Do you consider Vitali a quitter for quitting against the feather-fisted Chris Byrd?

Klitschko supporters strongly argue that despite the fact that Vitali blatantly quit on his stool against Chris Byrd, that he somehow should not be labeled as a "quitter". This is absolutely preposterous. They cite his shoulder injury as justification for Vitali violating one of boxing's most cardinal sins: quitting.

But Vitali didn't just quit; it's one thing to quit when you're getting the crap beaten out of you. But Vitali quit when he was shutting Byrd out with only 9 minutes to go. And perhaps you could justify quitting had Byrd been a devastating puncher or a voracious pressure fighter, but Chris Byrd was a light hitting counterpuncher.

Vitali showed that when the going got tough, he chose to take the easy way out instead of fighting like a true champion.

So the poll is now open. Do you consider Vitali a quitter?

 

Vitali could have, and should have, continued against Byrd and attempted to jab his way to victory, for the reasons you mentioned: he had 3 rounds to go in a fight he was well ahead in against a light puncher. It was a black mark on his career.

However, to me he redeemed himself to at least some degree in his loss to Lewis, showing determination in spite of his shredded eye.

Yes, Vitali quit against Byrd. However, I don't consider him a quitter in general because he continued to fight in the next bout where the "going got tough." To me, a true quitter is someone like Popo Freitas, who voluntarily bowed out of more than one fight when the bout was close because he was getting tired and lost the will to try to win.

 

Yes!

 

vitali had a torn rotator cuff i agree that he shouldve tried to jab his way through the last couple of rounds but anyone who has ever had to have rotator cuff surgery the torn rotator cuff is an intense searing pain so i cant honestly hold it against vitali for doing what he did

 

Perfectly stated! Good to see you posting more! :good

 

I'd like to see him in there with you skinny ass.
You would shut the f up.

 

Is Vitali Klitschko a quiter? No.
Was Vitali Klitschko a quitter? Yes

I do think he quit against Chris Byrd, but I also think that he learned his lesson from that. He felt the backlash from that display; and I don't think we'll ever see him quit again. He proved he has lots of heart when he got his face beaten to a bloody mess by Lennox Lewis, but he still wanted to try and fight.

 

I hate talking about quitting. No one knows the degrees of pain fighters might be suffering. But we all love warriors that end up ruining their own careers and end up being half brain dead. Cause that's a true champ, right?
:S

 

Vitali came from the USSR where they considered it more of a game that you have to win or can resign to win another time, rather than a fight till the end like in the US, hence he quit.


But he learned his lesson and showed it against Lennox Lewis where he kept fighting with arguably the worst cut in history.

Also, in the end it was probably a good thing to quit against Byrd. Look at Lacy, his whole career is ****ing ruined when he kept fighting with the same injury and basically lost his left hook.

 

Those two hotties in your avatar have rear ends that will never quit! Holy cow!

 

No.

 

Not continuing because of an injury that could threaten your career is different than giving up because you think you're going to lose. I have no doubt that Vitali would have soundly thrashed Byrd in a rematch, as his brother later did thrash him. Byrd was just too small to hang with those giants.

 

I'll definitely co-sign on all three of your points there. :deal New perspectives are always good for the rest of us to learn from.

In Europe and the Caucasas, boxing isn't a platform for discipline and upward mobility, it's a scholastic sport; if you expect great hunger from a boxer with that background, you're not likely to find it.

It takes a serious blow to one's pride or what have you to get their mentality more in line with the "American" psych model. No matter what, though, a boxer's safety comes first: if not from the fighter then from his corner, if not from the corner then from the doctor, if not from the doctor then from the referee, if not from the referee then from the commissioner. It's one thing to fight through adversity and cuts; it's another to fight your into becoming a cripple.

 

People are so locked in on "quitting" and I still don't even know why.

I have no problem with a fighter packing it in and going home if he doesn't think he can do it. They get punched in the head, not me.

 

Hadn't he ****ed his shoulder or something?
Like the cartilage in a joint was disintegrating? lol
I would just call that a career prolonging move, and a wise decision. Vitali is no quitter, the guy is an ox.