Yet he couldn't land a clean blow on Byrd and Kingpin Johnson because of their movement up top. He ducked out of that Byrd rematch became of how frustrating it was for him to land clean. . Vitali has limited punches and they only go in one direction - forward. Frazier is a nightmare for a one dimensional guy like Vitali.
He was easier to hit that Frazier. . Unless you think Byrd could do to Ali what Frazer did to him? There isn't a moment of the Byrd fight where Vitali hurt , dazed or even stunned Chris Byrd and that is because of his hard to hit upper body movement.. You know that same type of upper body movement that gave Ali absolute nightmares. And i would argue that Frazer moved his head and upperbody a lot quicker than Byrd did.
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I don't know if Byrd could have beaten Ali, it depends on how hard he could hit. But I think his defense was in some way better than Frazier's. IMO Frazier was easier to figure out and time
Vitali had shoulder issues from round 3 on vs Byrd, making him a one armed fighter that could not use his left hand for jabs very well or throw hard left hooks He was still beating him and was never in danger. Really , this Chris Byrd fight is getting pretty old and tired. Vitali was winning on all cards and had to retire because he tore his left shoulder ligaments. Byrd did pretty well, but lets not make it out like Vitali was at 100% to begin with. Especially after round 3. Did I are already mention Vitali was winning anyway even one armed?
Frazier is a lot better than anyone Vitali ever beat. Vitali wouldn't be the best fighter Frazier ever beat. Frazier, far more proven fighter here.
He tore his shoulder ligaments. Byrd certainly did not cause it. Vitali constantly beating on him did.
This. Frazier’s bobbing and weaving style and the way he sticks to guys like glue and his smashing body blows are all wrong for Vitali. Vitali does great when he has an big target in front of him, but not so great against opponents that can stay in close and attack him. Backing up against Frazier is a very bad idea. However, If this were Wlad I could see Frazier having a hard time, since without a good referee to keep Wlad in check Wlad would just clinch and lay on Frazier the whole fight.
Perhaps we should make 2 versions of Vitali . One version is the healthy , undefeated , never knocked down, highest KO% in history one. And the other one can be Vitali with one arm, or missing an eye. Then we could give those other ATG's a solid chance to win.