This is how overrated I believe he is. John Ruiz was a boring heavyweight but he knew how to win fights against bigger stronger opponents and putting in perspective how "good" Vitali really is. Ruiz would be Champ in this era of bums.
Lewtards glossing over tko2 and ko5 (two real losses) while larging up tko6 and rtd9 (two losses due to injury, not KO's)
no need to gloss up 2 losses if you completely avenge them. on the other hand, if you run scared shitless from them in your prime....
vitali did make history, first shw titleholder to be beat by a natural MW. no one has been so poor since the days of booby fitzsimmons.
No...I dont believe I ever have "glossed" over Lewis's loses to McCall and Rahman. Against McCall he lost to a better prepared fighter with a better game plan and as a result hired that fighters trainer and changed a great deal of his style in the aftermath, where as against Rahman he did no training whatsoever - filmed a scene for Oceans 11 instead - and turned up in Africa days before the fight giving himself no time to acclimatize. Both are fully legitimate losses, both exposed Lewis's flaws - different flaws for different fights but flaws nonetheless. This still does not change the fact that Vitali wasn't good enough to get the job done when he fought Lewis, and that bringing up Lewis's losses to McCall and Rahman only makes Vitali look bad, because McCall and Rahman stopped with one punch a fighter that Vitali couldn't stop despite throwing all he had at him, that when given a similar opportunity to the one Vitali was given against Lewis they took advantage of it where he failed.
Ruiz was a multiple time champ in an era with Lennox Lewis and both Klits.. Much stronger than this one.
Quit job in 9, TKO6. Fought an incredibly weak reasume and never sought to rematch Byrd. Missed more than 20 Ring rated top ten fighters while active fighting less than a handful leaving his lil brother to clean out the division. Is an admitted steroid cheat.
I personally think RJJ in his prime was, Vitali is one of the most skilled Heavyweights of all time though.
All true. Haters are grasping to the straws trying hard to discredit Vitali. All in vain. True boxing fans and experts know the facts.