Lemmux retired at 37 - Wlad still going strong @ 38

The only name Wlad beat that was any good was Byrd.
He kept his ranking high by knocking out nobodies not even ranked in the top 20
He was the previous era's Wilder.

Beating Byrd doesn't earn you a title shot vs the Lineal HW champion of the world.

 

Wait, did you just actually state that in 2001-2003 Wlad was better that Vitali? Jesus christ.

I love this revisionist history.

 

Lewis not fighting Waldo and possibly beating him has majorly damaged 'The lion's' career legacy. Waldo has now surpassed Lewis in the ATG HW lists. Both are ATG top 10 HW's so Lewis still has a top notch legacy all the same.

 

I'll quickly remind you revisionists that it was Vitali who avenged his lil brothers losses, not Wlad "The great" himself.

 

Surpassed Lewis as an ATG because he managed to knock out Pulev?
Hahahahah

You Klitards are hilarious.

 

Yes of course. Vitali has always been the Buddy Baer to Waldo's Max ridding along his brothers coat tails. This is hardly news to a hardcore boxing fan. Are you new to the sport?

What exactly did Vitali do by 2003 to see him ranked as the better of the two brothers?

 

I'm not a 'Klitard'. Just a fan of the sport, but not a ******** like you which helps me acknowledge these finer points of the sport.

 

Most "hardcore" fans know Vitali only lost to Byrd due to an injury.
Vitali never really lost the WBO belt you and Wlad treasured and value so much.

Here's another newsflash for you.
If Vitali never retired early, your hero Wlad's legacy would look like ****. :deal

 

I've not even brought up Lamon Brewster knocking out Wlad yet.

That's another thing you should digest.
The likes of Brewster, Puritty and Sanders isn't ever knocking out Vitali.

 

Lewis received victory over Vitali on injury retirement, Byrd received a victory on Vitali on injury retirement. Both wins have the same amount of legitimacy.

Byrd's win over Vitali was better than Lewis'. He was just getting outpointed, Lewis was getting bludgeoned.

Byrd matches Lewis' best career win against Tua, Holyfield and Vitali.

All three wins are better quality as well.

 

Wlad's 2003 loss doesn't matter regarding this issue. We are talking about him being a top contender in 2000-2002.

He was a Top10 contender in 2000 and the #1 contender (+beltholder) in 2001 and 2002. Fact is he was more relevant to the division than Rahman, shot Tyson (who was a reasonable rival only cause of $$) or Kirk Johnson / Vitali Klitschko.

 

There's a huge difference from a rotator cuff and having your faced smashed in with gloves.
His arm injury, he had to quit himself to prolong his career.
What Lewis did to his face was more legitimate than a freak injury mid-fight.
Byrd was outpointing Vitali because he only had one arm.

Lewis' 3 best wins ain't Holyfield, Tua and Vitali.
Holyfield was way past his best when he faced Lewis, never mind Byrd.
Tua, again was past his best when he faced Lewis, never mind Byrd.

Vitali is one of Lewis' best wins.
His destruction of Ruddock was more impressive than beating either Holyfield or Tua for me.
Also what he did to Golata

 

The motivation was that every official judge and just about all of press row had Vitali ahead at the time of the cut stoppage.

Finally, two heavyweights his equal size emerge upon the heavyweight scene and all of a sudden Lennox does'nt have the motivation!

 

Wlad held the WBO belt.
As i said before, that thing was meaningless because Lewis was already regarded as the undisputed champion of the World.
He had to vacate one of his belts because he couldn't defend them all.
Why would he go for another belt just to replace it with more mandatory commitments it would bring?

Wlad was just a top ten Contender in 2000, with a paper-belt.

Lewis did his mandatory's during 2000
He did his mandatory defense vs Rahmen in 2001 also, but got knocked out and then went out to revenge that defeat later on in the year.
Wlad wasn't even on his radar during this time.
Then, the fight he always wanted. Mike Tyson.
Turn down Mike Tyson and 40 million for some unproven guy named Wlad? Why would he do that?

He beats Mike and has enough money to retire. Instead he sticks around and Vitali pays off his next mandatory for a shot at Lewis.
The rest is history.
If Team Klitch thought Wald was Superior during this time why didn't they stick Wlad in instead of Vitali?

 

Everybody had Foreman ahead vs Ali?
What the hell is your point?