After the Fury loss I am certain Wlad will not be regarded as favourably in 20 years

He was the underdog going into the first Sam Peter fight. And the main reason the HW scene began to heat up is because Wlad got old and lost to a young challenger, as in the case of most dominant champions.

 

He certainly was not. The HW division is heating up because of talents like Antony Joshua.

He has the potential to erase every memory of Wlad Klitshko from existence.

 

He was. And Wlad Klitschko will always be remembered by the boxing hitorians and diehard fans, no matter how bad you burst your ass off, cry and b***** about it.

 

In just little under two years , AJ has generated more global interest and excitement than the entirety of Wlad reign.

 

Because Wlad was so dominant Brits and Americans are dying to have a player in the HW division

 

Real people knew Peter was a skill less , plodding cave man. And Wlad still went life and death with him:rofl

No top contenders today are as bad as Peters was.

The last great era saw its remaining combatant fight to near death to retain his titles. Thats what gets people remembered. Wlad will be remembered for losing - since his losses were the highlights of his career.

 

I agree with the op. Klitschko's reputation has taken a big nosedive since the loss, mostly because it revealed what some of us had been suspecting during those long years of dominance: that when the going gets tough, he doesn't have much heart; he doesn't dig deep; he doesn't have a plan B.

He knows how to fight one way, and that was a way that was good enough for all his opponents for 10 years, but not good enough to beat Fury who was taller, faster, fresher and had enough confidence not to be daunted by the task in front of him (or to be bullied by pre-fight dirty tactics).

When a fighter is clearly losing, as Klitschko was, you want to see him take risks, make the fight a bit of a brawl, or go to the body some, to mix up his approach. Klitschko just doesn't do that. And the Klitschko of the previous ten years didn't do that either. He fights one way and that's it.

That's why I don't accept the idea that he was shot. There was nothing unexpected or unKlitschkoesque about his performance.

 

Maybe to casual fans and crazy nostalgic farths like you, but Wlad will be remembered by boxing historians and diehart fans and will always have a place in the all time rankings, no matter how bad you burst your ass of, cry and b***** about it.

 

Every multi-year HW champion in history was remembered well. Klitschko will be no different, even if he loses the 2nd fight vs. Fury.

 

And prime Sam Peter would've been a top5 HW today.

 

After Lennox' retirement in 2004 after the Vitali fight there was talk that Lennox career and future standing were permanently damaged "by going life and death with a Ukrainian nobody who lost to former MW Chris Byrd". The critics were wrong then, they're wrong now.

So all this talk about "his career won't be remember" is ignoring boxing history. All longtime, dominating champions were viewed very positively a few years after their retirement. Wlad will enjoy the same nostalgica.

 

Wladimir Klitschko might KTFO of Tyson Fury in the rematch but if he does lose again... most people will just say that Wlad lost because he was past prime. Klitschko has nothing to prove at this point.

With Manny Steward in his corner he went 16-1 (12) overall and 13-1 (11) in HW World Title fights. Klitschko was stopped in his first fight with Steward as his trainer but then won 16 fights in a row. Klitschko was stopped in the 5th round by Lamon Brewster for the vacant WBO belt. Klitschko stopped Brewster in the 6th round of their rematch, 3 years later. Klitschko had struggled with Sam Peter in their first fight but in their rematch Klitschko stopped Peter in the 10th round, 5 years later. During his time with Steward he also beat Williamson WTD5, Castillo KO4, Byrd KO7 (their rematch), Brock KO7, Austin KO2, Ibragimov W12, Thompson KO11, Rahman KO7, Chagaev KO9, Chambers KO12, Haye W12, Mormeck KO4, and Thompson KO6 (rematch). 2006-2010 was Klitschko at his very best. He went 10-0 (9) during this time, all World Title fights. He beat the likes of Byrd, Brewster, Ibragimov, Rahman, Chagaev, and Peter. Only Ibragimov went the distance.

Tyson Fury is good but he still has much to prove.

 

No no no. Don't let that hate warp your mind. If you want to rewrite history for Wlad then you must apply the same logic for all ATG's who lost as old men.

 

Unfortunately, this is true. Klitschko will remembered more for who he lost to rather than who he beat.

 

If he loses his 2nd fight to Fury it will take a massive hit on his resume and legacy, no questions.