Which 40 year olds would've beaten the 2015 version of Wladimir Klitschko?

[crusader]

From any era..

This obviously involves discussion of boxers from the past, but Wlad is still active and I'd like some input from this section's regulars.

[bigjack]

larry Holmes ? using similar tactics he used to beat Mercer
George Foreman ? would just plough through him and ko him

[crusader]

Those are the first two possibilites that came to my mind, though I'm having trouble thinking of others.

Vitali?

[JCS]

Hitting 4-0 isn't a great thing if you're expecting to remain at an elite level. Not too many. Vitali and Big George are good call outs.

Lennox retired just prior to 40.. but if he hung around to 40, he probably had a fair chance.

[Freedom2013]

Hitting 4-0 isn't a great thing if you're expecting to remain at an elite level. Not too many. Vitali and Big George are good call outs.

Lennox retired just prior to 40.. but if he hung around to 40, he probably had a fair chance.

Lennox's last fight was at age 37 against Vitali.

Foreman wasn't really that good in the 90s, he lost to HWs like Morrison. Moorer was much smaller.

[bigjack]

Those are the first two possibilites that came to my mind, though I'm having trouble thinking of others.

Vitali?

i didn't mention Vitali for obvious reasons,but if they had fought i'd add him to my list.

[JCS]

Hitting 4-0 isn't a great thing if you're expecting to remain at an elite level. Not too many. Vitali and Big George are good call outs.

Lennox retired just prior to 40.. but if he hung around to 40, he probably had a fair chance.

Lennox's last fight was at age 37 against Vitali.

Foreman wasn't really that good in the 90s, he lost to HWs like Morrison. Moorer was much smaller.

Wlad looked pretty shitty last night.

[Cent0089]

40 y old Foreman would demolish this version of Wlad .... but i dont give other heavies much chances at this age

[Ade L]

Briggs.

[Tony1244]

Not many people which is good reason people shouldn't be so hard on Wlad for his performance.

His brother Vit and possible Larry Holmes. I think Foreman is great, but remember the Foreman @ 40 had his hands filled with Crawford Grimsley and Axel Shultz.

Archie Moore, if we could get a 21st century, 6'3,'' 230 LBS version of him. Yes, I know if my Aunt had ....

[jezzamundo]

Briggs.

I hope that's a joke.

[fanman]

Holyfield? I know he was shot by then but still he had something left, should have got the decision v valuev years later.

[Boxing Writer]

Holyfield? I know he was shot by then but still he had something left, should have got the decision v valuev years later.

Yes, but Valuev was awful. I'd favour Larry Holmes and probably Foreman to beat this version of Wlad. I don't consider Vitali since brothers would never fight each other.

[RScarf1]

Muhammad Ali...just kidding.

Seriously, Antonio Tarver and maybe Roy Jones Jr when he was a heavyweight.

[Lackeos]

I don't think any 40-year-old would beat 2015 Wladimir Klitschko. I'm inclined to think Wlad would be a narrow favorite over 40-year-old Vitali, who I think was starting to fall apart more noticeably than Wlad has. Like others have mentioned, Lennox was slightly going downhill at 37, and would've been totally finished if he stayed until 40. 40-year-old George Foreman was not some beast, he was barely inside of the division's top 10.

[Lackeos]

Muhammad Ali...just kidding.

Seriously, Antonio Tarver and maybe Roy Jones Jr when he was a heavyweight.

34-year-old RJJ at heavyweight wasn't 40 years old.

[drunkenpiper36]

I don't think any of them.. Maybe his own brother, but Vitali wasn't looking too good in his last couple fights. The rest of the crew was pretty shot by forty or didn't have the size or physical tools to get the job done.

[Tony1244]

Muhammad Ali...just kidding.

Seriously, Antonio Tarver and maybe Roy Jones Jr when he was a heavyweight.

I know you were kidding, but it's interesting how The Greatest was completely shot by around 35. So was Joe Louis. Dempsey and Marciano were retired by 35.

I'm no Klitschko lover, I usually have rooted for the other guy, but we should all take about to be 40 into perspective here, because Wlad has been criticized greatly for his lackluster performance.

[lillywhite14]

40 is a very advanced age for any fighter but its extremely advanced for a heavyweight. Very few examples of 40 yr old heavyweights being anywhere near their best. It's quite probable that Wlad is the best 40 yr old heavyweight ever!

[TheGman]

Cant see big george beating him when he lost to shannon briggs,evander holyfield and tommy morrison,larry holmes probably had a better chance cause he was a good mover even against tyson and wlad would of had to try and throw the head on him to slow him down

[man]

i think age was not the real factor in this fight.

[Batley18]

I think Ali as he is now would probably have beaten Wlad.