Where does Wladimir Klitschko rank among ATG HWs?

The best win of his career came in 2000 when he beat Byrd, and he lost 3 and 4 years later. He may not have been in his absolute prime but he certainly wasn't green or an untested opponent.

Fighters like Joe Frazier are judged for losses when they were completely done. Tyson is judged for losses when he was genuinely past his prime. As is Ali. If these guys can be judged for their losses, so can Wlad.

I think you can ignore the Purrity loss. You can't, however, ignore the losses to Brewster and Sanders.

 

Absolutely.

There isn't a single great fighter in history who didn't beat a great fighter himself and lost to poor quality opponents near/at his prime. However, Wlad fits that category.

 

Well, Tyson does too tbf.

 

The thing with wlad is while he was in his physical prime his stylistic prime happened with steward, it sounds a bit weird when saying it like that but I think its true, he was basically a b level heavy with a weak chin and poor stamina but was actually kind of fun to watch, then after the ko's he changes his style in the peter fight after being dropped several times again and goes on this great run, dominating for years, never being dropped with the downside being him being way too cautious and playing it safe behind the jab, but the longetivity is impressive.

I feel had he switched to this style earlier he wouldnt have lost to brewster and sanders I think, but then he probably wouldnt have changed.
I dont really like wlad as a boxer, he is kind of boring to watch but his accomplishments and the way he 180'd his career is very impressive imo.
Since beating Haye I consider him a atg and I think his legacy will continue to grow since there is nobody out there that can stop him, maybe an injury or terrible cut otherwise he can dominate till 2015 for sure, only possible threat might be helenius in 2 years.

 

How he ranks will depend on the rest of his career. If he gets past 20 defences, beats a couple of good fighters (who would have to emerge by the way) and has no more defeats he'll rank pretty high. The 3 losses count against him for sure, but they only mean he is/was a champion with a flaw, namely the chin. Many champions had one flaw or another. But he'll probably rank top 20 anyway. If you can dominate for nearly a decade, you are almost a shoe in, because there haven't been that many decades of boxing. No matter what he does, I can't see him ever making top 5.

 

Michael Spinks and Larry Holmes are both great fighters.

Spinks may have been daunted by Tyson and heavier than his prime weight, but he was still great. Holmes may not have been in his prime either, but he was also a great fighter.

 

I can't stand watching Wladimir Klitschko fight. I really don't bother to watch his fights live because they're so unbearably boring and by the time the knockout comes, I'm usually fast asleep or watching a fight featuring a truly skilled fighter who doesn't have a ridiculous size advantage over a hapless bum. But as much as it pains me to say it, he's a top 20 heavyweight. Objectively speaking, he'd be a tough night for a lot of greater heavyweights. And that might be a bit of an understatement too.

 

15-20.

 

:thumbsup honest post

 

...and Wladimir is a fighter I want to like (I'm a fan of Vitali's by the way). He has so many physical tools, I just think he could open up more without putting himself at much risk against these guys he's fighting. The younger Wladimir was unquestionably more vulnerable than he is now, but I love watching him fight back then. Now, it gets boring and predictable.

 

16-20 as Im feeling generous today

 

how do (other fighters) nowadays become great for the klits to beat them jack???your arguement is so pathetic its beyond even myself

 

i love this post and how it points out how you havnt got a ****ing clue about boxing and styles..not only was tyson matched well through his time on route to the top he peaked early and had a style that enabled him to peak early...wladimir on the other hand was still learning the game and lost in doing so..im a ****ing moron and even i know this..tyson has losses against poor opp..so does lewis.so does ali so does fraizer so does foreman i can go on..you and jack seriously have issues...

 

40-1 lmao..i think you need to look at how many years wlad was into his pro carrer than how many fights he had considering he used to fight against tits every month..lol