Heavyweights in 2017

Hi everyone

After this weekends boxing, I thought it would be good to have a thread to get together a view of the HW landscape at the end of a tumultuous year, and leading into a very wide open 2017.

My thoughts on the consensus top guys and how they stack up against one another:

Joshua:
obviously looks to be the real deal at this point and has passed every test with flying colours thus far. I think it pertinent to remember that he has only had 18 fights - less than many of his contemporaries.
He is slated to face Klitschko - personally I think this is a very hard fight for him.
Remember - styles make fights. Out of the current top heavies I see his toughest fights coming against Klitschko (experience, mauling, massive right hand and great jab are all things that AJ hasn't experienced as a package of yet), David Haye (head movement, explosive reflexes, big power, and big fight experience), and to a slightly lesser extent Fury (would rile him up, rough him up inside, and try and clown him and spoil - this would either throw Joshua off, or Joshua could keep composed and capitalise?).

His toughest challenges would come from Klitschko, Haye, Fury.
Best chances would be Wilder, Parker.

Parker:
Great combination puncher, good hand speed and seems to be putting everything together well at this stage of his career. Out-boxed early on by Ruiz, and doesn't seem to have retained his much hyped power as his competition has improved. A fight against Haye would be a must-see. In my opinion he would struggle with the guys at the top-end of the division - Fury, Klit, Pov, AJ and Wilder. Out of those names I think he would fare better against Wilder though, assuming he can pass the jab.

Toughest fights for Parker would be Fury, Joshua, and Klitschko.
Best chances Haye, maybe Wilder

Wilder:
Frustrating year for Wilder, due to his poor competition we haven't learned much more about him. Of course his power is legit, but compared with last night's AJ fight against a common opponent, AJ's fundamentals look far better. I think he has been improving steadily, but his boxing is still quite wild when things get heated. I think at this stage he would have a chance against Klitschko due to his power and length, and against Fury due to Fury's chin and reckless nature, but I would fancy AJ to stop him on a solid counter hook early on, and I also see Pov doing something similar should they fight, maybe overhand right. Still not totally convinced as of yet - but mainly because we haven't seen him in any fights of note.

His toughest fights at this point in my mind would be Joshua, Povetkin, and Haye
Best chances for him I think are Klitschko, maybe Ortiz(!?)

Klitschko:
Huge risk stepping up against AJ, and massive credit to him for that. He wants all his belts back and is acting like a true champion. He must believe that he can do it, so maybe he has seen something in sparring? The king doesn't wanna go out on a stretcher and into retirement, so he's not in it just for the payday. I think he is a really tough fight for Joshua and I am surprised at how he has been written off after one loss to Fury.

I see his toughest fights at this point being Fury, Wilder, and Joshua
Best chances for him would be Parker, Povetkin

Fury:
Currently the man at HW, like it or not. I am of the camp that believes that he is strongly under-rated, and rather than beating an old Wlad, simply showed up with a great plan to make Wlad look awful. His style is so tricky and unusual - he's a great boxer who shows no regard or discipline in the manner that slick boxers usually do. He's a tough fight for anyone - big, unorthodox, slick, and a heck of an inside fighter. He is an expert at taking people out of their comfort zone. His chin is in question, as is his power.
I think his toughest fights would be against men with fast hands, power and good head movement. Against bigger, stiffer guys I give him a good chance to really upset their rhythm.

Toughest fights - Haye, Parker, Ortiz
Better chances - Klitschko, Wilder, Joshua

Ortiz:
Hard to say with this one - he has looked less than stellar this year, but against a horribly overmatched Allen he showed his very impressive punch selection and composed nature. Does he fight up to the caliber of opponent in the classic Cuban way? Who knows, but it's been a disappointing year. He looks solid and unmoveable at times, but his chin is not untouchable. I think he would be a nightmare for people like David Haye (relies on getting inside and punching, which Ortiz would be more than ready for, plus size advantage) and Tyson Fury (spoiler who tries to out-box his opponents - no big power either), but someone like Joshua or Wilder could maybe use their length and power and try to neutralize the older man on the outside. Hard to say though - if he shows up as the Ortiz everyone believes in then he could KO either of those guys with a counter punch. I could also see my picks being totally the wrong way around - maybe Haye would Valuev him? (Ortiz ring cutting off looked awful against the mobile Scott), maybe Fury would keep away all night and frustrate him? Maybe he Ko's Joshua and Wilder with ease - methodically coming inside with his boxing finesse and landing a perfectly timed shot? He is still very much the enigma in the division. The more I think about it, the less confident I am in any pick.

Toughest fights - ?????
Best fights - ????

Haye:
Looking to get back out there with a signature win. Has shown great upper body movement in the past, explosive power and skills. Has recently built his way bigger, and looks like a beast. Will this be at the expense of some speed? How is his shoulder? And most importantly - is he just in it for the money now? The Bellew fight is a waste of time.
He is mandatory for Parker and on paper that seems like a barn burner. I actually like Haye's chances against the bigger men, and am more wary of his chances against the more compact fighters.

Toughest fights - Parker, Povetkin, Ortiz
Best chances - Wilder, Joshua, maybe Fury?!