Wilder's 10 title defenses - Historic Perspective (ViD)

Wilder is every bit as good a champ as cruiserweight champion Juan Carlos Gomez, light heavyweight champion Zsolt Erdei, super middleweight champion Sven Ottke, middleweight champion Felix Sturm, light middleweight champion Gianfranco Rossi, welterweight champion Pipino Cuevas, light welterweight champion Bruno Arcari, lightweight champion Artur Grigorian, super featherweight champion Samuel Serrano, featherweight champion Tom Johnson, super bantamweight Oscar Larios, bantamweight champion Tim Austin, super flyweight champion Sung-Kil Moon, and flyweight Omar Narvaez, who've all accomplished similar things.

 

Took a look at one of Rummy's old videos (Top Ten Heavyweights by Decade) where he takes Ring's top ten's rankings each year. Wilder should finish as the fourth best heavyweight of the decade according to Rummy's rating system below W. Klitschko, Alexander Povetkin, Tyson Fury and just two points above Kubrat Pulev.

 

Better than Pulev? Wow, I may have misjudged Wilder.

 

Here's a nice comparison. Kubrat Pulev beat Tony Thompson, Derick Chisora, Samuel Peter, and Hughie Fury. Better or worse than Wilder's resume? Keep in mind, Pulev has never held a heavyweight title.

 

LOL its pretty close. I might even edge Pulev. I was gonna say that the versions of those fighters were old AF and at the end of their careers, and then I remembered something about Wilder's opponents ...

 

Since this thread is about a heavyweight champion with a long string of underwhelming defenses, it kind of begs to be compared to the polar opposite: heavyweight boxers who never held titles but who nonetheless accomplished a similar amount as this titlist has with their careers.

Check 'em out:
Ernie Schaaf beat Max Baer, Jim Braddock, Young Stribling, Paulino Uzcudun, and Tony Galento.
Zora Folley beat Nino Valdes, Eddie Machen, Henry Cooper, Doug Jones, George Chuvalo, and Oscar Bonavena.
Gerry Cooney beat Ron Lyle, Ken Norton, and Jimmy Young.
Donovan Ruddock beat Mike Weaver, James Smith, Michael Dokes, and Greg Page.

It's probably worth pointing out that Wilder has never been rated as the number one boxer in his division and in previous eras would have been relegated to contender status.

 

To add to that list, one of the most obvious in history...

David Tua
KO'd John Ruiz (then undefeated)
KO'd Michael Moorer
KO'd Fres Oquendo (then undefeated)
KO'd Hasim Rachman (then undefeated)
KO'd Oleg Maskaev

 

Excellent video and perspective. Keep ‘em coming

 

I’ve been quite critical of Deontay’s resume but I have to admit he’s stepped up the level of opposition in the past year plus. If he beats fury and is able to take on Ruiz right after, he’ll clearly cement himself as the best HW in the division , the lineal champion and undisputed HW champ.

Obviously that’s predicated on beating fury and Ruiz beating AJ as well. If Andy loses I’d imagine a trilogy between him and AJ would take precedence before wilder attempted to unify.

On a side note, I still believe the best fight in the HW division is Joshua vs wilder. That’s the fight I’ve been waiting for for quite some time.

Anyway the last half of wilders defenses have been exponentially more impressive than the first half. He seems like he’s willing to fight anyone and that should be admired regardless of what you think about him as a personality or as a fighter.

 

The 9th round is a championship round? Hmm, no. And who cares when he got dropped? As if a competent judge would change another round's score because one fighter got dropped in a championship round.

Get this nonsensical, disingenuous crap out of here.

 

Just checked the record....It's still a draw. And Fury is fortunate that it is.

 

Rummy, now I will say it takes dedication, staying in shape and fighting often to rack up a 10 win streak. I will give Wilder credit there.
But it's also true that he never faced another consensus top 4 heavyweight during his reign, never unified and never claimed any lineage.
All of his defenses were in-house PBC shows in his home country. Wilder never travels.