If it were to happen, where would Klitschko brothers fight rank in history?

Are we talking about the brothers fighting each other?

 

I think they are written into history anyway. Where to rank them is probably going to be difficult because they arrived at a time when HW boxing really became the SHW division.

Heavyweight Boxing as we knew it practically ended here. Then as it became SHW, the class was going through a decade long transitional period…which has thankfully sorted itself out now.

so far as dominance goes, there is no argument that the brothers were the best two of that period, so they must deserve recognition for this. But we don’t really have another period where the era was defined by a pair rather than a single. A shared era.

But that’s okay if we recognise this as a completely different division starting out.

Yes they were brothers but between them there was a bit more of a monopoly going on than in all previous eras for what used to be the HW division.

when the brothers began to promote their own fights they began enjoying every conceivable advantage in title fights. A lot more holding and leaning was allowed by the officials in their favour.

The competition itself was thin. The newer size of heavyweight were rather inexperienced late comers to the sport..or older, overweight has beens left over from the previous era.

often the brothers had earlier sparred with these challengers due to a policy they had in inviting prospects to work with them in order to gain a future psychological edge.

And both brothers still managed to slip up without reversing losses to themselves. Instead the opposite brother revenged for him. An unusual legacy that cannot compare to anything from the past.

I think a line can be put down to mark this as a new era and the start of a new division. so much of this situation was too unique for comparison to what used to be the heavyweight division.

I look upon it as a part of history where both a unique transition and a monopoly was going on in the creation of a new division. Where Competition was stifled and super heavyweight, in its infancy, was just finding itself in the same way all new weight classes do in the beginning.

 

they worked as a team. have two elites ever done that before? i'm pretty sure not.

i do think Vitaly would have kicked Wlad's ass if they fought though. (just a guess, the two of them know who can kick who's ass, and have sparred full out many times)

 

If they'd fought seriously, it would have been right up there with Ali/Frazier I. Two dominant guys, both punchers with divergent styles, and with the added twist that they're close relatives.

 

If the fought the winner get a legacy boost that's for sure. I suspect Vitali wins before he became too old.

 

OK, no problem. And good thread.

 

Most people watching are looking for tell tale signs of one or the other, or both, holding back.
Especially if one starts to get serious hurt.
I can definitely see Vit doing that if Wlad gets buzzy or cut.
The brothers are close, as their being any sibling rivalry as such?
So they'd have to put family bond s totally out of the mind and focus.
If the two did fight?.. I go with the elder brother breaking Wlad down and making it so the ref has to jump in.

 

It would have been the Johnson-Jeffries, Ali-Frazier, or Holyfield-Tyson of its time.

Even today, right now, if the brothers needed money, they could still make a bundle on Pay Per View, not with an exhibition type of fight, but with a real competitive match, with 10-12 rounds scheduled, and to be included on both records.

 

Vitali even if he was in a losing spot would only do enough to make it to the bell as hurt free as possible. A love between two brothers is very strong and as an older brother myself I couldn't fight back even if I was getting the hiding of my life. I do think Wlady would have won if they fought for real though but it wouldn't be pretty.

 

I have to say, I don’t like the thought of brothers fighting each other for real.

like somebody said though, the brothers themselves know from sparring which one of them would have won.

 

The winner would sit quite a bit higher for me and the loser may have as well depending on how the fight rolled and what transpired in other potential resulting battles.