How many people on earth could beat Karelin in a wrestling match right now?

[Outlaw8888]

Karelin is 51 years old...but the guy is still huge.

How many people alive could beat him right now, in Greco or Freestyle?

Only a few of the top SHW wrestlers?

 

[efficientjudo]

If you stepped on the mat and Karelin was your opponent, you would just be in awe and bow down to his legendary status.

 

[dsdoubled]

Almost 20 years removed from competition after a very long and hard career, Karelin has to have slowed down immensely. Why don't we start by agreeing that he wouldn't beat a single Greco HW at the world championships.

 

[Te Huna Matata]

In Freestyle, a couple. In greco, I still think he'd handle most of the world level talent.

 

[j123]

We're Sherdoggers, no one is a match for us

 

[giatinu]

No 51 year old man is going to beat me in any kind of combat sport. So you can count me as one of those dudes that would beat him.

 

[Calibur]

No 51 year old man is going to beat me in any kind of combat sport. So you can count me as one of those dudes that would beat him.

You are bold.

I'm in a room with 50 year olds right now who could beat my ass on a good day.

 

[skibum90]

I don't think he is beating most world level Greco or Freestyle wrestlers at heavyweight or a weightclass or two below. He has been retired for 18 years and is 51 years old. There aren't any 50 year old world champions for a reason.

 

[Daniel Fox]

No 51 year old man is going to beat me in any kind of combat sport. So you can count me as one of those dudes that would beat him.

This comment actually shows your inexperience. Do you really think you could take Tom and Terry Brands in a wrestling match (or a fight for that matter)? Do you think you could take Bernard Hopkins in a boxing match?

 

[Daniel Fox]

Almost 20 years removed from competition after a very long and hard career, Karelin has to have slowed down immensely. Why don't we start by agreeing that he wouldn't beat a single Greco HW at the world championships.

Although I have tremendous respect for your knowledge and passion for the sport. I would have to disagree with this statement. Karelin went 11 years in top international competition without a loss, he was head and shoulders above everyone. Would he be a world and Olympic Champion after being removed from wrestling for so many years? Who knows? Do think he could still beat many people competing in international competition? Absolutely.

 

[dsdoubled]

Although I have tremendous respect for your knowledge and passion for the sport. I would have to disagree with this statement. Karelin went 11 years in top international competition without a loss, he was head and shoulders above everyone. Would he be a world and Olympic Champion after being removed from wrestling for so many years? Who knows? Do think he could still beat many people competing in international competition? Absolutely.

I suppose its not entirely unfathomable. Apparently he still gets on the mat and helps with the kids. And I think a 50 year old comeback would go better in Greco than it would in freestyle so he'd have that going for him. But he is starting to look and move like a 50 year old man. Could he beat someone of the world stage? Probably. But to beat a wrestler at the world championships he would be beating a national champion which almost always implies extremely skilled, extremely athletic, extremely strong, or all of the above. Wrestlers attempting comebacks at or near 40+ have had varying levels of success (Cary Kolat, Kendall Cross, Andre Metzger, Kurt Angle, Rulon Gardner, etc) but none of them have made world teams. I did a quick youtube search to see if I could find what Karelin moves like in 2018 and this is what I found:

 

[franklinstower]

We're Sherdoggers, no one is a match for us

Agreed. I personally am 6'4 250 pounds of pure muscle AND I have watched countless MMA matches and wrestling matches. I am prepared for any former champion that was probably on steroids anyway.

 

[dsdoubled]

Although I have tremendous respect for your knowledge and passion for the sport.

And thank you for the kind words.

 

[JinKazama]

probably not gonna beat the current upper echelon of Olympic level talent but everyone else he smokes easily

yea hes old, but cmon man hes freakin karelin

 

[Daniel Fox]

I suppose its not entirely unfathomable. Apparently he still gets on the mat and helps with the kids. And I think a 50 year old comeback would go better in Greco than it would in freestyle so he'd have that going for him. But he is starting to look and move like a 50 year old man. Could he beat someone of the world stage? Probably. But to beat a wrestler at the world championships he would be beating a national champion which almost always implies extremely skilled, extremely athletic, extremely strong, or all of the above. Wrestlers attempting comebacks at or near 40+ have had varying levels of success (Cary Kolat, Kendall Cross, Andre Metzger, Kurt Angle, Rulon Gardner, etc) but none of them have made world teams. I did a quick youtube search to see if I could find what Karelin moves like in 2018 and this is what I found:

With an exception to possibly the United States, Russia (and other former Soviet Republics), and Iran. I believe Karelin could take out many National Champions, even the way he is now.

