Is Wladimir Klitschko a top 10 HW of all time? - Please remember to vote

Just sheer hatred, nothing more. Still waiting on a list of at least 35 Heavys that deserve to be rated higher than Wladimir based on accomplishments or head to head.

 

It is highly doubtful that he can count to 35-45 let alone produce a list stating who is on it.

 

He should be happy to be a fan during the reign of such a dominant champion whether he likes him or not. I always hated Sugar Ray Leonard but I knew he was a great fighter. I wanted & expected him to be KO'd by either Hagler or Hearns but he wasn't. SRL was one of the top fighters of all time at any weight whether I liked him or not.

 

How many fighters have KOd Larry Holmes? If it was so simple everyone would be doing it.

Tyson has the most quality win there ever was on Holmes, considering Holmes was robbed in both Spinks fights.

 

I can tell you are 20 or so just by the way you use the word robbed....I am a big Holmes fan, but he was not even close to his prime against Tyson...I had Holmes wining the first fight by 1 and a draw in the second....that means a close fight that can go either way...Just cause your guy does not win a close fight does not make it a robbery.

A Robbery is Fenech vs Nelson I or Lockridge vs Pedroza...now adays every close fight is a robbery....pathetic.

I know it has hard for you to grasp being a Froch fan and all...but a decision win is just as credible as a KO....Just a different skillset being applied...one that eludes Froch so you may not be able to grasp it...By the way I like Froch, but he is exciting and one dimensional.

 

Jack Dempsey

Mike Tyson

etc

 

Now youre saying that he became dominant recently. Ok, I didnt know that 7 years is recently. More than half of a DECADE. Thats how recent that is. Correct me if im wrong, but isnt he the second fighter on all time list for the longest reign in HW? Behind Louis I believe.

 

Its hard to assess Wladamir when he is still active. But I don't have him down as a top 10 and here's why. I assess his positives and negatives in terms of his place in ATG list

First, Wlad's main positives:
- Long streak of title defences
- Very good straight right hand
- Hasn't looked troubled in recent times, can dominate opponents
- Good KO%
- Olympic Gold Medal

Main Negatives:
- Questionable chin and powers of recovery: has been knocked out by lesser opponents.
- Weak opposition (not really his fault, but it is still very relevant). Hasn't defeated any true ATG.


HW's I would certainly rank above him, in no particular order (not in terms of h2h), with reasoning in brackets:
- Ali
- Louis
- Marciano (49-0, KO%)
- Johnson (Dominated in his era, an era totally different than today's)
- Dempsey (Power, aggressive style, impressive reign)
- Tunney (even though much of time at LHW, only loss was to Greb, one of first technical fighters, beat Dempsey twice)
- Holmes (Better chin than Wlad, title defences)
- Lewis (Faced and beat better opposition than Wlad)
- Frazier (Fought in best era beating Ali, great heart, bob-weave style)
- Foreman (Power, oldest champ, resume)

Probably/Possibly rank higher:
- Schmeling
- Liston
- Holyfield
- Tyson
- Charles
- Patterson

There are others I am probably forgetting and others I don't know enough about. So as of this moment in time, Wladamir would probably be in my list at 10-20, most likely in late teens 17-20. He could move up a few places with more successful defences: likewise he could conceivably drop out of my top 20 with a slight change of criteria or with a re-evaluation of some fighters from older generations

 

tag teaming opponents with yuor brother when you arent good enough to beat them isnt being dominant.

Which may be explain why they are unliked, noone likes a bit part champion who runs when they get beat.


By same token hes hardly a very poor champion so he doesnt deserve stick for a few losses to journeymen. Hes not claiming to be an ATG.its just some of his fans that want to make it so when its blats not true.

 

Wlad only became champion when he beat Chagaev. Being the best is not the same as being the champion.

 

i got him at 17

 

:good Well said, +1 :deal

 

Are you ****ing kidding me? Wlad became the champ when he beat Byrd for IBF. As far as I remember Chagaev fight was not a unification fight. Plus Wlad beat Ibragimov two years earlier. Thats also didnt count??

 

And even if I accept this ridiculous claim that Wlad became champ only when he beat Ruslan, are you going to say that he didnt dominate from the Peter fight and on?

 

Lawyered... this is the single best post i've seen on this website.