Subpar Foe Doesn't Mean Klitschko's Not An All-Timer

[FinitoElDinamita]

Subpar Foe Doesn’t Mean Klitschko’s Not an All-Timer - Boxing News

U agree or disagree with this bullshit?

[Dark Lord Al]

Klitschko is an excellent champion , you don't go on for that long if you are crap.

[powerpuncher]

its the same old argument. yes he has the numbers but no he isnt an all time great. fortunate timing in the sport. he has improved over the years but he wouldnt be anywhere near as dominate if the division was at least decent.

[FinitoElDinamita]

Klitschko is an excellent champion , you don't go on for that long if you are crap.

Nobody said he was crap.. We are just questioning his " ATG " status..

[Ron Swanson]

Longevity is its own form of substance. Look at Hop, at no point was he ever as good as Roy was at his best. But when people argue the best since Leonard they usually argue Floyd, Pac, and Hop. The only thing giving a Hop argument substance is longevity. If longevity is substance for Hop it can be for Wlad as well. The longer he reigns the more people will have to acknowledge the validity of his reign. Especially now that his brother is gone it removes the stigma "they" ruled. A faster way to legitimacy is a qualified rival but lacking that dominance over duration suffices.

[Max Power]

All Time Great is understatement.

He's second only to maybe Lennox Lewis if anybody at all!

Most of Wladimir's good opponents would be champ previously let alone Wladimir himself imo.

Put Sultan Ibragimov in the 70's and he'd be whacking guys out left right and centre.

[FinitoElDinamita]

I hear you Ron but Wlad and Hopkins isn't a fair comparison imo..

Only way we can compare is Wlad's reign VS Hop's reign at 160 where they both made many defences against mediocre oppositions.

But Hopkins jumped up in weight to beat many elite competitions in a fairly deep division while Wlad has been dominating in the weakest era of his class against C level fighters..

Big difference..

[erics44]

its isnt the subpar foe that means hes not an all timer, there are so many other factors that make his reign insignificant

[El Kabong]

All champions have to fight mandatories. Wlad has been dominating for 10 years...he can only fight the heavyweights in his era so you can't hold that against him. All he does is win.

[Max Power]

its isnt the subpar foe that means hes not an all timer, there are so many other factors that make his reign insignificant

If it's not the opponents then what are those other factors that make this reign "insignificant".

I can think of not much more "significant" that has EVER happened in 150years of boxing like the HW championship being removed from it's base country and locked it down on the other side of the world. That will be hard to forget and a little hard to top don't you think?

Even if your not a Wlad fan and I know that's a lot, it's impossible to mistake the achievement.

[erics44]

its isnt the subpar foe that means hes not an all timer, there are so many other factors that make his reign insignificant

If it's not the opponents then what are those other factors that make this reign "insignificant".

I can think of not much more "significant" that has EVER happened in 150years of boxing like the HW championship being removed from it's base country and locked it down on the other side of the world. That will be hard to forget and a little hard to top don't you think?

Even if your not a Wlad fan and I know that's a lot, it's impossible to mistake the achievement.

other champs box

[brocktonblockbust]

[Max Power]

Your a hardline on that Wlad cheating thing aren't you eric..

Yes, Wladimir doesn't know how to box. I would say that nobody revolutionised boxing like Wladimir did. He proved that all those things that those previous champs did were unnecessary in the case of himself and next to worthless in the case of his opponents.

Every opponent has the same plan. They're going to move, they're going to feint, they're going to go to the body blah blah and then when the fight comes, it's not that they aren't good. It's that they can't!

Did you watch the Thompson and Wach fights again? MOST of Wladimir's fights are boxing matches with only a little wrestling.

Povetkin and Peter are the worst examples, nothing else is that bad.

He's had some stinkers like Ibragimov but that was about as pure a boxing match as you can get.

He just unfortunately doesn't have a crowd pleasing style at best, but why would he want to jeapordise his titles by being a reckless brawler if he doesn't have to?

[Mr140]

Listen Wald is lucky that he got to come in after the 90's guys were getting old. Vitali might have a case as well but he could not dethrone old man Lewis they came at the right time. This division is like the 80's pretty much so i would expect there to be a long reigning champ. You are trying to compare these guys to old timers but if we go by that logic then these guys are lucky they weren't trying to be champs 20 years earlier really because they just be some top guys in the 90's and not these untouchables they are now at the moment. Wald got smacked down by contenders and a journeyman from 90's and if Vitali could not last with 38 year old Lewis, who in his prime a 38 year old Holyfeild hung with and i think deserved a draw. The Brothers might make it to the top 10 but you can't knock out old guys who did just as much in there times so kinda hard to judge were to really put them its not all about head to head, its about how resume is to how good are these guys they are fighting. Now i am only judging these by mid 80's and up is when fighters were getting bigger that's the realm in which they should be judge the 80's and the 90's.

[Beanflicker]

I think the Klitschkos are for sure ATG HW champs, but it's just weird rating them because it's hard to separate them because they both cleaned up the HW division together.