Those three are closer than most forum posters probably would admit at this point. Here's my take: AJ: Easiest road to top ten HW ATG. If his next bout is Wilder, he wins, and he unifies all four HW belts for the first time, he's in the legit conversation for top ten. Add a win over Povetkin on top of that, and I actually think he nails it. Of course, if he flatlines after that, he can lose ground, like all the others, but I think that would push him up for the time being. Fury: arguably the HW with the second best route to ATG HW top ten. Basically, I think if he beats whoever is left standing of Wilder or AJ, for the unified title, that propels him into the top ten, maybe even close to the top 5. It would be one of the ATG HW accomplishments. Don't think he'll do it but if he does, it's huge. Wilder: he's crept up into the top 10-15 hw rankings all time statistically for most title defenses and time. Before Ortiz, it was a disgracefully bad resume, and it's still fairly bad. But if he fights AJ next and wins, and then adds Fury, or a couple of other top HWs of the era onto his resume, he's got a very strong claim to top 10. Probably not a popular thread, I know. Active fighter are cronically underrated. Wlad, Vitali, Lewis, the three most recently establoshed ATGs were all viewed lower than they are now while they were active. But look at "in era" accomplishments of the other ATG HWs. If one of these HWs accomplishes what I lay out, it will compare VERY favorably to what other top ten ATG HWs have achieved.
Fury will be regarded at the GOAT after he is done schooling AJ and Wilder. Add that to his Wlad destruction and his comeback from 350 pounds after 2 years. Never again will the world see a heavyweight of his size with physical ability. It's unnatural. Pretty sure Wilders win over Ortiz was his climax....He will get folded by 6'6" AJ or 6'8" Fury. Niether of them are 6'4" 50 year old men who couldn't finish the job.
None of them will take the punches Ali and Holmes took off Shavers only to come back and stop him, it would also be hard for them to match what Ali did v the devastating Foreman, no way are any of the in these fights going to have that many punches thrown at them and AJ`s chin is nowhere near as strong as Holmes or Ali`s was, I feel the fights between these three will be really defensive like Wlad v Fury, Wilder v Ortiz and AJ v Parker, no comparison, not that AJ doesn`t have the potential, if he had fought in the 70`s maybe he could have done enough against those guys to be an ATG, he`s got the tools he just doesn`t have the chin, I think Wilder may have also done well because of his reach and Fury maybe, but I think Fury is very overrated and doesn`t have the power of Wilder, so Frazier and co. might have walked though him, maybe I`m wrong we`ll have to wait and see but I think people are getting a little carried away with sixes of these guys, not saying it won`t be a factor but Ali and Holmes were something else altogether.
I can't see Fury matching the cultural achievements of Ali and Louis, which is a legit thing for legacy. But. If he beats AJ, Wilder, and a few other top HWs, then retires undefeated? After his absence and all his problems? It would be an unmatched achievement. Place him easy in the HW ATG top 5 imo.
AJ and Fury answer is the same- win a showdown with each other and go on to have a successful run. Wilder- not possible. He has a total fraud who has not had a single legacy fight.
For AJ and Fury: beating the other would basically do it, if you look at comparable HW ATGs. For Wilder. Nothing? If he beat AJ and Fury, and others on top? Uhm, sure. No bias there. Realistically, he beats those two and a couple other top HWs, and he's solidly in the top ten. At least unless he loses badly after that.
I do think tyson fury or Joshua could turn out as the goat. I think both will be top 10 in the end. Fury is basically a modern day Ali and Joshua is a modern day tyson or foreman. Fury beats Joshua for me. I know his first fight was **** but you wait for him in Belfast. I bet he impresses
Simple there’s 1 has to become undisputed with at minimum 6 defenses as the man in the division(not necessarily stay undisputed as boxing orgs screw up sometime).. And also has to beat the other 2..
Tyson fury and Anthony Joshua will both go down as top 10 heavyweights just like Ali and foreman did from the 70s. Wilder is the Frazier of this era.
Wilder has to beat both of them. There's no other way for him to obtain 'ATG' status. You cannot become an 'ATG' when your 2nd and 3rd best wins are Stiverne.
