Is facing the best opponent of the Big 3? Fury is facing a sub top 50 bum. AJ is facing the massively overrated Ruiz, at best a fringe top 20 guy who has probably never beaten a top 30 HW (Dimitrenko might be borderline top 30). Meanwhile, Big Dom is at least top 12. Just odd role reversal. Wilder has always been the guy facing lower quality opponents compared to AJ and even Fury. Now the shoe is on the other foot.
To be fair to Joshua he was basically forced to fight Ruiz, also Miller and Breazeale are a similar level of opponent/s and the Miller fight fell through as Miller failed a drug test. Joshua and Hearn then tried to make the Luis Ortiz fight and that fight fell through because of Ortiz/Oritz's manager.
Yeah, I'm a Wilder fan and I dislike AJ, but this sounds right to me. And I'd say, Miller >> Breazeale. Still, it's a funny result in the end as OP said. OP didn't present this as an attack on AJ/Fury, just an odd and surprising outcome.
So you admit it is very odd, that’s because of how poor Wilder opposition was for 40 fights, especially when compared to AJs first 20. That created the contrast you are pointing out in this thread. Thankfully Wilder stepped it up with his last 2 fights.
Its more to do what Wilder lacks and what he struggles with. Sending a Breazeale at 6'7 who takes shots to land a BOOM on someone is kind of comical considering Joshua fights guys like that like its a walk in the park. If Breazeale does land clean himself who has a great over hand right ,wilder is going to buckle and lose. On that note the shoe isn't on the other foot bc Joshua already has Breazeale on his resume. Ruiz is an uncrowned champion as far as i'm concerned so its another NON sanctioned unification fight for Joshua against another guy who is undefeated. lol Not sure whos overating Ruiz? Hes yet to actually be out boxed in a fight however. Fury has always fought sub par guys its like no one cares. its why he chose Wilder over Joshua ,always looking for a better style match up for himself. I do consider Breazeale the better fighter at least right now then Ruiz or more effective at Hw. But its more of a pressure fight for wilder to win as Joshua has done it already against what I believe is Wilders most dangerous fight so far.
Wilder has been facing the better opponents for a while now. Breazeale is better than Ruiz. Fury is better than Povetkin. Ortiz is better than Parker.
Fury defeated Wilder. Breazeale is Joshuas 5th best win TWO years ago ,did you get stuck in a time warp? IF Wilder defeats Breazeale ,it will be Wilders 2nd best win Should he get by in his 40 something fight as a HW since 2012 yet hes fighting the better guys ? Ruiz > Stiverne any day...ALL day Doe who is wilders current SECOND best win and Ruiz isn't even a top 5 guy for AJ unless you think he defeats Breazeale. .
Yeah, so? That really doesn't have anything to do with what I'm pointing out. AJ has the better resume overall, wasn't saying anything to the contrary.
Yeah, that's basically my point. At this point though, as Double chin pointed out, Wilder has had better opponents the last three fights. AJ still has the stronger resume overall, because as you said, Wilder had absolutely dreadful opponents until the last 14 months. But I'm cheered that Wilder is finally starting to have good title fights. People seem to be missing that point.
@Loudon @George Crowcroft Dom beat Mansour, Ugonou, and Molina. Mansour was probably fringe top 20 at the time. The other two were all better than anyone Ruiz has beat except Dimitrenko, who is at the Molina Ugonou level. Meanwhile, Ruiz nearly lost to shot to **** White Wolf. I also had him clearly losing to Parker, even if in a close fight. Parker himself is barely a top ten hw. Losing a close fight to a top ten guy does not a top fighter make. By that logic, White Wolf would still be a top ten guy, because he was robbed against Ruiz, who was supposedly robbed against Parker. His body of work is poorer than Dom's, and his lack of size and power makes him weaker on the eye test as well.