[h=5]Vitali Klitschko is easily one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. 2nd highest KO percentage of any champ, would be better but he's lost the power a bit at the end of his career. Iron jaw never been down or really hurt. Always well ahead on the scorecards, never in a close fight always dominant. 2 losses on record, was well ahead against Byrd before shoulder injury and against Lewis stopped on cuts when it looked like he was winning. Can't think of many guys that would get near him or do any damage. He would have definitely KO'd his brother if they would fight![/h]
Also, this thread overrates Vitali terribly. He isn't that good. His best win is a loss to a fat old Lewis in Lewis' last fight. He was ahead on the scorecards, but looked ready to go. He looks good beating up on cans, but I think he'd lose with room to spare against a prime Lewis, Holyfield, or Bowe. Mercer and even Moorer would give him fits.. Ibeabuchi would give him all he could handle, that would be an interesting fight. And that's just the 90s.
Lewis is my favourite fighter, but I disagree entirely that Vitali was ready to go (other than the eye, obviously). I think he would have beat the fuck out of Moorer too.
Who has Vitali ever beaten that comes even close to a prime MM? A prime Moorer would be Vitali's best win by a LONG shot. The converse isn't true, though.
I don't think it's relevant tbh, Vitali can't be held responsible for his competition. It's not liked he ducked anybody. The one ATG he did fight he performed very well against and was ahead when it was stopped. I'd say even the version of LL he did fight was better than Moorer.
Worth pointing out, that unlike Wlad, he's never been in any trouble at all against the rest of his non-ATG competition, so you can't knock him for it.
Would you say Vitali was in his physical/mental prime when he fought Lewis? Do you think he came out of the Lewis fight an improved/disimproved/unchanged fighter, in any way? Looked ready to go...........but didn't. As Reed pointed out in the Mongol Boner thread, ready to go and gone are different things. Lewis was of course fresh and bouncing. Looked good beating up on cans. You know who didn't? Lots of the guys you said would beat him or give him fits. Ibeabuchi.........see Ayala Jr, Psycho Killer Valero etc. Larry Holmes can handle Mercer but Vitali cannot? This is sound logic. Moorer? MOORER? Michael Moore has as good a shot as Michael Moorer.
Not only that, but he dealt with guys like Larry Byrd and Herbie Hide a fuck load better than Riddick Bowe did. And did a better job on Ross Purritty and Vaughn Bean than Moorer, Holyfield, Sanders, Morrison, Sanders, Wlad or Byrd did, respectively. Vitali is just better, in every regard, except in terms of motor issues. He's remarkably fluid for a large man, but he's not a patch on Wlad. Vitali with Wlad;s movement and reflexes is probably as complete a fighter as you get. I keep stressing it.....go back to the late 90's before the Byrd fight....he was faster than Carl Froch. He was a grossly disimproved fighter, physically, by the time of the Lewis fight. All the Lewis fight did was purge, in his mind, any doubts he had of himself after the Byrd debacle. And it planted a whole load of them in Lewis own mind, and that's why he never took the "easy" money for the rematch. I still fancy Lewis to win, its a styles thing, Vitali likes shorter guys rushing in so he can check-hook them into oblivion, but the convenient notion that Lewis just "trains for the rematch and destroys him" is complete shit. In any event, its all moot now.
Ibeabuchi knocked out the guy he quit against. Who did Ibeabuchi look bad against? Mercer was winning against Holmes before he got tired. Vitali isn't Holmes, regardless I didn't say he'd beat him, I said he'd give him fits (though he might well beat him). Mercer would also be Vitali's best win by a LONG shot.
That's fine, but as I said, you can't hold Vitali's competition against him, it's not his fault he was born into a shite era. He didn't beat Lewis but was winning the fight and tried everything to get the rematch.
Just who did Ray Mercer ever beat? Guy couldn't even beat a non-leaning tower of Wlad who stood right in front of him. Tommy Morrison is Mercers best win. Ibeabuchi looked bad against all those guys he never fought when he was in prison, just like Tony "DURAN WAS MADE FOR ME" Ayala.
Mercer was 39 & well past his best when he fought wald pussy. Tommy Morrison is better than wald pussy's best win. Mercer also beat a guy called Tim Witherspoon, who would've had wald pussy doing something alliterative in an alliterative time and place. Oh, and since you guys want to bring up Vitali getting stopped by the 38 year old Lewis, Mercer gave Lewis one of the better fights of his career. So turning around your own moron logic on you, "Mercer can give a prime Lennox fits, but he can't give Vitali fits?" Ibeabuchi beat better fighters than either wald pussy or Vitali
:: I reckon if I went into a mosque and took a giant shit on the Imams head that I would get more slack than if I mentioned Vitali to loaded. Klitschkos....just live with them man.
Vitaly was floored by Sanders, has a putrid resume, struggled with Chisora and retired to duck Rahamn. He's good, but far from being as good as you paint him to be.
He was not decked by Sanders. That's as Orwellian as it gets. He does not have a putrid resume. He did not "struggle" with Chisora. And even if he had, 40 year olds are allowed to struggle, especially if they have one arm. He did not retire to duck Rahman. He would have fucked Rahman up. Of course, if he had done so, he'd merely have beaten a guy that lost 4 out of 5 to old Evander, Lewis, and Shitty Maskaev. So what's the difference?
Mercer was well past done by the time he fought Wlad. What I am saying...you already know this, but it doesn't work for your argument, so...
] I know what you are saying. And what I am saying is that even if Mercer was done, he had plenty of chances to land and get Wlad to fold, as it was old Wlad that night. Mercer beating, or even remotely bothering Vitali, is ridiculous. Its target practice. Nobody fights big better than Vitali. Ray would look and feel a very small dude in there. As for the "Ray fought well until he got tired" angle {not yours} I might usefully respond by pointing out that Tommy Morrison fought well against Mercer. Until he got tired. ::
Mercer was so hot and cold you never know what kind of fight you might get out of him. But on his best nights I could see him giving Vitali a good fight. But if it's one of his bad nights, he looks like any other hapless Vitali victim on the way to a wide decision loss.
Wlad leans cos he cant fight. He didn't lean that night. Still won. Just saying. There;s more angry klit haters here than at the annual Somali infibulators conference.