People were buzzed for the Solis fight. I remember it well, and people were up for that one. It was an OK defence, sadly one of his better ones.
Odlanier Solis had beaten everyone in the amateurs - Felix Savon, David Haye, Sultan Ibragimov, Kubrat Pulev - won every medal there was to win. Defected from Cuba. Turned pro to great fanfare. Became Vitali's WBC Mandatory Contender in just 17 fights. Solis was supposed to be the first Cuban heavyweight to defect and win the World Heavyweight Title. He was supposed to show us what would've happened if Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon had been allowed to turn pro. He was supposed to be a part of the new wave of former Communist fighters who became pros. And Vitali stopped him in one. It was a solid defense by Vitali. After the loss, Solis became a joke. But Solis wasn't a joke going into the fight. Some top amateur world and Olympic champs get title shots quickly and turn out to be great, and some crash and burn. But Vitali still had to beat him in order for us to find out which path Solis would take.
It doesn’t matter how much one lauds over Solis’ amateur record, his glory in the ams never once looked like being replicated in the pros - Period.
Audley was worse than some of the guys Solis beat on the way up. Solis is a Biggs or Boytsov type. Audley is more like David Price.
The only comparison I’ve made between Audley and Solis is that neither of them converted their amateur success into pro success - and they never looked like doing so - That’s a fact.
Had Jeffries lost via KO to Hank Griffin, Griffin is the next champ. It's a fight with a purse. Sam Mcvey was a teenager, who quit the game for a year. He wasn't an option, only his manager made a low purse offer ( Compared to what he was getting ) to the press. Childs wasn't worthy of a title shot to Jeffries. Jeffries fought better men than that. Childs lost FIVE times and drew three times while Jeffries was champion. Sure, that type of record says he was worthy of a title shot vs Jeffries as champion! Don;t you see how foolish your ascertain look? You brought this crap up, I just correct you. And yes, papers report they did fight, and Jeffries Ko'd them. Can't be proven without a news write up but I tend to think papers are right more than wrong on reported results.
In the context of the WBC and Vitali tending to pick guys, who resided in the lower-end of the The Ring rankings (if they were actually rated there), I'd agree that it was an OK defense, comparatively. I do vaguely recall the sense of anticipation the fight held, but Solis' prior and rather labored DQ victory, from his fairly pedestrian affair with a 40-year old Austin, hadn't exactly lit a fire of awe. To me, any ideas that he represented a genuine challenge to Vitali were more than a bit of a stretch. Nonetheless, I'd have liked to have seen a contest, which hadn't resulted in such an early injury to Solis.
Nope McVey's manager guaranteed Jeffries $18,000 and he turned it down.He got less for his fights with Finnegan,Kennedy, and Munroe. McVey at 205lbs would have been the biggest class man Jeffries fought as champion. "It really looks as if Jeffries will have to fight a black man or quit the game. McVey's easy victory over Denver Ed Martin had boomed the first named's stock at the coast and a battle between McVey and Jack Johnson Should now be a big drawing card.With this over,there would be nothing further to consider ,but a match between the winner and Jeffries." Detroit Free Press Sept 1903. " I will fight any white man on earth but there is no chance of me ever crawling through the ropes with a **** "Jim Jeffries 1903 Childs had beaten the following men Armstrong 3 times by KO went the distance to a draw with Jeffries Klondike 5 times 4 by ko Butler Byers Everett x2 Bonner Russell x3 Baker kod in3, it took Jeffries 9 rds a year earlier. Kennedy Are you going to tell me he wasnt a better opponent than Finnegan, Kennedy,and Munroe, three men who got title chances against Jeffries?
Yet you didn't mention this in any of your posts. "I think McGrain if he wanted to due to the title of his thread justice, he could have said multiple shoulders and back injuries which required surgery and politics took about five years away fro his ring career. Most of these injuries were due to being both an amateur and professional kick boxing champion." Injuries, politics and opponents avoiding him could have fit the title. Not a bad post by the way, the truth is everntually coming out. Like Ali, Vitali probably missed his best years on the ring.
Why would I? It was an appraisal of Vitali's opposition. That's all it was. There is absolutely no place in that huge post, containing vast amounts of information and opinion, to start going on about the various alibis you want supplied for one of your favourites.
