HW prospects..

[THE PHILOSOPHER]

This is a "no-win" argument. One side loves the Klitschkos, and will go to great lengths to talk up the division. All of a sudden, fighters like Byrd, Austin, Solis, Thompson.... are world-beaters. And there's little anyone can do but either agree or disagree with the argument. Too subjective.

Byrd, solis and thompson clearly are world beaters though are'nt they?? Byrd and thompson are both southpaws which is a rarity in the division anyway! (ali stated his trickiest ever fight (style wise) was mildenberger a southpaw! Holyfield lost to the 3 southpaws he fought! And tyson and lennox never fought any southpaws! Combine that with tony's physicality as a fighter and byrd's defensive prowess and how would they not do well in any era? 39-3 and 47-5 are records not to be sniffed at! So how are they not as good as i.e tony tucker or james smith from tysons era? Tucker was outboxed by orlin norris twice! Who's outboxing tony thompson lately? No one except wlad! And as i said solis a 6x gold medallist is clearly and exceptional talent, he just has training isues..id like to see manny steward or roach get hold of him!

In 2008 Thompson took out Luan Krasniqi in germany in 5 rounds!!!! Thompson earns his shot with his fists not words unlike the gaymaker! Thompson got too less credit for the fight against Krasniqi and 1st Wlad fight. Guinn, beck, harris, witherspoon, ibragimov, diaz...all theses men were/are prospects and legitimate contenders, thompson is just better than them!

They clearly are world beaters......

1. Obviously arguing about the quality of Wlad's opponents is fruitless. Wlad fans will contend they are as good as any other era (cough)...... whereas Wlad haters will say the opponents are garbage. I'm not a Wlad hater, but I side with the haters on this particular point. However........

Nadal/federer, bolt/powell, ronaldo/messi vitali/wlad! Is it sinking in yet? ppl act like there are 10 great fighters in any era lol truth is has always been only 2/3. Take the 10 best of this era and put them against the 10 best of any era and it would be laughably one sided in most cases considering the advances in training and human beings as a whole i.e not fighting in mafia era's in societies gripped by depression and bad nutrition etc and for many other reasons...most heavyweight from yesteryear are CW's and LHW's by todays standards anyhow!

2. One thing that CANNOT be argued is that the quality of fights themselves has totally dropped in the Klitschko era. Again Wlad fans will differ, but they are kidding themselves. What brings fans to heavyweight fights? Quality of fights. Give and take. Punching and counter-punching. Epic battles. How many of these battles has Wlad been in? Answer: ZILCH. End of discussion. Is this Wlad's fault? Hell no. If he can take the "W" and go home unscathed, by pawing at an opponent cowering in fear (see: David Haye)..... then why should he risk bodily injury? Fair enough. Is it exciting for boxing fans? Not this boxing fan.

How is wlad going to be in an epic battle? Do u have no appreciation for a man who has perfected a style that is nearly flawless! He is a cautious, intelligent fighter, he does not fight to please u or to damage his future helath, he gets the job done, both of them do, andre ward is boring as hell! Wlad is not a caveman.

3. Put down the opponents in Holmes' era. I don't care. Like I said, I am a Larry Holmes hater. Can't stand the guy. But he was in some epic battles which brought people to boxing. But will any blind Klitschko fan concede this point? Of course not!! They'll point to some far-fetched reason as to why this is untrue. But you know what? I'm gonna make a poll out of it. Yeah... that's what I'll do.

He was in some epic battles but it doesn't make wlad a lesser boxer because he choses to fight safe! It's not wlads fault that holmes couldn't keep carl williams or renaldo snipes off of him is it? Don't watch then, but at the same time don't criticise just because it doesn't fit your M.O.

4. Is talking down the quality of Wlad's opponents or his fights, denying Wlad's greatness or place in boxing history? Of course the hell not!! Again, I'm capable of separating one thing from the other. Are you? Wlad fans? Probably not. Yes, Wlad is great. Yes, Wlad will be in the HOF. Etc, etc, etc. Has this era been good for boxing or has it brought new U.S. fans to the HW division? NO.

Ironic thing is this discussion is taking place on a prospects thread which has nothing to do with the klitschkos and pretty much owns the 'HW boxing is dead' brigade! Some pppl seem to make any excuse and take any chance they can to deride the era even on a thread that doesn't concern the klitschkos! HW boxing is not dead in america just because the klitschko's rule! It's like like saying american sprinting is dead just because the jamaicans now dominate! Believe it or not roger federer is every bit as good as pete sampras was and wlad is every bit as good as the american greats were! Who cares if american fans are not flocking for them? Why would they want pay to see there fighters get beat up by the old enemy? By men who don't look like them, don't speak there language and will not conform to don king or to acting like imbeciles (as many american heavyweights have in the past!)

A lack of americanisation does not mean a lack of quality!

The klitschkos are dominant like no other champions ever, they give millions to charity, hold PHD's and are multi lingual, they also act like men and show interest in current world affairs rather than letting the sport consume them and ending up drooling and bankrupt whining about some dude that beat them years ago! Haters gunna hate though...