Is Vitali the ATG number 1 heavyweight?

6 foot 5 and 240lbs + only buddy baer meets those criteria. I guess I am on ignore though but everyone else should know that your a muppet that doesn't even know his favourite fighters records.

 

Resume wise, no. Not even close.

Head to head; his best opponent was a fat, one foot in retirement Lewis who had been training for a different fighter. After that, he fought very average fighters. Despite this, though, and this is purely conjecture as his resume isn't top notch so we don't truly know how he would handle a prime elite fighter, I still think he gives any HW ever a tough fight.

The guy was slow, but he hit hard, had a granite chin, was tall, and whilst not as athletic as his brother, he was capable of using what he had to his advantage.

It doesn't get mentioned much, but Vitali had a pretty decent ring IQ. Not a Mayweather or Hopkins type of IQ, or a Calzaghe, can adapt on the fly IQ. But, the man knew what he could and what he couldn't do, and he fought in a style that highlighted his strengths whilst hiding his weaknesses. It may not be flashy, but sticking to what you know and fighting to your strengths takes a certain intelligence and dedication.

 

This topic always comes back every now and then and the answer's still the same as it's always been - no.

Even taking his two losses and whatever excuses you want to give them out of the equation he simply does not have a strong enough resume to back up any claim to being "the ATG number 1 heavyweight". I wouldn't even rate him the top Klitschko because his brother did a hell of a lot more than him in boxing and fought a higher standard of opponent overall.

 

Who are all these great 6'5 240+ pound fighters you are talking about? I think I could count the fighters that meet that criteria today on one hand and I don't believe any of them would be successful if they had to go 15 hard rounds not 12 slow as molasses paced rounds of today's standards

 

**** no.

 

Tko6 rtd9

 

In history 3 lennox, vitali and wlad maybe Bowe although I think under achieved.

Today fury and Joshua I think are great. I would include wilder although he's obviously lighter but has the right dimensions.

I don't think 15 rounds would have been problem either way it doesn't matter its 12 round fights now fighters need to adapt.

Your right though there's not been many until lennox came along. But since he has the big guys have dominated.

It's look like it's gonna continue as well all 4 medalists at 2016 Olympics were 6,6 and above and they have all turned pro.

I can see your point about upping the pace of the rounds that's why usyk is so interesting he may have the best engine ever at heavyweight. But if it were that simple why has nobody done it in the last 20 years? 36 minutes is still along time to drag 240+ pounds about

Obviously smaller guys can still be successful at heavyweight you got holyfield, haye, adamek, Chambers, povecktin etc. But they always fallen short at the top level or not been able to maintain it.

 

Yes...Vitali the the GOAT

His resume 10000% proves it.

 

Nothing controversial about either loss. He got injured against Byrd and Lewis opened him up like a can of tuna. And thats it really. He was a fantastic HW but he never showed me half what LL showed me. Out of the modern HW's -- mid 90's to present, I think LL CLEARLY distinguished himself as the greatest HW champ of that era. Not even up for debate, he beat Vitali(who I like as much as LL) fair and square and almost uppercutted his head off Mortal Combat " Finish Him!" Style.

 

so, you dont become an ATG for your best win being a retired near 40 year old with zero title or even a shot pedigree when active.
THAT sort of win usually means you are getting close to earning a title shot in a few years!

ATGs tend to be those who beat title level guys consistently AND THEN beat the guys who beat the title level guys. Vits is not on their radar.

stop giving him a free pass for his best win being middling.

 

your boy at his best got stopped easier than frank bruno.

when lewis was at his worst, not when best vs bruno.

wear it well forever.

 

I'd say Vitali would beat anyone in history. Would beat current champs. Him and Lewis were streets ahead of everyone and with the size who could really come close.

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u may need to look up the meaning of the word basically.

and not brag so much when your top level opponent was a retired guy who couldnt cut it in his OWN era.

 

Nope.

He was very formidable head-to-head and I would put him in the top five, if that was the only consideration.

But in determining greatness, you need to consider what he actually did...resume.
Without getting into whose blame it was or the circumstances, he doesn't have enough names of sufficient quality to make it into my top ten.

I think, best for best, even though he was less skilled, he beats Wlad.

But Wlad was a bit more accomplished.

So I have Wlad just inside my top ten and Vitali barely scrapes my top twenty.

 

He lost two fights, and his resume is very weak.

I forgot where I rank him, but it is somewhere around Norton, Walcott, and Patterson. Somewhere between 15-25.

Which is not bad considering the tens of thousands of men who have competed at heavyweight since the inception of Queensbury rules, but no, no case to be made for 1-3 at all, period.