Wladimir Klitschko now holds the record for the longest reign in HW boxing history

I have no problem disregarding (I wouldn't say 'overruling' ) the Ring rankings, just as you don't have a problem disregarding their edicts on appointing new champions.
I find it a little contradictory that you'd call them the "recognized" and "authoritative rankings body" yet you won't recognize the name they put as the top under the heading "CHAMPION : ".

But I guess we all have our different take.

I agree. But in the years after a champion retires, a new fighter can - and often does - emerge as the new champion by establishing himself as the premier fighter and consistently defending that claim.

 

Lamar Clark was pretty consistant 42 straight wins,all by ko.
Its about whom you are beating imo.
ps The Douglas who beat Tyson beats both the Klits ,imo.

 

I agree.

But at one point in his prime, Joe Louis, perhaps the greatest fighter ever at any weight, imo, had the following 14-fight streak :

John Henry Lewis
Jack Roper
Tony Galento
Bob Pastor
Arturo Godoy
Johnny paycheck
Arturo Godoy
Al Mccoy
Red Burman
Gus Dorazio
Abe Simon
Tony Musto
Buddy Baer
Billy Conn

Compare to Wladimir Klitschko's last 14 fights :

Chris Byrd
Calvin Brock
Ray Austin
Lamon Brewster
Sultan Ibragimov
Tony Thompson
Hasim Rahman
Ruslan Chagaev
Eddie Chambers
Sam Peter
David Haye
Jean-Marc Mormeck
Tony Thompson
Mariusz Wach


Neither list is of an outstanding crop of world-beaters, but they are not 'tomato cans' or 'bums' either.

 

Rahman was 38 ,Thompson, 40 Mormeck 40.
Louis had also beaten the previous 5 champions and only lost one fight , to a former Champ.Wlad had been kod by two journeyman, and a part time boxer.

 

Difference is, Louis was THE champ for 14 of those fights. Wlad for 6 I´m a big fan of Wlad btw. but this is just not true here. Wlad may hold this record for beltholders but not for champs.

 

The point is, Joe Louis's consistency, even against the lesser challengers, is PART OF what makes him an elite ATG.
As magna rightly said, consistency needs to be credited.

... and the fact that he hasn't been beaten in almost 9 YEARS doesn't seem to have made any impression with you.

 

Wlad may not have been THE champ when he beat Byrd in 2006 but he was hitting his prime and was taking on the mantle of proving himself the world's best fighter.
I don't think he's done too badly with his 14-fight streak.

 

If he was defending against rated challengers, that would make more of an impression

 

Nah, he doesn´t and IMO he already is Top15, probably borderline Top10. IMO his career is already quite a bit more impressive than Frazier´s or Dempsey´s. But he isn´t even close in defences or reign to Louis.

 

Most of them would have made my top 10 at the time he fought them.
Mormeck, Rahman, Wach wouldn't have.
Byrd would probably have been in the top 3.
Chambers, Haye, Chagaev, Ibragimov were around the top 5. Some insist that Haye was clearly #2 contender behind Vitali.
Peter and Brock were solid enough. Austin might have snuck into the top 10.

Regardless, even if the average world rating of a string of fourteen opponents would come in at, say, 8th or 9th heavyweight in the world, to go 14-0 without a hiccup or a close fight is damned impressive.
It's no easy feat.

 

Stoney is a stonewall legend. His system is militant, rigid and exactly what boxing needs. It is only missing the prestige and universal acclaim required for such a system.

It's definitely the way forward, it's just not the way it is.

 

This "part-time boxer" **** is so stupid. Sanders was a beast who could take out a lot of guys early.

Brewster wasn't a journeyman if he defended his belt a few times.

Thompson was prime for the first fight.

 

Robinson was a proganda hype by the US Media because Eastern Europeans were still on the block. If the block was lifted during your 'hero's era. The Eastern Europeans would have dominated.
Wladimir is not 'one of the greatest champions of all times' He is the 2nd greatest champion of all times behind Vitali. Vitali would have beaten Ali to a slow death.
What we see here are a bunch of Vitali haters because they are racists. They can't stand the idea of a great tall handsome Eastern European true human being, they rather want inferior human beings to be the champ.
Pathetic. Vitali is everything sport need. So is Wladimir.

 

Shut up, Felix.