Do you consider Joshua, Wilder, and Fury to be elite

All three are elite.

 

As far as HW division, certainly. On p4p level? Ehmm. I'd still say yes, they've done enough to be considered elite.

 

I think some people are getting confused by the definition of elite.
It simply means better in quality than those who they are currently in competition with on the world stage.

The easiest way to describe it is that with anyone Joshua fights for example, you are going to have serious doubts about him losing. Like even if you think he's gonna get beat, you're going to be damn near 50/50 on that against absolutely anyone out there at the moment. That's enough to call him elite.

You probably can't say that about anybody else in the heavyweights right now.

We're talking about elite, present day fighters here, not all time greats

 

Elite in this era. But tbh the heavyweight divisions a wasteland made up of mostly part time fighters nowadays. They,ve not beating anyone of note...barring two forty year old men. Wilder beating Ortiz and Joshua and fury beating klitchko.

Klitchko was the same...good fighter who took the sport seriously fighting guys that didn't take the sport seriously. The sixties/seventies/eighties/nineties had a lot deeper heavyweight divisions. Hungry guys that learned the hard way with hard sparring in gyms etc. You watch the majority of heavyweights nowadays...they can't jab. They push with their punches. Can't fight on the move. Have poor range of punches. Poor footwork. Etc etc. That's the opposition these three have been facing with the exception of the two skilled guys in klitchko and Ortiz who we,re old men at that point. Parker the only other good win...but at the same time its a guy that doesn't look fussed if he wins or not. Watch the so called bums of the eighties...they could do all of the skills listed above.

The three of them make up a pretty decent division...as well as a few others. But its not elite level boxing. Just the fact fury can afford to take a three year lay off balloon up to twenty seven stone and still be in with a shout to beat wilder and Joshua shows its not that great of a level imo. Tbf their making good careers for themselves...interest in division but the skill levels definitely regressed....a lot.

 

HW division is abysmal right now.

 

Anthony Joshua is elite and would have probably done well at any time in heavyweight history.

The other two are not elite heavyweights. Neither has a win over a prime-aged decent fighter.

 

Joshua certainly makes elite purses.

 

Do we consider 3 unbeaten world HW champions, who are currently 1-3 in the HW division elite?

Yes in a word. Yes.

Just by virtue of them being numbers 1-3 in the division, they are elite. Thats the dictionary definition of elite.

 

You guys talk about ATG but don't read about any fighter from pre-film unless a **** like me types it up for you in a forum like this. So what the ****? Do you mean elite from Dempsey to now? Johnson to now? But when "proving" the filmed fighter's prowess what do you use? Records? Boxrec? Well **** if resume, not the film itself, is what validates greatness why the **** can't text-based legends play?

Where did the counter punch come from? What was the original theory behind it? Then what the ****'re you doing judging counter-punching, do ya get me?

Ok I'll be more direct. I don't think most fans in boxing period have the tools or knowledge to speak to All Time Greats to any real extent. I don't think most of you really know what boxing actually is. I think for the most part youse cling to adages you've heard your whole life and since you've heard it so much so often you accept it for truth and since you've accepted it for truth you'll look for whatever boxer fits that mold best rather than judging the applied physics put on display for all to see.

Since resume and semantics is what judges greatness not the actual physics captured on film it seems inevitable these kids get added. All the reasons I'm reading for them not to be don't matter. No one uses Marciano's Walcott KO as proof of greatness, it is one of the single best sequences ever caught on film, but instead Walcott is used to highlight the age and relative ring experience of Marciano next to his highest level opposition. If Tyson Fury goes undisputed from here that will matter much more than him having punched himself in the face. You can tell me "but Wilder's so limited doe" all you want, if he KOs everyone else he's going down as a great. Film and the internet ain't changed the way youse argue and the way youse argue requires neither, but rather just a resume. Get the resume for your time and you're an ATG.

 

Those wide hands and feet against Louis would be a nightmare. I'll take about any decent sized HW with a solid straight right hand down the pipe to beat him: Foreman, Norton, Lewis are givens. I'd take Bowe as well.

 

Sorry mate I disagree. They would have to be way better technically than they are to beat rampaging Tyson to go with their size advantage also. The balance isn't there

 

Ruddock is a terribly dangerous fight for Joshua prime, I could see Bruno doing something too

 

Both Lewis and Bowe stop Joshua imo. Lewis whenever and Bowe is a beat down after 6.Peak Bowe that is !

 

I'd pay good money to see either of those bouts. Bowe could definitely rough him up inside, ref permitting, and Lewis was just so much fun to watch.

 

Bowe was so much more natural and fluid than Joshua, and he had heart prime