Deontay Wilder - Will he make the Hall of Fame? (Video)

Trouble with the Gatti standard here is that Gatti came out on top in his popular trilogy against Ward. Wilder didn't win a single fight of his.

 

The video does an excellent job (as per with Rummy’s content) summing up why Deontay will make it. The standards of the hall of fame are different to many of the fans’. With 10 title defence, a great trilogy with Fury, and a very good win over Ortiz Wilder makes it.

I completely disagree with some of the posters on here (namely a certainly alt profile maker) that Wilder is anyway an ATG heavyweight. For me he doesn’t belong in the top 25 (although he makes the top 50). Still this is not about whether he is an ATG heavyweight, and I think he quite clearly has done enough to make the HOF.

 

There may be another issue for Wilder though. How many heavyweights are they likely to induct from one era?

Fury, Usyk and Joshua are a lock.
But what happens if Parker beats Zhang?
Are they going to induct both Parker and Wilder?

Parker a former belt holder like Wilder would have wins over Ruiz Jr., Wilder, and Zhang at that point, and would have fought Joshua, Whyte and Joyce on top of that.

 

I think they will induct all four of them, Usyk and Fury first. Parker may very well get in if he beats Zhang and picks up another belt but I don’t think he will get in ahead/before the big 4.

 

This is more or less the entirety of why he'll get in:

Deontay Wilder: future Hall of Famer

1. 10 consecutive WBC heavyweight title defences over 5 years (the 2nd longest single reign since 1985 behind Wlad), best win being top 5 ranked, 30-0, 93% stoppage ratio southpaw Ortiz

2. KO record (highest KO ratio among heavyweight champions, lots of spectacular KO's, perhaps the most devastating right hand puncher ever)

3. Historic trilogy with the 3 stone heavier lineal champion Fury, the only fighter to not exclusively lose to Fury in 35 fights (if Fury beats Usyk for the undisputed championship and retires unbeaten then Wilder's case is strengthened)

4. Most significant American heavyweight this century thus far (if Anderson and Torrez have less success then Wilder's case is strengthened), restored a degree of prestige to the American heavyweight scene, the only American male boxer to win an Olympic medal from 2008-2012, ended the 7.5 year American heavyweight title drought (by far the longest period without an American champion in heavyweight history), which in the absence of Wilder would be a 16.5 year drought and counting (barring the farcical 85 day “reign” of Charles Martin)


One cannot overlook point 4. Whether people think it's right or wrong, it's the real world and Wilder being America's lone successful heavyweight hope in a long time counts for a huge amount when the HoF is an American institution.

 

Parker didn't have 10 defences, didn't have KO's, didn't have the most significant HW trilogy since way back when and is a Samoan, so Wilder will still get in first. Parker's win over Zhang would be dismissed based on Parker's losses and Zhang's age + being "unproven".

 

Winning a trilogy against Mickey Ward is a really low bar for the hall of fame. Ward was an honest blue collar fighter. However, Zab Judah dominated him and Vince Phillips punished him. Back to Gatti: he lost twice to light punching Ivan Robinson and by TKO to Angel Manfredy.
Meanwhile, Wilder was literally seconds from stopping Fury in the first fight and fought valiantly in the second and third fights, despite the excuses. I forgot to mention that I am NOT a Wilder fan. However, I do think he’ll get into the Hall of Fame, albeit not on the 1st ballot.

 

I hate these facts.

I loved Gatti, such a fantastic fighter to watch and one of my favourites. However, the facts above cant be argued against really. Got hammered by top level opposition and beaten by fighters at a lower level than that. Loved Ward too, but he beat Gatti in one and he wasnt World Class level(not entertaining a WBU belt)

 

The dude has like 3 wins against guys ranked in the top 10. Bermane Stiverne and Luis Ortiz x2. That's it lol

 

He has one of those records that doesnt stand up to scrutiny. The points below are a nailed on Hall of Famer, but you can also drill down to he beat a terrible Stiverne, beat a good Ortiz(but he was old and Wilder was behind in both these fights from memory), I also remember him being behind against a host of other bang average fighters before landing. He also barelty won any rounds against Fury over 3 fights. BUT, reading the below he should be in there

1. 10 consecutive WBC heavyweight title defences over 5 years (the 2nd longest single reign since 1985 behind Wlad), best win being top 5 ranked, 30-0, 93% stoppage ratio southpaw Ortiz

2. KO record (highest KO ratio among heavyweight champions, lots of spectacular KO's, perhaps the most devastating right hand puncher ever)

3. Historic trilogy with the 3 stone heavier lineal champion Fury, the only fighter to not exclusively lose to Fury in 35 fights (if Fury beats Usyk for the undisputed championship and retires unbeaten then Wilder's case is strengthened)

4. Most significant American heavyweight this century thus far (if Anderson and Torrez have less success then Wilder's case is strengthened), restored a degree of prestige to the American heavyweight scene, the only American male boxer to win an Olympic medal from 2008-2012, ended the 7.5 year American heavyweight title drought (by far the longest period without an American champion in heavyweight history), which in the absence of Wilder would be a 16.5 year drought and counting (barring the farcical 85 day “reign” of Charles Martin)

 

Agreed on this, I'm glad you recognise both sets of arguments. Wilder will make it, but I simply don't understand the posters on here who claim his resume is anything but paper thin.

 

Is Sven Ottke in the HOF? That's about Wilder's level.

 

I can kind of understand your point here only Ottke couldnt punch his way out of a wet paper bag! Wilder can probably pinch harder than Ottke could punch!

 

Probably. But truth is, he was just a long reigning titlist w/ a crap resume.

 

gotta laugh at those wqho keep bringing up his KO ratio. Since when does a high KO percentage count as a form of criteria? Or the fact he fought Fury three times (Nevermind Fury's own toilet paper thin resume). What matter is who you've beaten and what you've aqccomplished. His ten title defenses are the reason he will likley get in. But those title defenses were garbage, exept maybe Ortiz. I guess Andre Berto should be in the HOF for having a long string of WW title defenses too. And that's all Wilder was, a HW version of Berto.