Golota would beat both Klitschkos

Surely Wlad going down vs Peter would mean that Wlad is more of risk going down than Golota

Why is Golota the one who has to get up when it was Wlad who was the guy kissing the canvas? Golota was a lot better than Sam Pter.
Sam was a lot worse than Bowe.

 

I was at the Wlad vs Peter fight in AC and the image of Wlad being tossed around the ring always left a strange taste in my mouth though I must give Wlad props for evolving into such a dominate HW champ post Peter. The real event happened with the undercard. Cotto vs Torres was a freaking classic war, it showed just how vulnerable Cotto was and at the same time how resilient he was.

 

he beat the **** out of riddick bowe.

 

And Wlad was better than Michael Grant or a shot Tyson.

 

Golota only quit in two fights: against Grant and Tyson. The Tyson matter I don't think I have to explain any more (the extent of Andrew's legitimate injuries verified by a doctor through which he would have been risking possible paralysis or even death; a fighter's health takes priority over a boxing match (if someone disagrees, then he/she must be a sadist to think a boxer should risk dying).

He quit against Grant because he (Golota) didn't realize that he was leading on the scorecards (his corner told him that he has to look good in the last rounds), so when he received that bomb from Grant in the tenth and hit the canvas, he most likely thought that he had no chance of winning and so that's why he surrendered.

Fans who disrespect Andrew are not open-minded enough to even consider why he chose "No Mas" in these two matches.
One has to consider Andy's concern for his health, not scorn him for it. Boxers are not slaves nor soldiers. This is not war, there are no weapons used. Okay, boxing is a tough sport with associated health risks, but the purpose is not to kill your opponent, it is to win. Rounds in a boxing match are not meant to be the equivalent of Gladiatorial Games. If a fighter believes that his health or life may be in danger in the ring, then only a sadist would expect him to continue regardless. An injury could be life-threatening potentially.

 

Actually, if anyone pulled the ultimate comeback and was a warrior, it was Golota. He bounced back in the second half of his career and won dignity after a negative and rough reputation in the first phase of his career up to 2000. You have to give him credit for being able to deal with his mental issues in the ring. Since fighting Tyson, he proved many times that he had changed and the quitting and fouling were behind him. Many experts think that he won his title bouts with Byrd and Ruiz. Look at the match with Kevin McBride even, where the Pole was seriously hurt in the first round but managed to knock McBride out in six, or the duel with Mike Mollo where Golota was fighting basically with one eye. If he was not a warrior in these fights then tell me who was?

After he fought Byrd, there was talk of Golota becoming one of the greatest stories of redemption and inspiration in heavyweight boxing history along with Braddock, Foreman, and Douglas. The Pole symbolized that it's okay to make mistakes, he showed that even if you make more than a few very terrible mistakes in a boxing career, it is still possible to persevere and go out on your shield.

 

It's because he's foreign-born. The mentality of a major U.S. city suggests that if it's non-American, then don't pay as much attention. With all due respect. Guys such as McCall and Terrell get more love because they were born stateside. Even if Golota built a Hall of Fame career, would the Windy City revere him as much as the people in Poland? Doubt it (especially given that boxing is not the same as it once was in Chicago anyway).

 

Allow me to answer that. Golota beat Nicholson, Witherspoon, Norris, McBride, and Mollo (overcoming adversity when basically seeing with only one eye for half of the match). The best of these wins was Witherspoon. I know the latter was past his better times, but this fight took place in Golota's home (Poland) in an arena filled with thousands of locals and Andrew, who often was accused of not being able to deal with pressure, went out there and did not give in to the pressure of performing in front of so many of his fans against a boxing legend. If he had lost, it would have been unbearable to lose to such a faded fighter. This was more than just a fight to win and move up the heavyweight ladder, Andrew needed to prove something following the Lewis disappointment and did.

Also, contrary to many other people, I will argue that Nicholson was a very credible opponent. He's a former U.S. Olympian (beat Mavrovic at the Games and only lost to an absolute amateur legend in Savon) as well as a former IBO heavyweight champion. "Doc", whose trainer was Hall of Famer Emanuel Steward, had a solid 24-1, 18 KO record heading into the bout with Golota. Maybe Andy didn't completely knock him out, but a win is a win. It counts as a stoppage victory for the Polish hero. I almost want to call this triumph the biggest of Andy's career, but Tim Witherspoon is too much of a marquee name in heavyweight boxing history. So his best win is Witherspoon but Nicholson is also up there.

However, I hold that only the win versus "Doc" Nicholson slightly nudges Golota ahead of both Klitschkos because this happened during the 90s, a much better era for heavyweights. The competition was tougher. It wasn't as easy to become heavyweight champion in the 90s as it was in the Klitschkos' time in the 2000s.

 

Tyson fight: Andrew's injuries were a concussion, a fractured left cheekbone and also a herniated disc between the fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae.

Grant fight: Andrew's "No Mas" was a misunderstanding between him and his corner. See, Andrew didn't realize that he was ahead on points because his corner told him that he must look good in the last rounds. So when he received that bomb in the tenth and went down, he most likely thought that there was no chance of him winning and therefore he surrendered.

 

I can't believe you have your facts wrong the way you do. Golota NEVER quit against Lewis. He lost in one round. Big difference.

Golota lost to Brewster in 1, but Wlad too lost to "Relentless" so we can't hold this loss against Andrew when comparing him head-to-head with Wlad.

Golota ONLY quit in fights with Tyson and Grant (due to injuries and having lousy cornermen). Twice. That's it. He's not a quitter like many make him out to be. I've already listed many other elite fighters who quit as well.

 

The Bowe-Golota battles remind one of Rocky, they were that thrilling (esp. the rematch). What gets overlooked is that Golota essentially ended the career of Bowe, who is now a Hall of Famer and you can argue, an ATG even.

In the 90s decade, Golota had the most Ring Magazine Heavyweight Top 10s out of any white fighter, making the list three different years, edging Tommy Morrison. Many fans don't care for this but it's these kind of small facts that make a big difference because Vitali and Wlad fought in a much weaker era than the 90s. They came on for good relatively later, and while we shouldn't penalize boxers for competing in a weaker era, we shouldn't give them all the credit in the world for it either.

 

Was he ?

Shot Tyson KO5 Botha
Prime Wlad TKO8 Botha

Tysons Ghost KO1 Cliff Etienne
Cliff Etienne UD10 Lamon Brewster
Brewster KO5 Prime Wlad

Id have little doubt late 90's shot Tyson would blast David Haye into the stars and make shot and easy work out of Sam Peter.

 

Bowe was over the hill when he met golota and the k-bros are much superior to bowe they use good footwork and keep the distance superbly golota would barely land on either of them

 

Bowe wasn't shot going into the first match with Andrew. Riddick was out of shape. Big difference.

For my money, even the '96 version of Bowe would give both Klits lots of problems.

I just can't see your argument about skill set because Golota had better footwork and head movement than Vitali and Wlad. Not to mention, he had very good vision. Probably better than that of both Klits also.