Vitali systematically whittles down Iron Mike and gets a TKO win. Tyson doesn't go down but is stopped on his feet.
Personally, I think circa 2009 Vitali was the best Vitali. As Lampley and the HBO crew said during the Arreola fight, he showed alot more patience and ring craft then than he did against Sanders and Lennox.
Vitali all day. Granite chin, good jab, great use of reach/range and very good power especially when he sits on his shots. Tyson's little intimidation tactics and mystique wouldn't work on Vitali either. Klitschko tko's him within 10
Nah that was once when he was boxing Byrds face in And I hope Tyson doesn't try resorting to biting when things aren't going his way! And they wouldn't be
I voted Tyson but thats a tough, tough fight for even prime Mike. Usually these hypothetical fights are dumb asf but this is a good one.
Agree with this, Vitali would not be intimidated like many of Mike's opponents were. Vitali by late TKO.
Agreed. I'd be more concerned with Wlad in this fight because of the styles matchup but Vitali... nah. He was just a different animal. Tough as nails.
Yes that is true, Mike could very well intimidate and take out a young version of Wlad. Agreed Vitali is a different animal he was stone cold.
Here's what is important to understand about Vitali: - 6' 7" at about 245 pounds or so with about 80" reach - 87% KO ratio - Granite chin - Huge workrate - Excellent skill level - Athletic when necessary and can avoid punches when wants to (see Arreola fight) Vitali is essentially a perfect fighter, at least at this point in history (guys will get bigger and stronger as time moves on). His only weakness was when his body let him down, as it did with injuries during his career (between fights) and in the Byrd fight. The Lewis fight ending was a fluke as Vitali has never been cut like that in his career but in that bout. Vitali could easily evade Tyson's shots for 12 rounds if he wanted to do so, just because of the size difference and how skilled/athletic Vitali was. He might have to eat a couple of shots, but not enough to hurt him and not enough for Tyson to win the bout.