How good was Vitali Klitschko ?

Vitali retired Lewis from boxing entirely.

 

Think he was done anyway

But he did duck the rematch with Vitali, I will give you that ... Publicly say that you will fight him again then you don't do it and retire? That's clear avoidance ... It's actually worst than Bowe not fighting Lewis

Lewis won fairly but he got lucky that night ... But Vitali should have gotten him out of there before the fight was stopped

 

Fair post.

 

I rank Lewis at #3 all-time and Vitali at #20.

And I would pick the best version of Lewis over the best version of Vitali.

But Vitali did retire Lennox, no question.

 

How about beating the guy when he’s in front of you and not crying.

There’s an old tale about a college football coach, Wallace Wade, who in the 1920s who took his Alabama team to play in the Rose Bowl as a big underdog. Alabama beat highly-regarded Washington by one point.

Afterward they went to shake hands and the Washington coach said, “Any other day we would have beat you!”

Wade, by legend, responded thusly: “I didn’t come out here to play a GD series.”

Vitali didn’t “deserve” a rematch. He deserved, and got, a match. And he lost because Lennox punched holes in his face.

And rematches weren’t exactly how it worked with the Brothers K anyway, right? If you lose to Chris Byrd, you get your brother to avenge you rather than rematching him. Get slapped around by the noted golfer Corrie Sanders? Well, send your brother in rather than trying to beat him yourself in a second go.

 

Deserved a rematch because he was winning and it was a good fight. Never did I Disparage Lewis for his work in it. If you can’t see the need for a rematch that’s fine and your opinion. Not like he quit on his stool like some people.

 

As much as some people might believe Vitali deserved a rematch, I don't think that sentiment can outweigh a boxer's right and decision to retire - and Lewis did deserve to retire when he did.

 

Of course not! Agree wholeheartedly

 

This is ridiculous. Vitali had 3 or 4 different gashes on his face that led to the stoppage. Not just 1. Luck my ass. And Lewis was old and overweight anyway. The man took the fight on 2 weeks notice while Vitali had been studying and preparing for an eventual Lewis showdown from several months to a few years

 

I think Vitali's style relied on having a height advantage and leaning back from punches. I don't know how effective he would be against tall rangy guys his size like Fury, Wilder, etc

 

Vitali made nine successful WBC heavyweight title defenses after he turned 37.

Truly amazing. How many heavyweight champs in history were totally finished by that age? And he was never down on the cards.

Really something. All-time great.

 

I don't know about "champs", but if one was to apply the same question to Vitali's nine unsuccessful challengers - the answer would be, "All of them." - Some, without having ever gotten started.

 

Adjustments are what make all time greats, all time greats

 

Very good. He just didn’t have the right dance partners available to build a great legacy.

 

Being ahead on the cards and losing is usually meaningless.