An unbiased look at Fury's top 10 opponents

What do you mean "rate him as a boxer"? He's won an Olympic bronze, beat an Olympic gold and world championship silver medalist over 4 rounds as an amateur and was a historically long-reigning world champion. If he was totally unskilled, he wouldn't have even won the golden gloves.

 

That's a very lame attempt at trolling.

Wlad's best win is dominating Haye in Germany, his second is probably the devastating KO win over Pulev at 38.5

Fury's best win is either dominating 39.5 year old Wlad in Germany or dominating and stopping Wilder in America

Wlad had 5 losses in 69 fights, 3 to B/C/D level opponents. Fury has 0 losses in 32 fights, despite facing bigger punchers than Wlad ever faced, 4 times, away from home, who were both long-reigning champions rather than Byrd's, Sultan's and Haye's.

Fury's has the best top wins and is undefeated. Wlad's claim to a superior resume is based on longevity aka beating a load of Brock's and Leapai's.

 

Whyte's win over Parker in Britain was marred in controversy because he got credited with a KD for a headbutt, take it away and the fight is a draw and maybe without the concussive effects Parker wins the fight. Whyte was also dropped and almost stopped in the 12th, by a fighter in Parker who has stopped none of his 9 best opponents, including Cojanu, who Parker went 12 with in NZ and lost several rounds against. Cojanu seems to get KO'd in 2 rounds by any serious puncher, including Ortiz.

Valuev's record was very misleading, many of his decision wins were controversial. Holyfield was past his best in the mid 90's and was losing to Ruiz and Byrd in the early 2000's but in December 2008 Valuev needed a gift to beat him.

Ortiz's victory over Jennings in America was extremely dominant and uncontroversial by comparison: he won 4/6 of the completed rounds by consensus, dropped and stopped him emphatically in the 7th.

Ortiz's victories against gatekeepers and journeymen compare favourably with his rival contenders and his losses were less egregious than the likes of Whyte and Parker.

Chagaev isn't even 6 foot and has a 74 inch reach, Chambers is barely 6 foot and has a 75 inch reach. Ortiz is 6'3 with a 78 inch reach, he's a much naturally bigger man and a far bigger puncher than either, especially Chambers.

 

"Top 10" (according to who?) has no more inherent validity than "top 28" or "top 6".

You display hypocrisy when you put a lot of emphasis on rankings and then try to discredit Wilder, who was top 2/3 Ring ranked for 5 years and no less than a top 10 contender since 2013. But guys like Mercer and McCall, with trash records by comparison, are proven "top 10 opponents".

One rankings body that many on this forum quote as an authority had Martin and Breazeale as "top 10 opponents" and rated them higher than Usyk. It just goes to show the nonsense criteria of that rankings system.

Fury's not just great because he fought Wilder three times away without losing, his greatness was established by the schooling of Wlad in Germany. His wins over Chisora and Hammer were more dominant than every single one of their other opponents, including Vitali, Haye, Usyk, Povetkin, Ortiz and Yoka. Cunningham had fought cruiserweight champs 10 times but Fury was the only fighter to stop him in 40 fights. Taking southpaw Wallin's 0 will age well and already has seeing as he schooled one of AJ's "top 10 ranked" opponents away from home.

If the most valid way to judge a fighter's resume is how many "top 10" opponents they've beaten, Wlad has a better resume than Lewis. But there are other metrics which can be considered that may be more important.

 

By that standard, AJ was found out when he fought a poor HW in Andy Ruiz, got dropped 4 times and quit.

Fury was inactive for 2.5 years after Wlad, ballooned up 10 stone, was using hard drugs etc. Since his return he has fought more than AJ or Whyte and took on the biggest puncher in the sport who was also a historically long-reigning champ 3 times in his backyard, twice when not fully fit.

"l have an unbiased view", "Hardly the self proclaimed ‘fighting man’ is he ?"

Questioning Fury's credentials as a fighting man and claiming that Ruiz and Usyk victim AJ has a better resume.

There's not really any point in me continuing here.

 

Fury should have beaten a 5'10, half-blind, 205 pounder as the A-side instead of Wlad and Wilder away, then he'd be a legend.