Ezzard Charles vs Artur Beterbiev 175lbs primes

Thank God someone said it.

 

Hi Buddy.
I have over my nearly 5 years or so in the forum I seen quite a few of your post, and very early in that journey, I came to realise you are a very astute and knowable boxing fan, many a time I would ponder as to who beats who, what would be the outcome if, this would lead me to sit back in my chair, rub my chin, furrow my brow, and contemplate cleaning the kitchen floor, then a post from your good self would land, I tended not to click straight away, and would muse as to what would wise words would drip from your pen, after a minute or so all was revealed, a most definitive and precise breakdown of the topic in discussion would greet me, the soothing embers would flow, there it was right before my eyes, narvana... much the same as this .
stay safe buddy, chatsoon.

 

Who has Beterbiev beaten? Bivol,,,that's as thin as dew on a windshield

 

I always imagined what if Mel had been more safety first and sound on defense.
With that type of hand speed he would have been sensational.

 

There is no denying that the best boxers of the 1940's were forged in a deeper crucible than we have today . The days of 100 kos and 150 wins in a career are long gone, and because of this cracking the atg list top 5 is nearly impossible. I personally have Charles at #5. Because greatness requires validation through the constant repetition of undeniable excellence, it is unrealistic to ascend to those lofty heights today.

But we can measure the strengths and weaknesses of a fighter and through a practiced eye determine what styles they excel at and what styles would trouble them. Charles was extremely well rounded. Excellent jab, excellent combination puncher, excellent footwork. He was precise with his punches and adept at all ranges.

But he could be timed with a counter. He could be forced into 50/50 exchanges. He could linger on the inside when it wasn't to his best advantage. And his power while respectable, was not elite. These are the things I see that I feel mesh badly with the strengths of Beterbiev. Other factors I consider are that Beterbiev is a brutally effective finisher when his opponent is hurt, and his stamina based on the Gvodyk and Bivol fights looked excellent. The very short range at which he throws punches makes countering difficult and dangerous. His timing is excellent and he can throw between punches, making him an effective counterpuncher.

My barbell spinning comment I see has garnered some derision. Allow me to elaborate. The point of the comment was to point out the extreme dedication of Beterbiev in working on a supplementary asset to his skills, and that is his strength. When we see George Foreman carrying a calf on his shoulders, we understand that his strength is prodigious and it underscores what we see in the ring when he applies that strength in handling opponents. We hear about Usyk and Lomachenko holding their breath for over 4 minutes, and we can relate those stories to their superior stamina against their opponents in the second halves of their fights. So when we see the strength workouts of Beterbiev, we understand why when people seem to be barely touched by him they fall to the canvas. Traditional punching power is generated by hip rotation or using your legs to augment the power of the punch. Beterbiev's focus on power generated by very short arm punches makes him an opponent difficult to prepare for because very few people have had this ability to generate so much power in this way.

You say Beterbiev hasn't developed from his amateur days. A widely held opinion on the disparity between amateur boxing and professional boxing is that the strategic objective in amateur boxing is scoring points, while in professional boxing the strategic objective is delivering damage to knockout the opponent. Your example of Chavez vs Taylor is perhaps the most well known example of this. But I am perplexed as why you feel Beterbiev has not transitioned to a professional style when he has knocked out his first 20 professional opponents and become the first undisputed light heavyweight champion in decades?

This will be my last post on this, but let me set the record straight. Charles is a top 5 atg fighter for me with a phenomenal resume.

Beterbiev is not in my top 100.

I do not think Beterbiev is greater than Marciano.

I am a great Marciano fan, and many of my posts on this forum have defended him. But while a great fighter, I do not think he was greatly skilled. I believe his elite punching power, stamina, and will to win elevated what would have been based on his skill set a heavyweight contender into an all time great.

 

I always pay particular attention to your posts Mike old mate, I have a lot of respect for you.

 

Thanks buddy, the feeling is mutual, I can assure you.
stay safe matey, chat soon.

 

Ezzard Charles is the greatest LHW ever. If they fought 7 times, Ezzard would win 5 of em.

There's no point in even saying anything else.