Did Wladimir Klitschko actually fought the best opposition available?

If the best guys you can come up with are Arreola and Chisora, I think your resume holds up pretty well!

 

He fought the guys that were available to him. If anything he was kind of avoided. People forget now but Povetkin ducked his mandatory challenge with Wlad for several years until he thought he was old enough to be beaten. Haye delayed their fight for while too. Helenius and Price were considered “too green”, Wilder and his team wanted no part of a unification etc.

 

Right! lol.

 

His words are all the wrong way around like Yoda he is.

 

Wlad ducked no one. He fought all comers. You cannot rationally trash his reign as he dominated his era. No one has come close since.

 

Everyone he fought was going to expose him

 

Pricey avoided Wlad did he? Lol
When tf was meant meant to happen, when Price was 14-0 and domestic level, or when he was ktfo by geriatric Thompson twice.
When did Helenius ever claim he was too green? Provide proof and provide proof of an offer made to him by K2.
Povetkin pulled out because if injury. If that constitutes a duck then by your own standard Wlad ducked Chisora.
You think Wlad ducked Chisora.

 

There was nobody to duck. The era was shallow as a puddle of rain water.
However he did shamefully avoid rematching Sanders.

 

Excellent post!

 

Well, let's compare these eras exactly by using Wlad's and Vitali opponents to dig how much modern era had changed or not changed.

Wach. 2012. Wach then had 27-0-0 pro record and he fought vs Wlad.
Wach. 2015. Wach then had 31-1-0 pro record and he fought vs Povetkin.
Wach. 2019. Wach then had 35-5-0 pro record and he fought vs Whyte.

Povetkin. 2013. Povetkin then had 26-0-0 pro record and he fought vs Wlad.
Povetkin. 2018. opponent: A.J
Povetkin. 2019. opponent Hunter
Povetkin. 2020. opponent Whyte.
Povetkin. 2021. opponent Whyte.


Pulev. 2014. Pulev with 20-0-0 pro record vs Wlad.
Pulev. 2016. Pulev vs Chisora.
Pulev. 2020. Pulev vs A.J.


Already doesn't looks that division had so impressive changes after this Klit's reign era had ended.
Boxers who fought them as we see, still are fighting boxers ranked in HW division top.

 

Wlad fought his IBF mandatories, he never avoided anyone. Thompson was actually a mandatory the second time he fought him.

He also tried to unify all the belts. No matter who he fought, he'd be criticized for it. The only opponent I wouldn't have approved of is Mormeck, Wlad chose him because he was ranked by the IBF and because he wanted to fight in France.

Arreola? Doesn't move his head, would have been an easy target for Wlad.

Chisora? Perennial fringe contender, tailor-made for Wlad to KO.

Stiverne? Overrated fringe contender, was never very good. Austin at age 41, five years after he fought Wlad, nearly KOed Stiverne and was outboxing him.

Sam Peter was a big puncher. Jefferson was not a great heavyweight, but he was a big puncher and was Wlad's first WBO defence.

Ibragimov, Povetkin, Haye, Chagaev, and prime McCline, and perhaps even Brock, Chambers, Pulev, and Thompson (1) were clearly better than Stiverne, Arreola and Chisora.