Rating Klitchsko as an ATG

You have to respect that both always come into their bouts in impeccable shape. Wlad is the most fluid huge heavyweight ever with the possible exception of the great Lennox Lewis.

However, neither has ever had the good fortune of having a signature opponent who was their physical equal and also in their prime. Vitaly was a late replacement for Kirk Johnson against Lennox. He was younger, in better shape, in his prime, but still lost although he put forth a gallant effort. Erasing the stain of capitulating against the light-hitting Chris Byrd when he was way ahead on the cards.


I don't put these guys in the pantheon of greats like Johnson, Dempsey, Louis, Marciano, Ali, Holmes, Holyfield, Lewis.

I think the Klits are step those aforementioned fighters. I also am not crazy about always including the brothers as one entity. Wlad has had the more accomplished career and I feel like he is the better fighter of the two. Vitaly made a great comback but it was a sign of the times. He was not exactly facing a Louis or an Ali in there. Sam Peter basically mailed it in during training for the fight and was a punching bag for Klitschko.

 

A step below the ATG's but still outstanding fighters. