Quote Originally Posted by Y
Ichigo was obviously more powerful and Byakuya was obviously more skilled (and had more stamina due to Ichigo struggling to suppress his Hollow). Before the fight even starts Ichigo blocks and destroys the giant million-strong phoenix zanpakutou. Then he stupidly fights Byakuya's Bankai with his Shikai and gets completely fucked up, bleeding out everywhere, etc. Even after that, he goes into Bankai and easily defeats Byakuya's Bankai. It's only after he refuses to kill him in one strike and lets himself get worn down by Byakuya's superior stamina and skill that he gets into a losing position.
Agreed, I was simply commenting on the idea of Ichigo barely wining after the final clash when he didn't. Ichigo is stronger than Byakuya for sure.