BoxRec rankings LoL

Wilder was schooled and then annihilated by Fury, neither fight helps his resume - the fact he thought Fury was finished doesn't help here either, he didn't think he was stepping up to fight an elite fighter, he thought a washed up has-been would be an easy way to enhance his resume.

Ortiz best win is Jennings and the rest of his resume is even less relevant - like Wilder, he's consistently declined to step up.

I think H2H, Wilder against Whyte could go either way, but Whyte has at least stepped up and fought guys he knew were going to be really tough for him (and chased others - eg Wilder and the AJ rematch), Wilder has spent most of his career ducking such fights.

Still, to each their own I guess.

 

If you don't class AJ as elite, then I'm not sure who you can... Fury on the eye test looks better but his resume isn't close.

I'd agree that Whyte hasn't been in with an elite fighter in their prime, but then arguably nor has Wilder (and even if you count Fury, Wilder has won at most 3 rounds in two fights and been humiliated and beaten from pillar to post, so gains no credit there).

I'm not necessarily making the case that Whyte is all that special, I just think a lot of people seriously overrate Wilder on the basis that he's American and was a belt holder - his actual resume is pretty pathetic, and I'd still argue that Whytes resume is better (more because Wilder has done so little than anything else).

I would humbly suggest that if Wilder hadn't held a belt he'd be universally rated much less highly, and the level of opponents he generally defended against IMHO means he might as well not have held a belt, he certainly didn't act like a champion.

If you put Whyte or even Chisora in against the Stiverne that Wilder took the belt from, they would've won too - but would that make them "legit" belt holders?

IMHO it depends what they do with it - using a belt to fight bums doesnt make a legit champ, refusing offers to unify doesn't make a legit champ, etc.

The fact Wilder held the belt says a lot less than what he chose to do with it does.

 

Absolute nonsense, and this myth has been addressed one thousand times.

Joshua has been in one fifty-fifty bout in his entire career and it was up against Fury's sloppy seconds who happened to be old, inactive, coming off a loss and boxing away at Wembley.

Beating puddings advertised as "top 10" like Martin, Molina, Takam, Breazeale, Ruiz, Pulev, Parker and Povetkin is hardly impressive and he still managed to be battered by a short, obese Mexican the only time he boxed away.

 

And who else available actually constitutes a 50/50 bout?

Fury? Was retired, was then locked in to Wilder (and still is) and AJ chased to be able to fight him.

Wilder? Highly debatable that Wilder is anywhere near that level, but AJ chased and Wilder ducked, so we don't know and probably never will.

Usyk? He's fighting him next, and IMHO there are big questions about Usyk at HW still.

This may speak to how poor the division is right now, but there's nobody out there that's a significant threat that AJ hasn't either fought or attempted to fight.

I don't like the man at all, but if he's not elite then nobody in this era is (FWIW I tend towards thinking there is no elite HW right now anyway).


A belt is a huge opportunity for a fighter - almost everyone wants them and that gives belt holders the opportunity to make the fights with the best fighters in the division at the time.
The difference between AJ and Wilder is that AJ has tried to do that, unified against Parker, tried to unify with Wilder/Fury and taken on most of the best available in this era (which again isn't saying that much), whilst Wilder has consistently ducked every opportunity to build a serious resume and fought fighters who are poor by the standards of a poor era...
As a result, AJ's resume is levels better than Wilders - not because AJ's is special in an all-time sense, but because it's the best of his era and levels above Wilders.

Fury looks very good on the eye and is possibly elite, but even that is debatable - his best wins being Wlad (a good win) and Wilder whose level is extremely debatable... On resumes Fury hasn't done enough to be called elite IMHO - on the eye he looks like he could be, but without facing plenty of top opposition it's hard to justify.


IMHO we need to see AJ-Fury before we can begin to look at calling either of them elite... You may disagree and that's fine by me.

 

I completely agree with BoxRec rating Fat Bob from the Coach and Horses above Tyson Fury.

Anyone who saw Bob's systematic and methodical demolition of Random Bloke in the car park last week will agree it's perfectly reasonable.

Bob used his exquisite footwork and piston like jab to run rings around the much fancied challenger.

Weighing in at record heavy 513 pounds, with 11 pints and a curry allowed in the rehydration clause, Bob showed why he was rated pound 4 pound number one by Pub Car Park Nut Case Magazine, and was recently awarded ATG status by the esteemed folks at DrunkManiac.Com.

Deftly working Bloke behind that laser jab it was a workman like performance from Bob.

Even a dangerously wet fart towards the end of the fight, which had Bob shaking his head and looking for reassurance from his supporters, couldn't dampen proceedings.

Upon hearing that he was now BoxRecs official number one ahead of Tyson Fury an elated Bob remarked;

"Issshhh...flucking...flucking hell...where am I...I forrr...forrr I shidd mesell derr for a minute (burp)"?

Indeed, wise words from the great man.

Tyson Fury was unavailable for comment, but his father, John Fury, wasn't pleased and said it was those "political ba-sta's and they should be ashamed of themselves" before storming off shouting "they want my son dead".