Povetkin against former titleholders (and those who were close)

Yes, Povetkin was the best heavyweight of his era not named Klitschko. His only loss came to Wladimir and under some very dubious conditions (excessive clinching). He'd likely have beaten a lot of the champs from previous eras. Right now, at 38 he's probably still the second best heavyweight, or maybe even the best. From the 30s he probably beats Max Schmeling, Primo Carnera, and James Braddock, but not Joe Louis or Max Baer. He might beat Jimmy Bivins and Elmer Ray in the forties. He beats Marciano, Archie Moore, and Walcott in the fifties. He might beat Sonny Liston or Ernie Terrell in the sixties, but he's not beating Ali and I think Patterson outboxes him. In the seventies Ali, Foreman, and Frazier beat him but he'd wallop Norton, Quarry, Bonavena, and Lyle. In the eighties, I see Holmes beating him, but Povetkin would have a good chance against Weaver, Witherspoon, Thomas, Page, and Dokes. For the nineties, Tyson, Lewis, Holyfield, and Bowe all smoke him, but I can see him hanging in there with Ruddock, Moorer, and Mercer. Basically, I think Povetkin has the physical ability and the skills to be a top contender in any age, just never the dominant champion, with the exception of Marciano's reign.

 

No I wasn't referring to the Wlad fight as such, no shame in losing to Wlad. But the performance before that fight, he weren't the knockout machine that took out Perez, Takam, and Wach. The fights against Firtha, Huck and Chageav, Chambers were his real level in my opinion. And some other fights before that. God knows what he could have got away with in the 90s with the drugs he's been taking though.