Will Wladimir Klitschko ever win Ring Magazine's "Fighter of the Year Award"?

even if that is true, which it isn't, they do not get better

swimming and sprinting are one-dimensional sports that rely 99% on physical gifts, boxing is not a race to see who gets KOd the quickest. Taylor was fast, but not the best. Jackson was perhaps the strongest puncher, but not the best. etc etc.

and the differences in sprintingtimes are largely attributed to having specialized sneakers, starting blocks, synthetic tracks, etc and swimming has the same deal. give those older athletes modern training/nutrition and modern equipment, they will not be far behind.

1940s-mid60s NBA is comparable to pre-Jack Johnson boxing. I will give you that in the very very beginning stages of sports, the competition is lacking. But after a little while, the level of skill plateus

Hopkins started his career almost 30 years ago and is still the best in his division at age 49

Foreman's prime was in early 70s, but he became heavyweight champ at age 45 in 1994

Michael Jordan's career started in 1984. At age 40 with knee problems, he put up better numbers in 2002-03 than Lebron James at age 19 in 2003-04.

Jordan put up better numbers at age 40 than NBA superstar Dwyane Wade at age 32 both this year and last year

Jerry Rice's career in the NFL began in 1985, and he remained a top receiver all the way to 2002

Boxing in Louis' prime was over 50 years old as a profession, so that is more than enough time to see the skill level plateau, just like with basketball after 30 years - David Thompson, Dr J, Gervin etc

there is a reason 1940s-50s Sugar Ray Robinson is considered the greatest of all time. athletes are NOT getting better as a whole

so NO, athletes do NOT get better in every sport. I know everything. Do not disagree with me and just accept the blessing of my wisdom

 

The difference with Hopkins is he is not a heavyweight. Every division with the EXCEPTION of the heavyweight division has a weight cap. That's why mythical match making can be made more easily in other divisions, and you can have Robinson vs Hagler etc. Foreman was never the best heavyweight in his comeback he ko'd a blown up light heavy. Holyfield, Bowe, Lewis etc were all better than him as remarkable as his win was.

I never mentioned running or swimming in my analogy.
Sports do plateau to an extant but the evolution of athletes jumps every few decades or so especially since everyone is so much more aware of how to take care of themselves today. Up until the late 70s many athletes ate improperly, drank and even smoked. (In Europe some still do)

As for Jordon his two years on the wizards were unremarkable, He is the best of all time it's really apples to oranges, basketball is a non contact sport. Also in comparison of Jordan to Wade, Wade has a bad knee if you follow the NBA and is a cherry pick comparison. Lebron was 19 with no college seasoning unlike Jordan who attended North Carolina under a brilliant coach, it's called a learning curve I would expect Jordon to post better numbers than a 19 yr old highschooler coming into the nba against well seasoned grown men.

The Klitschko's dominate it is what it is. You don't have to like their style, or them as people but try to respect he dominance. I wouldn't call Jordan a bum because I didn't like the person or his style.

 

the 19 year old Lebron was the best rookie in the entire NBA. That says a lot for a 40 year old shot knees Jordan to be better than every college kid, first round draft pick of that year, rookie Wade/Bosh/Carmelo (all of whom played in college, Melo under a great coach) at age 40

Jordan had shot knees at age 40, so the Wade comparison is perfect

The truth is, it makes the game [where] players have to be more skillful. Nowadays, literally anybody can get out there and get to the basket and you can't touch anybody. Back then, if guys put their hands on you, you had to have the skill to be able to go both ways, change direction, post up, you had to have a mid-range game because you didn't want to go all the way to the basket because you would get knocked ass over tea kettle. So I think playing the game back then required much more skill." - Kobe Bryant

further proof that athletes do not get better as the years go by

I respect the Klitschkos for doing what they should have done, beating a bunch of bums. nothing more.

size is not everything. Thats why Toney gave the "best" contenders Ruiz and Peter massive problems as a washed up former middleweight

thats why Duran beat Barkley

thats why Langford gave Jack Johnson hell and was ducked for the rest of his career

why Sugar Ray Robinson, a former lightweight, went up to light heavyweight and was a heat stroke away from the light heavyweight title

 

First off it's called a learning curve, it takes time to learn your craft, that's why few rookies in any sport win Mvps. Jordan had tons of seasoning and may have been better than some rookies - but he was not as good at 40 as the peak players in the league which were his peers. Which makes what Wlad is doing even more remarkable at 38. Besides the NBA is not a fight. And there are tons of diffrent ways to make an impact, James' skill set is way diffrent from Jordan's.

Back to boxing - you just named all time great fighters Duran, Robinson, and Langford to support some idea that I never said, I said athletes, become bigger stronger and faster which is true. I never mentioned anything about a skill set. Boxing is an art, art is endlessly being perfected and styles make fights I am sure some fighters would pose a problem to the Klitchko's from the past but a good majority would not, based on their size, skill and power alone.
You seem to have an irrational hatred for them? And for Marciano? And the pre jack Johnson era? Doesn't take much to read between the lines.

 

exactly. you (falsely) said athletes in general become bigger/faster/stronger

and by your own admission, you did not mention anything about a skill set - proving your incompetence since skills are the number 1 most important thing in sports like boxing

 

Pulev awful, and slow? Not exactly. He's a pretty good heavy, and worthy challenger. It might bode you well to stop posting on modern heavyweight boxing until Klitschko retires.

 

Lets try to decide what year Wlad would even be in the running? I just dont' see a year he could win it.

06: Byrd and Brock

Who won: Pacman for Morales x2 and Larios

08: Sultan, Thompson, and Rahman

Who won: Pacman for Marquez, Oscar, and Diaz

09: Chageav, becomes RING Champion

Who won: Pacman for Hatton and Cotto

10: Chambers, Peter II

Who won: Martniez for Pavlik and Paul Williams

11: Haye

Who won: Ward for Abraham and Froch.

13: Wlad beat Povetkin and Piantea

Who won: Stevenson for Cloud, Dawson, and Bellew

 

What year should be have won Fighter of the Year?

Sure, he'd win if The Ring went by the old "let's give everything to a heavyweight" criteria (Young-Foreman won Fight of the Year over Saad-Johnson 1), but they haven't done that for a long time.