 

[dsdoubled]

With an exception to possibly the United States, Russia (and other former Soviet Republics), and Iran. I believe Karelin could take out many National Champions, even the way he is now.

DNot forget that Cuba has many top upper weight greco guys too. I disagree but after looking at the videos I posted I feel he's still more capable than I thought he'd be.

 

[Daniel Fox]

DNot forget that Cuba has many top upper weight greco guys too. I disagree but after looking at the videos I posted I feel he's still more capable than I thought he'd be.

Is Mijain Lopez still wrestling? He was a badass. I think the problem for older guys would be the tournaments, having to wrestle multiple guys. When David Severn was training for States (and he is a two time State Champion) he was wrestling with his dad and his dad's friends who were in their 40's and 50's, the old guys were getting the better of him, it's just that they didn't have the stamina. Dan,(David's father) had the old guys rotate in with David staying in the middle. No one David faced in the Michigan State Championships were equal to his training partners. Granted, a Michigan State Championship is no where near the world level. The point that I am trying to make is in a 6 minute match I think Karelin could hold his own against anyone in the world. An actual tournament would be hard for him.

 

[cjd]

42. We've finally found the question that it's the answer for.

In all likelihood, Karelin would be overwhelmed by the top tier. At the Olympics - where your country actually has to qualify the weight (either through placing at their continental games or through the qualification tournament), it's unlikely the he would be able to beat anyone outside of maybe someone from maybe the African/Oceania qualifiers. He could probably hang though with at the least the second tier though.

At the world championship (held in non-Olympic years), where a nation qualifies to send a wrestler simply by sending someone to their continental championship that year (no need to place - the brackets are much bigger at worlds than the Olympics, which caps the number of wrestlers), he could probably knock out many guys from the weaker half of the field with ease.

When David Severn was training for States (and he is a two time State Champion) he was wrestling with his dad and his dad's friends who were in their 40's and 50's, the old guys were getting the better of him, it's just that they didn't have the stamina. Dan,(David's father) had the old guys rotate in with David staying in the middle. No one David faced in the Michigan State Championships were equal to his training partners. Granted, a Michigan State Championship is no where near the world level.

There is a huge difference between a high school aged kid and an a grown man (even in his 40s). I've wrestled with some pretty good teenagers - kids who were better than I was in high school - in the recent past who are the same size as me, over even ones who have a touch of weight on me - I'm a 33 year old former collegiate wrestler - as I can just completely manhandle them. Obviously I have quite a bit of technical depth on them, but difference in physical strength is palpable... men and boys.

 

[Human Bass]

DNot forget that Cuba has many top upper weight greco guys too. I disagree but after looking at the videos I posted I feel he's still more capable than I thought he'd be.

First video confirms: Karelin has Mendes brothers level guard.

 

[dsdoubled]

Is Mijain Lopez still wrestling? He was a badass. I think the problem for older guys would be the tournaments, having to wrestle multiple guys. When David Severn was training for States (and he is a two time State Champion) he was wrestling with his dad and his dad's friends who were in their 40's and 50's, the old guys were getting the better of him, it's just that they didn't have the stamina. Dan,(David's father) had the old guys rotate in with David staying in the middle. No one David faced in the Michigan State Championships were equal to his training partners. Granted, a Michigan State Championship is no where near the world level. The point that I am trying to make is in a 6 minute match I think Karelin could hold his own against anyone in the world. An actual tournament would be hard for him.

Lopez actually just wrestled for the 1st time since Rio and took gold easily at the Central American Games. It would've been interesting if the hw wrestling for Chile was there since he just won world bronze and is actually Cuban. Lopez says he is stepping aside for the new Cuban hw as far as world teams go BUT he plans on going for his 4th gold in Tokyo.

As for the Karelin debate and the point about older wrestlers and strength and tournament endurance; I am sure Karelin is still crazy strong and obviously skilled but I have to think his athleticism and hunger to compete has waned since 2000. He sustained some really tough injuries in his career and age don't help that either. 51 is just too old to beat world championship level hw's . Especially nowadays with such easy access to high level training and wrestlers from different countries cross training with other powerhouse wrestling countries.