im no big fan of vitali but you cant deny how effective he is and how good his chin is i would say this fight would be close with a late tyson stoppage
If a Tyson opponent is not intimidated and has an iron chin, it takes away the aura of invincibility from Tyson. He is still an excellent fighter, but there was something about him seeming unstoppable that had a lot to do with his opponents being scared. Vitali is four inches taller than Douglas. Hi weird jab from down below confuses every fighter and it negates the ducking smaller fighters are used to to avoid jabs. In his physical prime (before his shoulder surgery) he also had huge power. He was always good at neutralizing speed in an opponent. I see a war for 8 - 9 rounds, but Vitali prevails.
i agree and disagree ..Prime Tyson was too quick and way too elusive for the likes of Vitali ...i see a destruction crossed between Tyrell Biggs and Pinklon Thomas ...
Good post. Although I assume Tyson would have a very reasonable chance to KO Vitali, solid beard or not. Tysons power at his prime ('83) was more than intimidating. I'd say 50-60% chance for Tyson for early stoppage, and 40-50% for Vitali for late TKO or UD.
Tyson VERY early Nobody talks about Vitali top 10 ever Tyson is sometimes mentioned top 5! Vitali will never be mentioned in this bracket and this is for a reason!
I disagree with one part of this...toady's heavyweights don't duck. So when they end up fighting a Vitali, they wind up having to try bobbing and weaving for the first time ever. So, it's part Vitali's good reflexes and part the other guy sucking. Mike Tyson did know how, and was accustomed to ducking. He was also really fast, much faster than anyone around today. I think Mike coud get inside easily. Could he stop Vitali after getting in? I think yes. But, if Vitali lasts long enough, I can see him overwhelming Tyson later on in the fight .
I'm seeing more of a fight with a lot of holding and grappling on the inside, like Tyson's fights with Boneclutcher Smith and Tony Tucker.At long range, Vitali's smart, he'd move around and try to catch Tyson coming in.Tyson would feel these shots and probably give him some pause.It took a lot of pounding by Douglas before Tyson finally cracked, and Vitali doesn't commit much to his punches , though even arm punches from a really big strong guy like him will eventually take their toll. It would probably go to the scorecards.Tyson was cosiderably less effective against the better taller guys he fought, and Vitali more than likely could have outpointed him.
Typical comment of someone with no sense of reality. Vitali made a difficult decision once to save his career instead of an undefeated record when he had a career - threatening injury. Tyson did everything to provoke disqualification in the second Holyfield fight, THAT was blatant, cowardly quitting.