How Highly Would We Have Rated Ward If He Had Fought Bute 1st?

Joe's was weaker.

 

I will let you explain that.
Here is an old post where parts have changed, but it shows it was stronger in 05 and I can go back even further and show it was stronger

--------------------------------------------------
Its not stronger at all. Once you remove Bute and Ward there isnt a great deal. Just look at today compared to 05

Back then there was in 2005

1. Calzaghe undefeated world champ (best SMW resume ever)
2. Kessler undefeated world champ (undefeated and not suffering double vision)
3. Lacy undefeated world champ (undefeated with a better resume than most of the current SMWs)
4. Beyer (3 time WBC champ with a better resume than most of the current SMWs)
5. Mundine (2 time WBA champ)
6. Danny Green who became a world rated CW and had a fair SMW resume was an interim SMW champ and became a LHW world champ
7. Siaca (former SMW world champ)
8. Grant (former WBO MW champ)
9. Reid (former SMW world champ, and fighter that looked unlucky against Ottke and who beat Magee when undefeated, who is now WBA int champ)(Fighting Kessler next for WBA belt)
10. Andrade (undefeated at this time and looked unlucky not to KO Bute years later and beat Steiglitz)

Now today you have

Champ.
Andre Ward whos biggest win is 05 #2 Kessler

1. Bute whos biggest win is who? Maybe Berrio or possibly WBA int champ Magee who Reid #9 in 05 beat years previously when undefeated
2. Froch who has lost to unwell 2005 #2 when unwell and coming off a loss
3. Steiglitz who lost to 2005 #10 Andrade
4. Oousthuizen, who has he beaten thats up there with like some of the 2005 fighters?
5. Bika who is rated so high now by doing what? Beating Manfredo, because I cant think of a bigger win tha he has and Bika lost to 2005 #1 Calzaghe years previously and couldnt beat Soliman at first ask who was clearly beaten on more than one occassion by Mundine 2005 #5
6. Groves, whos biggest win is a MD over 10 and 0 DeGale whos big win was P Smith. groves has only had 14 fights and although doing well in a short career is given a big status for little.
7. G Johnson who was a SMW journeyman who couldnt compete at SMW. Johnson has lost more fights than won at SMW and now with his biggest win of Green coming off a loss and well in his 40s he is a top 10 SMW atsch I could show you the form line of who Johnson lost to and then show you how it compares to 05 but I think you get the point.
8. Dirrell whos biggest win is?? Abraham maybe who cant compete with top SMWs or Oganov possibly. Who has Dirrell beaten for his rating?
9. Abraham. Now it is looking bad. Abraham cant seem to compete with fair SMWs and gets not just beaten but almost shut out, even by Froch who is slow and doesnt have a good workrate. Abrahams big SMW win is Taylor coming off a KO loss
10. Rodriguez. Tell me who he has beaten then?


You would even struggle to say yeah but the fights didnt happen then because they did. Calzaghe beat Lacy and Kessler as well as Reid. Kessler beat Beyer, Mundine and Siaca. Beyer beat Green as did Mundine and Siaca beat Mundine etc.

As you say hype has built it up

 

Sadly none, we even had Virgil Hunter bad-mouthing Calzaghe, saying he didn't travel and that globe-trotter Ward, who gassed against a flat Froch would "eat" Calzaghe. :-(

 

Ppl put too much emphasis on perfect records. Ward woulda got the same mixed props Froch been gettin. Nice win, but over a guy who hadn't proven too much.

 

Shows how weak it was that all those mediocre fighters had belts.

 

Odd. Old unwell Kessler is Wards best win . With Kessler winning a vacant title after losing which Ward followed on to win