Is Povetkin a future HOFer?

As you know I regard past eras as being progressively weaker the further you go back so we're not going to agree on that point. Wilder is less dominant and impressive in relative terms than Holmes, Tyson, Foreman etc. but I'd expect him to flatten all of them. Even in absolute terms who was the last American champ with such a long or impressive streak? You have to go back a very long way.

Wilder is unusually stupid and delusional even by boxing standards so I don't believe for a second that he's in control of his career, the likes of Finkel and Haymon surely pull his strings and wanted to make sure he remained champion at all costs. His resume is thin because he's been shielded from dangerous opponents but ability-wise I rate him very highly. Provided he isn't mentally destroyed now or after Fury 3, I can still see him being a serious threat in the top 10 for a couple more years.

 

Well i dont understand why you see Wilder flattening them. How do you see it. He isn't quicker than Holmes nor does he have better dictation over distance nor does he have better ring iq and Foreman is physically stronger and is a heavier hitter. Wilder is the hardest hitting heavyweight but his resume is questionable.

Gerry Cooney was a big power like Wilder and unlike Wilder he could throw quick combinations and was just technically more sound. Cooneys win over old Norton, old Lyle and past it Young is certainly better tham Wilder's win over old Ortiz

 

Wilder would flatten them all because he's got huge physical advantages in height, reach, speed, power and explosiveness. Young Foreman was technically atrocious but having a bit of power in those days allowed him to destroy the far more skilled cruisers who'd beaten Ali. The fact that you bring up Cooney is laughable as he was lumbering, poor defensively and a bit chinny. He'd get Breazealed in one round but he gave Holmes a competitive fight over 13 rounds.

 

If Wilder retires after getting beaten officially twice (and in most people's minds, three times) and twice by KO by Fury, he will not be well-regarded. He would need to come back and KO Whyte, Ruiz, Hunter, Parker etc. or some combination thereof to salvage his legacy.

 

I am one of the few who actually like Wilder but he would be destroyed by Foreman,Holmes and Tyson

 

Imagine comparing Breazeale to Cooney, Cooney was faster, had better movement, and likely punched harder. You look at Wilders height, reach and power and think "he's one of the greatest american heavyweight champions of all time" but the truth is Wilder has beaten nobody of note besides Luis Ortiz who he struggled heavily against. That height reach doesn't mean anything if you cant box. Wilder looked clueless against Bum Szpilka for 9 rounds. Holmes would school his ass. Foreman wasn't technically atrocious, you have no knowledge of boxing if you think that. He was slow but far from "atrocious" he knew how to time shots and reset pressure fighters.

 

Yea, no. He lost all his big fights against some of the divisions best.

 

I'd expect Cooney to be faster than Breazeale given that he's shorter and considerably lighter but he was a plodder with poor defensive skills, a perfect style matchup for Wilder. Wilder can be outboxed but he can also end fights in one punch as he so frequently has, going 36 minutes with him is far easier said than done. He wasn't even losing the Szpilka fight and showed boxing ability against Stiverne back in 2015. Holmes could outbox Wilder but Holmes never fought anyone with remotely the same level of power, length or athleticism, so he could very easily get ktfo. 70's Foreman's wins against Frazier and Norton were not down to his meagre technical ability but to his superior strength and power at 6'3, 217 lbs: small cruisers Norton/Frazier clearly had awful chins by modern HW standards. These old guys were puddings and I'm glad that little George gave us indisputable evidence of this.

 

Cooney was WAY faster and more skilled than Breazeale. Cooney was a pressure fighter/slugger and would cause Wilder issues and Cooney also went to the body all the time. He'd also likely also be outjabbing Wilder on the front foot. Wilder's defense is **** poor and Cooney would be the one to land first. Wilder got caught with a left hook against Eric Molina. Cooney might end him. And funny because he landed Flush on glass chin Szpilka but didn't knock him out until Szpilka started getting agressive. Athleticism LOL but Holmes fought Cooney who was just as fast as Wilder and almost as tall. Wilder is athletic but all that athleticism goes to his power. He is fast but it's not like hes the fastest fighter