrec top 50 etc.
Boxing orgs rankings too.

 

Your comment is ignorant so I'm only going to refute the primary claim which you made at the start and the end of your reply.

This content is protected

Skip to 2:00 to get the question and the answer:

"Wladimir has more talent than Lennox" - Manny Steward, 30th June, 2011

At this point Wlad was on a 13 fight win streak with 10 KO's over a 6 year period. After this interview, Wlad went on to defeat another 9 world title challengers, 5 by KO over the next 4.5 years before losing his titles to Tyson Fury aged 39.5. This was accomplished in what was the tallest and heaviest heavyweight division of all time up to that point and he fought over twice as many high-level southpaws as any other heavyweight champion in history (Vitali being 2nd, most well-known historical champions fought none).

“Wlad has the best footwork, co-ordination and balance of any fighter I have ever worked with. He’s the most accurate, single-punch knockout guy I have seen. A guy can be completely fine, not hurt, and Wladimir can put his lights out with one shot. He is the most powerful natural talent I have worked with. In terms of jab, Wladimir is the best and after him I would put Lennox." - Manny Steward, 2nd March, 2012

Manny Steward, one of the best boxing trainers of all time and a man who trained both Lewis and Wlad, states that Wlad is more talented than Lewis and has better footwork, co-ordination, balance, accuracy, power and the best jab of any heavyweight he's ever worked with, though he credits Lewis with more versatility and said that he didn't know who would win a fight between them. He claimed in 2011 that Lewis was "greater" than Wlad (though he also claimed that Ali, Louis, Foreman and Holmes were greater than Lewis but he explained in an interview with Rummy that "greatness" doesn't perfectly equate to how good you are in the ring) though this was just over halfway through Wlad's 11 year domination of the division and before he had picked up several of his best wins, so the jury is out on what his verdict would have been at the end of Wlad's career had Steward lived to see its conclusion.

 

Pretentious lib weirdo with a grappling fetish. Keeps inviting young prospects over for sauna sleepovers. But he could definitely KO any HW in history on his night. And he would KO the vast majority of them.

 

Wladimir may have all of this but the fact of the matter is Steward himself said and i quote "he has to actually demonstrate his talent. Not just hold back, hold back, and only knock out people when I go crazy and curse him out because he will not let his missiles go."

Wladimir Klitschko had this amazing talent that surpassed even prime Lewis but he never showed all of it and couldn't fight on the inside because he was a extremely cautious fighter who protected his glass chin via clenching and range boxing.

Lennox Lewis was a better inside fighter and fought better competition in a better era and if long range boxing didn't work, he could switch to an agressive side like against Mercer and Vitali. As Steward said, he was more versatile. if prime Wladimir Klitschko fought a prime Lennox Lewis. The likely scenario is Lewis would press the action and would outwork Klitschko, break him down and knock him out, because Lewis was agressive against taller fighters and in addition to that Wlad would be shook to bits to swap hands with Lennox Lewis and would be in survival mode until he gets clipped eventually. That clinching is going to backfire eventually because Lewis was great and throwing short uppercuts in the pocket like against Akinwande, Vitali and Holyfield.

The reality is boxing is about the mental aspect, not just the physical. And styles make fights. Wlad would not have the heart to get into a dogfight with Lewis and Lewis has the size and the strength to handle Klitschko in the clinches unlike Povetkin

 

For me, Wladimir is just a boring fighter.

 

Possessing more talent isn’t enough.

Yes, you could argue that Wlad had more talent than both Lennox and his brother. But Vitali and Lennox were better fighters. They were far more formidable.

Wlad suffered 12 knockdowns in his career.

He suffered 3 knockout defeats in his 20’s, and had a 3 knockdown scare against Sam Peter. He was extremely vulnerable. Yes, he had great longevity, but he fought in a weaker era than Lewis.

Manny wouldn’t have had a change of opinion had he have seen out the rest of Wlad’s career. Certainly not a more positive one.

Wlad did nothing notable after fighting Haye, and Manny would have been very frustrated and disappointed with his performance against Povetkin.

Like many other fans, you like to debate on statistics.

Based upon statistics, Wlad was a great HW. But logically speaking, he’d never have remained unbeaten for 11 years in a stronger era. But IMHO, a guy who was taken out by B and C level guys in his 20’s, and who accumulated a dozen knockdowns in his career, can't be considered as being the greatest HW of all time.

 

Why?

Because he didn’t achieve anything else after the Haye fight.

Nothing that realistically would have changed Manny’s overall opinion of him.

Manny knew that he had great talent, but that he was extremely cautious.

 

You could make the argument that those fights could have played out differently if Manny had been by his side. But realistically, how/why would Manny have rated him any higher than what he did in 2011?

He didn’t get any better.

He was winding down.

He only had 10 more fights. And only 3 of those were against elite opponents.

I don’t think that Wlad would/could have shown him anything more.

IMHO, if he’d have not been involved in the Povetkin fight and had just observed it like the rest of us did, I think that he’d have been very disappointed with Wlad’s performance.