Wladimir Klitschko opponents: Are any HOF worthy?

damn, i don't come on these boards much and now i remember why. first off, wlad and vitali are both getting in the hall like it or not.

i agree byrd has a chance to get in but that's doubtful.

haye, only because he's a brit, may have a chance to get in but i can't believe you said he "walloped" valuev. haye just stayed away the whole fight and they just gave him the belt. disgusting robbery but everyone knew that was going to happen before the fight started.

i got lots of respect for thompson but saying he's on par the other great american heavys shows you know nothing about the sport. david price has guts and i think he'll be back but he sucks.

if ibragimov makes the hall they need to shut the doors for good. peter won't come close either.

frazier is only known for being ko'ed? there was that one fight, you know, the one that was the biggest of all-time. he beat that guy, the one who was the most famous (arguably best) heavyweight of all-time. his name is slipping me right now.

 

People around here think the HOF should be open to anybody and everybody.

Its reserved for fighters who had great skills and produced fights for the ages.
Who showd tremendous heart and courage.
To win fights against the odds.
Moving up in weight and winning belts
Who made a difference and had a lasting impact on the sport.
Who brought exposure to the sport and promoted it in a positive light.
Most importantly- beating other Elite and Hall of fame caliber oppoents.

I changed my stance on Wlad and realize he will probably get in by default at some stage down the line.
Vitali on the other hand will never get a sniff of the place.
He's the Sven Ottke of the HW division without having an undefeated record. Known for being injury prone, losing his biggest fight and quiting ,the's no sane reason why he would ever be inducted.

 

To those who say Wlad didn't generate interest in the sport. It's the INTERNATIONAL boxing hall of fame. Not the American hall of fame. Wlad generates plenty of interest in Germany, Ukraine, etc.

 

I am certain that none of the guys you have listed will get in, with perhaps an odd exception. Whatever your own feelings about their eras, the criteria have to be consistent across eras, otherwise there would be chaos.

Therefore if they started admitting guys like these, they would also have to admit fighters with comparable accomplishments in other eras. This would mean that people like Lou Nova and Rex Layne would start getting in.

 

Its not the German hall of fame either. Wlad is not popular outside of Germany.

 

wlad is known in all europe maybe not america

 

K2 have to load up Wlads fights with celeb guests, performances, live bands and over the top ringwalks.
People turn up to see a spectacle before the anticlimactic excuse of a HW championship fight.
If Wlad went to US for his next fight , thousands of Germans would not follow him over to show their support.
British fans travelled by the boatload to support Lewis and Hatton when they fought in America.
Thats popurality.

 

For Lewis? Do you not remember that people had these same exact complaints about Lewis? Only good because of his size, got knocked out by nobodies, jab jab grab...

 

The hall of fame is full of quitters, and in many cases some did not have the injury Vitali did. Examples: Jack Johnson, Harry Wills, Ezzard Charles, and Roberto Duran. I could name 5-10 more HOF guys if I wanted to.

 

I think a good many of his opponents would be HOF inductees had they come along in certain other eras.

 

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British fans packed out the house when he fought Holyfield.

 

Vitali doesn't compare to them. They had great careers and achievements. Vitali took on the worst in a weak era while his brother took on the rest and he still managed to avoid his career long mandatories.

 

The only way that more of Wlads opponents can get in, is if he retires and one of them manages to unify the titles.