Floyd, Ali and Wladimir Klitschko; Who’s The Greatest?
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
On the eve on Wladimir Klitschko versus Bryant Jennings at Madison Square Garden, there is no doubt in my mind that Klitschko, as the bigger man, will stop Bryant Jennings at The Garden much in the same manner as David Price stopped Steve Cunningham.
Wladimir Klitschko, it can be argue, is the greatest big fighter of the moment. His brother, Vitali, is retired. Wladimir keeps rolling in the wins and the dough, primarily because as a supremely intelligent fighter, he knows he can beat all of the fancy fighters of the heavyweight division because they also lack power. A plain and simple power hitter, like Lennox Lewis and the late Corrie Sanders, is all which is required to beat either Klitschko. The heavyweight division lacks a power hitter of note to challenge Wladimir.
In the future, after defeating the likes of Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, Robert Helenius, Antonio Tarver and WBA champion Ruslan Chagaev, Andy Ruiz Jr. Joseph Parker, Erkan Tepper, and a bunch of other wannabes, at the end of the day, Wladimir really has no serious opposition. The smaller, hardworking Jennings cannot hold the key to beating Wladimir. Jennings would have been a better fight for Alexander Povetkin or Chagaev.
Is Wladimir the greatest of all time? Wladimir certainly is the greatest fighter of the moment. Wladimir lacks the energy and flash to match a Muhammad Ali in a 15 round match. From Karl Mildenberger to Richard Dunn, certainly Ali would have had to no fear in traveling to, fighting and defeating either Klitschko in Germany in their prime.
Wladimir is not hungry. He just keeps fighting in Shangri-La because the traveling circus of opponents cannot beat him. It’s that simple. Digging up David Haye, Shannon Briggs or Evander Holyfield will not change the equation. Only a power hitter in their prime, in the mold of an Iron Mike Tyson, Jack Dempsey, Jack Johnson, Lennox Lewis, Corrie Sanders, Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis, Sonny Liston, George Foreman or Riddick Bowe, would have a serious chance of defeating Wladimir owing to the style of fight. The power hitter establishes ring dominance, control and tempo from the onset. The Wladimir challengers lack the proper power hitter training and mentality required to defeat Wladimir, such as a power trainer like John Schaeffer accomplished with Alexander Zolkin. The wannabes also lack the thinking perceptions of a Carlos Monzon, undefeated in his last 80 fights as a professional, whose basic boxing skills in all categories always gave him the superior edge.
A simple boxing power hitter takes charge immediately. Wladimir has superior ring generalship because he always controls the tempo of the bout from start to finish, meaning every opposing game plan has been wrong, because the Wladimir challengers lack the power to change the tempo, or turn the tide. Wladimir is using an effective boxing techniques, but it is not exciting boxing. The heavyweight division is supposed to be exciting, but it lacks the electricity Muhammad Ali brought to it years ago. It lacks the competitive spirit an exciting heavyweight brings. There is no smell of an upset, and there has not been for years. Wladimir versus the shorter Povetkin was a televised farce. Wladimir versus Jennings promises to be much worse, even if Jennings goes the distance and he might.
Wladimir versus Jennings is not the greatest, it is simply the latest in the string of horrific Wladimir verus nobody matchups. Wladimir is getting hurt, knock downed, or challenged.The head and body of Jennings and others like him are easy grapefruit bullseye targets.
What Floyd Mayweather Jr. offers to boxing is promotional excitement, with or without Floyd. At least Floyd generates some electricity and interest. Floyd is well promoted, though neither he nor his opponents, in this writer’s view, are worth the senseless amount of money Floyd inspires. Pacquiao versus Floyd would have been of interest years ago, but Floyd and Pacman waited too long. Floyd knows the size disadvantage he enjoys over Manny is the key to victory, and Floyd full well expects to knock Pacquiao out because of it. Floyd and Pacman may go the distance, but the size discrepancy makes it a bad matchup after all.
Floyd’s claim to be greater than Muhammad Ali, because Ali lost to Leon Spinks the first time, is meritless. Ali just wanted to regain the world heavyweight title again. Floyd is a go man, Ali was a showman. Floyd is known for money and lights, Ali is known for his fighting nights. Unfortunately, Floyd versus Pacquiao does not establish Floyd’s legacy as one of the all-time greats in terms of boxing ability. It does, however, establish Floyd as one of the all-time greats in terms of marketability and knowledge of the fight game. Floyd is pushing his luck, and he has yet to fight someone capable of beating him. Pacquiao is simply a marquee name. Pacquiao lacks the punch of a GGG or a Keith Thurman, an Andre Ward or a Carl Froch. Floyd’s bouts are more promo hype than they are serious training. Strangely, Floyd can continue fighting like this for another five to six years, depending on who he fights. Floyd’s name is good enough he can promote forever despite the competition, and still make oodles of money doing it.
Muhammad Ali is still’ The Greatest’. Ali’s braggadocio is more than exaggerated talk. Ali’s personality lifted boxing about the tragedy of Benny Kid Paret versus Emile Griffith at Madison Square Garden, and brought boxing back into the limelight, pacing the way for Leonard-Hearns, Leonard-Duran, Hearns-Hagler, Leonard-Hagler and the super fights that followed, like Wladimir at The Garden. Floyd is a super fighter and a super warrior! Those titles fit. ‘The Greatest’ is a title reserved for Muhammad Ali, just like ‘The King’ is reserved for Little Richard and Elvis Presley, because that’s just the way it is. Sorry, Floyd.
Floyd may be somewhat jealous of Ali’s legacy, but Ali has a legacy because he fought the best of the best and ducked nobody, and it took Ali years to regain what was taken away from him. Ali’s bouts have traces of living history, and his opponents because as famous as he, because Ali’s legend got tangled up into the civil rights movement of the 1960’s when Ali refused to get drafted not the Vietnam War. With Floyd, that is not the case, as his opponents fell into immediate and permanent obscurity, except perhaps Canelo Alvarez and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Floyd and Pacquiao are the most popular fighters of the moment, but ‘today’ is a fleeting moment, for their stars are soon to fade away. Only then will Floyd’s legacy be judged in the context of the quality of his opponents. Floyd’s career is a Pay-Per-View promotional storm. How good he will be evaluated by boxing historians remains to be seen. Floyd will be remembered favorably after he retires. Ali will always be remembered as ‘The Greatest’ of all-time. Floyd is the moneymaker. The two are not of the same jive.
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