If Vitali Klitschko were in this era, I think he would be the top dog and he would have a better record than he currently has. He's leagues above Alexander Povetkin.
Ye he's a handful & H2H could be a hard night for most but I don't know how he'd handle Fury or Usyk & Joshua & Wilder are dangerous too.. Chisora gave him a hard night though admittedly I think he fked his arm in that fight & he looked like **** against Kevin Johnson too but overall he was pretty dominant.. Briggs beating was brutal
Vitali Klitschko after the knee operation and lay off from 2004-2008 is a different boxer, yes. He was definitely a lot better prior to that. It's a shame he was in a stinker of an era.
I cannot pick against Vitali on this one. Losses on a record matter, but also the way in which they happened imo - Hence losing on cuts or due to injury (Lewis & Byrd for Vit) is “better” than losing by legit stoppage or getting battered (AJ & Wlad for Sasha). But it’s a lot closer, than their general standings in the ATG rankings would suggest. Povetkin has a nasty resume, while the resume of Vitali is rather underwhelming. I might even go out on a limb here, and claim Povetkin to have the best resume in the current HW division. Now, I know this isn’t “true”, since Fury & Joshua have beaten better opposition. But the sheer amount of quality opponents on Sasha’s resume, and the way he dealt with most of them, is simply staggering. Edit: Feck it, I went with even.
Povetkin shouldn't be compared with vitali in any way . That's a disrespect on a champ who was never knocked down throughout his career and he is one of the most careful fighters in the world. As far as I am concerned, he had the best jab in the sport.
In terms of resume Povetkin and it's not close. Vitali's resume is shockingly thin for such a vaunted HW, even though he was generally dominant over them. Povetkin's resume is probably the second deepest of any HWs of the past ten years. Only Wlad surpasses him. H2H I think Povetkin gives Vitali a much harder time than many people think.
Povetkin cements his legacy by being a perennial top guy in two different HW eras. History will be kind to him and he just might see a HOF induction
Purely on record I can see the case for Povetkin being ahead of Vitali. Sasha is seriously underrated. H2H I'm pretty sure that Vitali beats him.
Agree. He has been at the highest levels since forever. The fact that he managed to pull off such a crushing KO against a highly rated opponent at his age jst underlines what quality he is.
Injuries made Vitali a bit of an arm puncher, but he did show how Champs make a come back: 46 months off, straight to title fight vs prime Peter, and he made the Nutritional Nightmare quit.
This. The only greater HW fighter in Vitali's era was Lennox Lewis, the last great HW champion. Povetkin is a very good fighter who has aged well **cough PED's** but his career nor his skills and talent were on Vitali's level.
I am sorry, but the actual wins are extremely comparable. Yes, you can put on your special criteria, and that is EXACTLY what this thread is about. But no one is going to subvert the premise of the thread. Thanks for the response.