Ironically, Wilder would have got far more credit as a pro if he'd made his debut at cruiser and beaten Huck or Glowacki before moving up to beat Stiverne. He would have been a "two weight world champion" and "P4P fighter"; hilarious considering that virtually every opponent he fought at HW was heavier than himself, often by 20+ lbs, whereas he would have outweighed all of his cruiser opponents in the ring after rehydration. As for Wilder vs Stevenson: Wilder was KO'd twice by the 6'9, 275 lbs elite SHW Tyson Fury (who he also drew with). Stevenson was KO'd by the former LMW journeyman Darnell Boone and elite LHW Gvozdyk. Wilder couldn't KO Stiverne in their first fight, whose single prior stoppage loss was highly controversial. Wilder has the highest KO % of any HW champion in history and has among the highest ratios of 1st round KO's to fights of any HW champion. Stevenson couldn't KO the four-time already KO'd former middleweight journeyman Carl Cockerham over 6, the three-time already KO'd former middleweight journeyman Marlon Hayes over 8, the once-already KO'd journeyman David Whittom over 10, the once-already KO'd Andrzej Fonfara over 12, the former SMW Sakio Bika over 12 or the once-already KO'd former SMW Badou Jack over 12 (who Stevenson drew with). Stevenson's best amateur achievement was winning a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games on just over 3 years of amateur bouts, Wilder's best amateur achievement was winning a bronze at the Olympic Games on just under 2.5 years of amateur bouts. Stevenson made 9 successful LHW defences over 5 years while doing everything in his power to duck Kovalev, Wilder made 10 successful HW defences (bigger puncher's chance and greater variety of body types/styles) over 5 years.
Wilder broke his right hand against Stiverne in their first fight. That's why he didn't finish him in fight one. Wilder floored Stiverne early, but Stiverne tackled him on the way down and it wasn't ruled a knockdown, but it clearly was. Bermane had no balance when he tried to get up. (Go to around the 11:20 mark.) This content is protected https://handsurgeonsnyc.com/heavyweight-champion-suffers-broken-right-hand/
If a light heavyweight is better than a heavyweight, then the light heavyweight should beat able to move up and win a head-to-head matchup. Moorer beat Bonecrusher. Jones beat Ruiz. Spinks beat Cooney. And on and on and on. But Stevenson doesn't beat Wilder in an actual fight EVER. That's it. That tells you who is better. Simple as that. Nobody can deny that. If Stevenson can't beat Wilder, then he isn't better.
Good comparison, both fairly one-dimensional and overly reliant on that rear hand power, although Stevenson might have been the slightly more skilled due to his Kronk training, and was able to use the four-corner defense and pot shot in a way that is beyond any capabilities Wilder has shown.
...eh, Superman was pretty goddamn overrated and something of a one-trick left hand pony himself. I never got why people thought he "was a really good boxer when he put his mind to it", as we never once saw him do that. Stevenson had two modes he could 'put his mind to', basically - confidently stalking weaker prey and loading up on lefts from long range, or, faced with a fellow hard puncher and/or somebody with elite durability, he would get very negative and pot shot on the backfoot. In neither case did he display preternatural skill or ring IQ, but... obviously Wilder is a very low bar to clear.
Honestly, most of the comments from his time that I remember are about how one-dimensional and one-handed he is and what a terrible guy he is, so I don't know if he's so overrated? I don't know where that comes from. But I mean, I just don't think anyone who is as objective and analytical as you are can look at these two in comparison and consider one "might have been the slightly more skilled." I mean, that there's even a question...I don't know. The things you say he can do that Wilder has never shown, those are not merely small differences that only might slightly exist in their skill levels, are they? I mean, sure, Wilder's skill level is kind of bizarre for his stats and status, we're mostly all there but you watch Gzerzanjabrunj Fonfara and Cloud and then you watch anyone against Wilder and...these are just clearly different levels of fighter. I don't see what the hedging is about might be and slightly. Where does that come from, really? It's like, sure, Miguel Cotto might be slightly more skilled than Edison Miranda because maybe he is better at throwing and evading all the punches in a technical sense because he learned them all better and executes them all better but...
Matter of degrees I suppose - you see them as F and C-, whereas to me it's a shorter distance, more F and D-. Adonis literally had two distinct things he could do, to Deontay's one. Most world class fighters should have at least half a dozen tools in their utility belt. And yeah, the sane majority called him one-dimensional and one-handed but he always had a cadre of supporters, like Arreola, who insisted that he was hoarding all this magical skill we just never saw, "because". In the case of Arreola, because he didn't train hard and take it seriously and do cardio. In the case of Superman, because he fell in love with his left and didn't focus on anything else in camp. I never bought it, about either. We saw more or less as good a fighter as either could be, and the proscribed tweaks don't suddenly ATG's either make. If you're trained by Emanuel Steward, you ought to be able to show that pedigree (in ways other than running away throwing pot shots) in the ring, consistently, match after match. Just because Steward himself claimed he saw a potential great in him, doesn't mean there was actually one. Manny was the man, but even the greatest of coaches and boxing minds have their lapses and blind spots, and this was definitely one for him.
Wait a minute...you're saying Arreola did NOT have huge skills? Okay, this is why I don't post here anymore.
