Four best heavyweights post Lennox Lewis.

It’s Wlad and it’s not close. Wlad might be the best heavyweight since Holmes. Put into context that Wlad won 18 consecutive heavyweight title fights over the span of 11 years.
At the age of 39 and going for his 19th consecutive defense a flat and disinterested Wlad lost to the best version of Fury to step into the ring. While the fight was wide on the cards, Fury fought a totally spoiler fight that 2-3 more punches landed by Wlad each round could have swung a wide fight in the opposite direction.
Then 2 years later a 41 year old Wlad returned rusty and lost in an absolute epic fight against the best version of Joshua to ever step in the ring. The fight was so brutal - Joshua’s prime ended that night.
Now put into context Usyk - fought and beat inferior versions of Fury and Joshua in very close contested bouts while he himself had far less wear and tear mileage on his tires. With only a couple of other title defenses under his belt, I can see no way in placing Usyk over Wlad. Not when Wlad fought his entire career at heavy and won over 20 plus title bouts.

Wlad
Usyk
Vitali
Tie - Joshua/Fury
Povetkin

 

If you’re talking post Lewis, then Vitali won every single fight he had after his loss to Lewis, won the title twice, the 2nd time in his first fight after a 4 year retirement an then made 8 or 9 defences before retiring again as champion. That’s not a bad post Lewis career at all

 

Wlad
Vitali
Usyk
Fury

 

Resume:
1. Wlad
2. Usyk
3. Fury
4. Vitali (close to Fury)

H2H
1. Wlad and Vitali
3. Fury
4. Usyk

 

Why does Usyk keep showing up

 

Usyk
Wlad
Fury
Joshua

 

Wlad, Usyk, Fury, Vitali. Whatever order you have them, those are the 4 best heavyweights post Lewis. I'd put even Povetkin above Joshua, he's fighting Dubois for 6th place

 

How come you have Uysk last H2H?

 

I will say this: Wlad had physical gifts Usyk could only dream of. Yes, Usyk has a very good left hand but it isn't the nuclear missile Wlad's right hand was. And while Usyk showed a good right hook in his last fight, his right hook isn't in the same universe as Wlad's magnificent left hook.

And yet i find myself agreeing with you. Usyk doesn't need to lean and clinch his opponents endlessly to win. He goes in their backyards, has to deal with biased judges and refs and a biased media, and still get's it done. I have never seen Usyk push and shove a dangerous opponent in the opening round of a fight like Wlad did to Haye.

Usyk, despite not having Wlad's size or even close to that kind of punching power, has far more self belief. And while Usyk's resume lacks depth at heavyweight, he has shown enough for me to rank him as the best heavyweight of the last 20 years. I love how clean he fights compared to most other heavyweights. Dude is a credit to the sport.

 

Credit to the sport is something I agree with 100%. I always felt when he beat Fury that the best MAN had won...

 

I think Fury at his absolute best would have enough to get the extra round or two needed for the win. Kind of like Spinks and Holmes.

 

Perhaps but for me not sure Fury really did enough to prove it. I think even though Fury obviously declined more Uysk in part due to his lifestyle and frame but I think Uysk could have probably raised his level more if he needed to and I think Uysk's heavyweight best was probably also the first AJ fight or thereabouts.

As for Holmes and Spinks I think while Spinks won the first fight I think Holmes should have got the nod in the rematch.

 

He mostly beat second and third tier heavyweights tho.

 

I'd put Usyk above Wlad on a H2H sense.

 

I think Wlad is one of the few I'd confidently back to beat Usyk.