Vitali vs Lewis - Did this fight prove Vitali's quality?

Well it depends on how you see it. Vitali was struggling with a past prime out of shape fat Lewis and got stopped. I agree though this fight shows how good Vitali was to an extent. Even though Lewis was past prime he still had something left. For those rounds that he went straight toe to toe with Lewis. I'd say Vitali is pretty skilled and has a good chin. I might favor that Vitali over Fury today.

 

That's what I mean even though Lewis was at his heaviest ever and had been inactive he still had something left. That Lewis would be near the top today.

 

TKO6.

 

The fight was too short, the stoppage out of the ordinary. Hard to tell much.

Highlights:
Lewis's issues with a taller awkward jabber (Vitali)
Vitali's defensive flaws (which opened the cut on his brow)

I really wish Vitali had a better managed career. He should have come to the US earlier and trained under a reputable coach.

 

TKO2

 

No. Only proved Lennox Lewis greatness.

 

Nothing questionable about that stoppage. Vit's face was cut pretty badly in a couple of spots. If the cut man can't contain the bleeding, they have to stop it.

That said, big Vit was game that entire fight.

 

KO5.

 

I beg to differ, Vitali's face was falling apart that night and was definitely much worse than Fury's cut. His performance while brave wasn't something spectacular since he lost to a old, out of shape, inactive Lewis.

TKO6

 

How was the stoppage out of the ordinary? The man's eye was terrible. something terrible.

 

If he had won yeah , but not really cos he lost.

Frank Bruno done better than Vitali against a primer version of Lewis.

 

Most likely if he did not had real problems with shoulder. Ppl are thinking that these were just excuses, however he had some problems relatively long before Byrd fight.
Otherwise yeah, if he did not had this, then most likely you are correct with this.
Someone like Steward might had taught him a lot.