His era was weak though. Cant really complain. I mean if GGG got so much hype and praise for beating weak competition. Then i dont see why Wlad wouldnt. Wlad had better competition though, if you break down both their resumes opponent 4 opponent.
Byrd 1, Haye, Peter 1, Chagaev. Don't want to rate his win over Povetkin because its one of the dirtiest performances of all time.
I really liked Wlads performance that night. Little hugging, just great footwork, keeping Chagaev at distance and hammering away.
Povetkin, Ibragimov, Chagaev, Haye, prime McCline, Byrd I, Thompson I, prime Barrett, undefeated Brock, Peter I. Wlad's resume is underrated. He took more "0"s than anyone in the history of heavyweight boxing, and stopped more boxers who had never been stopped before.
Lots of those guys never stepped up before fighting Wlad, and started racking up losses once they met other good fighters. It is an underrated resume though. No truly great wins but the longevity is undeniable and a handful or two of challengers who could compete in any era.
Even though GGG is still active, his memory seems nothing like the hype he used to have. If anything, there's some over-correction. Wlad seems to be getting more love now, probably because people are watching highlights rather than full fights lol.
Chagaev was the only fighter to beat Valuev besides Haye who finished him off. That has to count for something.
a handful of challengers from his reign were still floating around the top ten in this era, Povetkin & Pulev
Wlad-Haye ... one of the genuinely most disappointing heavyweight title fights in memory. Never came remotely close to the hype they generated before it ... and there was plenty of it. I was really looking forward to it. Neither guy willing to pull the trigger.
