Admittedly I am not an expert on boxing. I am a Klitschko fan however please don't misinterpret my motives for asking this question. I have noticed alot more threads in the last few years discussing ATG status of Lewis, Wlad and Vitali as well as hypothetical matchups with legends like Ali, Frazier, Louis, Tyson etc. Understandably there are posters on extreme ends of the spectrum. Is this the result of growing respect for these three fighters of this decade or is it merely a few extremists trying to inflate the careers of their favorite fighters? I feel as though Lewis has gained more respect since his retirement and WLad and vitali have also increased their status with dominating performances and i think this is represented by the increase of threads comparing them and pitting them against legends. Thoughts?
Nostalgia is a common phenomenon, we tend to remember the positive aspects of past heroes and fortget their shortcomings. Boxing is a sport without the merciless objective measurement of performance, unlike track and field, swimming etc. where nobody would assume that Mark Spitz could compete with Phelps, Biedermann etc. Nobody really thinks that Björn Borg could compete with Nadal or Federer either. Sports evolve, so do athletes. Second, greatness is so much media - created. The fight of the century between Ali and Frazier was called that because of the unique historic circumstances. That version of Ali could be beaten by Norton, that version of Frazier would have probably lost to the very young Foreman of that time. Not to mention that several HW's who were never part of such an historic fight could have beaten either Ail or Frazier. Third, exciting fights and fighters are often sentimentally overrated. Allan Iverson will always be more spectacular than Tim Duncan, but who is more likely to effectively guide a team to a title? Effective fighters like the Klitschkos or Lewis tend to get underrated, because boxing fans want to see a battle. However the Fraziers and Holyfields fight in this exciting style because they lack other options. Holyfield - Bowe was a great fight in termsn of heart and excitement, but Lewis might very well have outboxed both in a much less spectacular fight.
Over the years the tide of the conversation has shifted from "How many rounds until W.Klitschko is knocked down again?" to "How much longer can W.Klitschko go without losing a round?" The more Wlad fights and wins the more the general position on his All-Time standing has to shift and the closer he gets to the top the more fierce the debate will become. I see the voraciousness of the debate as a sure sign that he's close to the Top. The louder the noise ...
