Ron Lipton is high. I don't think there's a HW in history that could "annihilate" Vitali. Frankly I would favour Vitali against Louis, who wasn't particularly difficult to hit or particularly fleet footed.
If anyone could do it it would be Louis and the same Louis could possibly do that to any of the ATG heavyweights. I do feel Vitali is underrated and I feel would also give anyone a battle. Vitali was ahead with Lewis and had it not been for the brutal cut he would have been stronger...Lewis was 37 but Vitali got a real lift from that fight and Lewis would not rematch him for LARGE money. In reality a prime Vitali _ Kirk Johnson fight) gives anyone a tough go
Although I don't personal know Ron, I do know a few people that have heard some not so flattering stuff about the man. Cheech & Chong never reached the " high " that Ron is on. That, by the way, is what somebody else once said.
You make some fair points. Do you include Ali among former greats who couldn't compete in the era of giants, then? Also, Louis had two deadly knives!
Fans definitely get caught up too much with size. The main problem with today's heavyweight's is many, generally non-athletic boxers try to fight the same while the shorter ones do a terrible Joe Frazier impression. Some observers are talking about Tyson Fury's larger frame as an advantage, even on a strength basis...no way no how is Tyson stronger than Wladimir. It's a classic case of people seeing value in numbers where there actually is none. When we speak of Joe Louis we're talking of an exception to those rules that inhibit the average 6,2" 200 lbs. man. Rugby's great Jonah Lomu recently passed and many of the tributes spoke of how there has yet to be such a powerful guy on the pitch, not even in this protein-shake era where huge physiques are becoming standard. And to think his kidney ailment stopped him ever being 100% and you have your exception right there. 200 lbs. of Joe Louis is worth oodles more than your average 200 lbs. and he should rightfully be favoured to crash his right hand over Vitali's low left enough to chop the giant down.
No, I do not. Ali wasn't a small man! He was about 6'3" tall with an estimated 79" to 80" reach. In addition, he was very fast and had underrated power in his right hand. Rather strong in the clinches too. Joe Louis had deadly knives, but his accuracy on hitting a moving target was mediocre.
Vitali isn't exactly Fred Astaire, though. A really bad version of Lewis had no trouble finding him. I thought Ali would get his usual pass. Ali couldn't break an egg in comparison to Louis, yet Ali can compete in this era and Louis can't?:huh
Hold the phone. I never said Louis can't compete in this era! I think he could, but I also think he'd have more losses in the same amount of fights. His chin wasn't the best, and his defense I think was leaky vs skilled men his size or smaller. His footwork I think was mechanical and not quick enough to track faster fighters down. And he would be giving up a lot of height, reach and weight. BUT he had excellent offensive skills, versatility in his punches and combinations and ATG power with very good hand speed! Louis also had great stamina, and 12 rounds would IMO hurt him more than help him. In fact, if the Conn fight was 12 rounds... Ali could punch. Ask Foreman, Liston, or Frazier as he KO'd them. Or ask Ron Lyle, who while ahead on points ( My card ) until he was sent reeling from one big right hand that lead to the TKO. Ali, when he wanted to commit to a power punch had decent power. Combined with attrition, this was good enough to stop most. Oscar Bonevena was one tough nut to crack. Ali knocked him out.
Lewis himself said Vitali was very hard to hit and called him the most award fight he fought. Was Lewis really that bad, or did Vitali make him look bad? The truth is probably in-between. Vitali was hard to hit period.
I'll help him out. All you need to do is copy and paste it, you can also change the colors here... Former referee Ron Lipton, who has sparred with umpteen world-class fighters in his time, was recently asked for his assessment of Vitali Klitschko, who is generally acknowledged to be the superior sibling of the Klitschko brothers.
No, I think he's better in just about every part of boxing. But he can move around the ring quickly, and throw lots of punches, so in that respect they are similar.