Better All Around Fighter: Riddick Bowe or Vitali Klitschko?

Some posters still clinging on to strange ideas about Lewis/Klitschko..?

...TKO6

 

Clarification:

Vitali was up on the cards, and even though the injury was clearly affecting his performance, he was still in the game and fighting with some effect. He was more than willing to continue. Lewis looked as though he was having a heart attack he was so gassed. It's possible that Vitali could have stopped him the next round.

That's the one side of the coin.

The other side of the coin is that Lewis might have further aggravated the wound and Vitali loses an eye. Then the authorities would come to me as a doc and ask WTF was I letting the fight continue for, that's what the doc is there for, to stop the fight if it gets too dangerous. Goodbye anymore boxing work, and maybe legal problems to boot.

That's the other side of the coin.

A rematch was necessary, mandated ... and we never got it.

Not quite as bad as Bowe/Lewis, but a black mark for Lennox nonetheless.

 

When Vitali fought top competition, it did matter. Byrd and Lewis tagged him repeatidly on the inside.

Sure Vitali could fight well going backwards and was a master of dictating range. But it would be not right to call somebody an All-Around fighter if he did not master such a major part of the game.

 

As for Vitali - LL, I think that Vitali gets too much credit for that fight. Lewis was not in top shape and past prime. The stoppage was fair and LL esposed Vitali's defensive flaws in a way.Those cuts did not come from head clashes.

It was not even like Vitali had the momentum going at the time of the stoppage. It is odd to me that Vitali seems to get more credit than Rahman and Mc Call who knocked out a younger Lewis.

 

Lewis was nearly 38 years old and at his heaviest weight.He rematched the two men that beat him and beat them.

 

This is a factor that favorable Klitschko perspectives tend to overlook. Lewis, by round 6, had turned the tide.

Vitali was getting beaten up. It doesn't really matter that Vitali had had a few competitive rounds, earlier on.

 

Lennox Lewis exposed the flaws in his defense, Vitalis lean back defense only worked against smaller fighters.

Fact is, that he was badly hurt by an old and out of shape Lennox Lewis and there shouldn't be a claim for him
to be the best h2h fighter of all time like many of his fans are talking him up.

His brother Wladimir was the better fighter for me without a doubt.

 

And if those two men that had beat him had retired instead of granting him a rematch, he would be much less well regarded today.

 

A Vitali - Byrd rematch was necessary. We never got it. Vitali fought again that same year. It wasn't against Byrd.

WK - Sanders rematch was necessary. Wlad never followed through it with. Black mark for Wlad.

Note that both Wlad and Vitali were in their primes when they balked on their warranted rematches.

 

Sure, but he was actually beating the brakes off Lewis "on the inside" standing right in the pocket for most of the match. In the later rounds when the injury started affecting his vision, is when Lewis had success. One can't count on Vits to get a massive cut rght above the eye for every fantasy match.

 

http://media.giphy.com/media/5xaOcLJ57vBDvV3TkgU/giphy.gif


https://i.makeagif.com/media/7-15-2015/6ghXXn.gif



Thats how easy Vitali was to hit clean ^

 

Some huggers will never get over this one.

 

False.


http://idiotygenii.com/boxing/image.axd?picture=/2014/12/habi2al_5000223b-b3eb-4f1d-a0e4-d7d2c06492fb.gif

 

So you're saying Byrd ducked Vitali?

You know what I love? Post #272:

https://www.boxingforum24.com/threa...-other-way-round.583384/page-19#post-18456185

Eat it, Dino

 

He was very easy to hit for fighters with almost the same height and reach, he kept his left way too low and he
was used to fight against small fighters with a reach disadvantage, i think any top level fighter who is at least
6ft 5 tall would have a good chance to beat him.