Is Wilder the most unique HW in history?

[Robbie Barrett]

He gives up weight. skills. in every single fight.

yet he wins by KO.

he has got to be the hardest puncher to ever put on boxing gloves. there has never been a boxer as unskilled as Deontay.

If he can't win by KO, he wins by robbery.

[evets]

Dunno how people can rate Furys performance so highly and in almost the same breath claim Wilder has nothing. He clearly has some degree of skill whether you like him or not or Fury would have had a boring fight like Klitschko where he completely neutered him and had him lacking the confidence to throw.

[Robbie Barrett]

Dunno how people can rate Furys performance so highly and in almost the same breath claim Wilder has nothing. He clearly has some degree of skill whether you like him or not or Fury would have had a boring fight like Klitschko where he completely neutered him and had him lacking the confidence to throw.

He has no skill. He just hits hard. Even utter bums can land punches.

[bballchump11]

George Foreman doesn't look that impressive either.

[HeadShots]

If he can't win by KO, he wins by robbery.

[D4thincarnation]

Can you imagine what some of the past greats would have done to him, so open to counters, so open to that left hook.

[Heru]

Well he has:

Elite height
Elite reach
Elite power
Elite hand speed (for the HW division)
Elite stamina (for the HW division) (carries his power from first bell to last)
Elite resilience (the mental toughness to weather storms and comeback)

You package all of that together and you have one tough SOB regardless of perceived lack of boxing skill (which he does have, but not as much as Fury).

[Mr. Philadel]

He's definitely different from any hw champion I’ve ever seen...I never seen anything like him before... I mean that in a good and bad way

[Marchegiano]

I realize this is just a let's make fun of Wilder thread but I'm still gonna ramble about technique and maybe some history too.

I do honestly believe in a pure boxing match where there is no power or damage just art and grace Deontay Wilder would box Rocky Marciano's ears off even if they were the same size.

Marciano is your purest puncher in history not Deontay Wilder.

Take a peek at Wilder's footwork. I know you want to call it **** but before we go comparing him to guys with excellent classic points boxing footwork let's just compare him to Marciano for a second.

Notice in your first few gifs how Wilder lunges with a Marciano-like left and misses wildly similarly to how Marciano used to?

Well watch Marciano throw his left hook. It isn't often he'll throw a punch like that without crossing his feet when he steps and/or fully leaping. Mostly because he was short but as you probably know this isn't proper boxing footwork. It is usually seen as a very basic mistake.

When you move forward you move your lead foot first and bring the back up after. When you move left you step with your left foot first, so on. You do not cross step in boxing unless you are very far away or very quick and mean to get very far away because the moment you do your balance is ****.

Wilder not only does this cross stepping less often but when he does try to do it he fails...see your third gif.

Notice how in all these, gifs 1, 2, and 3, Wilder punches first then moves his foot with the momentum after like the punch is dragging him along for the ride? Notice how Marciano steps first and brings his punch along for the ride with him to finish it after? The difference isn't just because of body type but also fundamental theory. Marciano puts absolutely everything into his big punches. He never gives up any form of offensive benefit for the benefit of defense. Wilder does actually. He's not stepping first because he likes to use his his height and speed to run away. Where Marciano would be able to successfully launch himself Wilder slips and falls because his feet are not ready for those style punches. Wilder's feet are ready to abandon his big punches at anytime until he throws his punches and his feet get dragged along with them.

Marciano is the more pure puncher, his punching technique is perfect it's why his record is perfect. His boxing technique by consequence is pretty **** to none existent.

I mean have you seen Marciano jab? It's not pretty but Marciano's Walcott 1 KO is a work of art.

Wilder shuffles into range like any other boxer in history. Look at Foreman, look at Frazier, Shavers, Tyson, etc other hard hitters. They're all going to shuffle into range regardless of body type. Marciano is going to cross step and/or leap into it with a heavy strike that leaves him crazy open to counter if you can successfully predict him.

It takes a real gladiator to do it and that's what Marciano was, a Spartan. He looks like a sword and shield toting hoplite when he fights because he is. I don't mean that hyperbolically, I mean Sparta invented the training and Marciano fits the bill for what Philostratus describes much more than he does any model of a boxer even when compared to other small or light in weight heavy punchers.

Where the feet go the hands follow ya know? This kind of minor difference in footwork presents a major difference in skill set and formula. Wilder's got a much nicer jab than Marciano and has a defense first attitude toward footwork that Marciano lacks.

Obviously I'm a fan of them both and don't really see anything you highlighted as a deficit but I definitely see one as more of a boxer than the other. There's very little boxer in either but less in Marciano than Wilder.

[MastaBlasta]

I realize this is just a let's make fun of Wilder thread but I'm still gonna ramble about technique and maybe some history too.

Obviously I'm a fan of them both and don't really see anything you highlighted as a deficit but I definitely see one as more of a boxer than the other. There's very little boxer in either but less in Marciano than Wilder.

What a great comment (all of it) about the detail of boxing. The fan-boys of this site won't care/consider most of that .... they are cheerleaders and it doesn't fit their agenda. But youve got me reviewing film with a different perspective.