Lewis vs. Vitali II

The younger man obviously! Question answered!

 

It was not on 2 weeks notice.Vitali was in full training camp for another opponent. So I do not believe Vitali would have been prepared phyysically with 5-6 months notice. Strategically and tactically (sparring partners) it may be different, but that counts as well for Lewis.

Sdunek sure did a better job of physically preparing Vitali than Steward.German tariners are extremely disciplined.

 

That is a really bad argument for somebody championing Vitali. You're highlighting the fact that the man Vitali could not even knock off his feet despite throwing everything he had at him was defeated before by vastly inferior fighters with one punch. That McCall and Rahman successed where Vitali failed.

 

So, is it a mark against Vitali's greatness that he promised to rematch Byrd but never did?

Is it a mark against his legacy that he failed to fight Rahman and retired instead?

Is he tarnished by promising to fight the winner of Haye/Chisora but weaseling out of it by claiming they turned him down to fight each other?

Is it a mark against him that he avoided Stiverne for 9 months then retired instead?

Or is Lennox Lewis the only one damaged by breaking promises, lying and backing out fo fights?

 

no but it apprently is a mark against vitali that kebab shop owner fake boxer Charr retired him by letting him tear his eye out in 7 or whatever round it was.

 

Lennox is more damaged by this than Vitali,

Vitali was winning against Byrd, Lennox was losing to Vitali.
Many great fights fail to come through (Rahman, Haye, Chisora)
Can you prove he avoided Stiverne?

Lennox was lucky against Vitali the first time, it would not have happened twice.

 

Its better to come from behind and win than it is to lose while you are ahead. Anyway , Vitali was starting to get out boxed by Byrd , thats why he chose to quit. Then he flat out ducked the rematch to fight Timmo Hofmann instead. Vitali is more damaged by and its not its not even debatable.

http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/...bc-champion-emeritus-vacates-heavyweight-belt

A true great wouldn't have needed a second fight to beat the ageing , declined champ from the previous era.
If Marciano was Vitali , he would have lost to Joe Louis

 

Vitali quit in a fight he was winning against Byrd. He promised he would avenge the loss. He never fulfilled that promise. If Lewis is "damaged" because he didn't rematch a fighter he beat then Vitali is "damaged" because he didn't rematch a fighter he lost to.

Rahman was a mandatory defence which Vitali failed to take. He pulled out numerous times claiming injury but mysteriously tried to get permission from the WBC to fight someone else when Rahman signed to fight Barrett for the interim title. He then chose to retire at the end of 2005. If Lewis is "damaged" because he retired rather than fight a mandatory then so is Vitali.

Haye and Chisora were promised that Vitali would fight the winner of their fight only for Vitali to go back on it and say that he wouldn't fight Haye because Haye fought Chisora. If Lewis is "damaged" because he promised Vitali a fight but backed out then Vitali is damaged because he did the same to Haye/Chisora

Stiverne was his mandatory for 9 months. He hadn't had a fight since Charr - 16 months before he retired. He put off accepting the mandatory purse bid three times and got WBC to put the deadline back before he pulled out entirely claiming to be injured. The fight was postponed until 2014 and Vitali was given a deadline for late November 2013 to announce his intentions. He missed that deadline and the WBC gave him another one for December which he also missed. He eventually gave up the belt when the WBC offered him Emeritus status instead.

That's avoiding a mandatory.

 

Vitali, like Rahman and McCall had his chance against an out of shape Lennox and he blew it. ,,,,Lewis

 

You don't get lucky causing 3 cuts you clown. One maybe, but Vitali was also swallowing blood and had a cut below his eye. So luck had nothing to do with it. Even the one that cut Vitali was designed to inflict damage so even that one wasn't lucky. VItali also has several rounds in which to close the show and couldn't do it.

 

This is a very good point.

 

So Vitali quitting against a light hitting Byrd is less damaging than Lewis gutting it out and stopping Vitali? Or not re-matching him? Lewis ever quit in a fight?

 

Lewis would have stopped him on cuts... again.

Debate me if you want

 

Someone mentioned a few pages back that Lewis didn't have the energy or desire to do a hard training camp anymore. Right on the money actually. Vitali was a big strong, tough opponent but in his prime Lewis would have rolled him over for a late stoppage.

No disrespect for Vitali because I really do rate him but Lewis was different gravy. Really a genuine top 5 ATG in my book.

 

Lewis did great in rematches. Vitali never really had a rematch. Granted it was only Byrd that was worth a rematch and I think he soundly beats him. Typically I might agree with you but since Lewis was losing solidly on the scorecards, was almost 40, and was only getting worse while Vitali was only getting better I'm going to go with Vitali here. I don't know whether by knockout or by decision but imo it's Vitali's fight. 60/40 Vitali.