[CLIP] Vitali fighting with both hands beneath his waist

As if a primitive stance like that would be successful today.

The sport has evolved too much since then.

 

Freakin' bum. He would get crushed by moder...oh wait

 

I like the quote from Willard the day after his loss to Dempsey "I have had my fling with the title. I was champion for four years and I assure you that they'll never have to give a benefit for me. I have invested the money I have made."
Wish more boxers had Willards wisdom with their purses, way too many in history have hit poverty and/or had to make inadvisable ring comebacks when they were shadows of their former selves.

 

Vitali is doing nothing here in terms of great defensive skill. The issue is his opponent is too inept to capitalize upon the open target in front of him. That same sequence but with Joe Louis as the opponent and Vitali would be decapitated.

 

Context! Jesus, do I really need to explain this to you folks? I hope I am not the most knowledgable or observant guy on here, but...

IT'S THE 10th ROUND AGAINST A COMPLETELY BEATEN AND COMPLIANT OPPONENT. He can literally do as he pleases. He could do handstand if he wanted. He could juggle chainsaws. It didn't really matter at this point.

Also, Vit was a master of distance control in any round. At his height and length and with his innate sense of distance, the lean back-hands down approach actually worked... and it worked over and over. He was a kickboxer where he really had to calculate a long distance. This is all old hat for him.

 

"But but but Joe Louis, my fav boxer, would have has head off!"

 

I think the grit being exhibited in that clip is by Arreola.

 

He had nothing in front of him to worry about by that stage of the fight,so he could afford to do what he liked.

 

Lewis exploited those flaws in his defense

 

This is true to an extent. Lewis was undertrained that fight but saw that opening for his right hand and was over anxious. If he shortened up that right and set it up he would have gotten Vitali out of there earlier.