Vitali starting to wither... may be time to retire

very sorry McGrain

 

From his own point of view, retire.

He does need to beat Haye though to finish off his career looking good.

That may well have come a bit late though. I think Haye will stop him.

 

Yeah, it happens to all fighters..the time comes when a quality decision should be made to go out a winner..you never know, it may be Vitali's time to gracefully leave the game.

 

He should retire.

It is all downhill for him from here.

He might already have deteriorated to the extent that sombody like Chambers or Povetkin could take him.

 

atsch


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnLRJxsSNdQ&feature=related[/ame]

 

It'll be interesting to see if the the two intelligent and sensible Klitschko brothers will have that ability to step down while on top...that's an exclusive fraternity.

 

I think some are being a little too quick to write Vitali off as being shot or washed up. He basically won just about every round against a prime undefeated fighter who fought a defensive fight the whole evening. Johnson wasn't going to be an easy man to KO for anyone, given that he never took any chance nor placed himself in harm's way. While this might not bode well for Vitali looking impressive, I don't think that Wlad or Haye could have knocked Johnson out either... He basically fought a Tony Tucker type of fight.

 

No he isnt starting to wither, Johnson is the best defensive boxer hes faced Byrd included and isnt easy to land on

 

I agree. Vitali didn't look great, but from where i was watching, he was landing a lot of right hands and won every single round. Johnson did nothing to win and just hung in to survive.

The man is very intimidating. I saw Johnson against Vargas and he was very active, coming forward, and although still defensively minded, his approach was completely different from the one against Klitschko. Even at 38, he was never going to tire when able to set his own pace. He threw 84 punches per round, which is double the heavyweight average.

I think that although he is aging, it has a lot to do with styles. I thought he didn't look all-that against Gomez, either, but the difference is that Johnson takes one hell of a shot while Gomez doesn't. Johnson may just have an iron chin for all we know. But if he wants to accomplish something, he has to be much more aggressive.

A guy like Eddie Chambers might match up quite well with him at this point. But he's fighting Wlad next, who is the absolute worst stylistic opponent for Eddie... who impressed me in his last fight, but Wlad is all wrong for him.

 

Chambers beating Vitali isn't something that I'd bet on. A stoppage or KO win is virtually out of the question, and as for taking a decision on points, Eddie would have to work his ass off for 12 strait rounds to stay ahead of the much taller, stronger and more imposing Vitali. I don't see it happening. Povetkin and Haye wouldn't have my vote to beat him either. As far as I can see, Wlad is Vitali's only proper counterpart, and we both know that fight is never happening. That said, maybe Vitali should hang up the gloves as there really aren't anymore challenges worth taking anymore.

 

Because Vitali isn't face with his hands, and seems to to arm-punch and not sit on his shots I think Haye has a real game chance. If they get Roach on the team permanently, his odds only go up.

 

He won every round against a spoiler. It was a shut out from start to finish. I don't see the reason to panic. That said, at his age and with the particular athletic advantages he relies on, time is not on his side. It's not like he is a Larry Holmes with savvy and tricks. He's an athlete first, who uses his athletic advantages of size, strength and speed. Those assets are going to deteriorate soon.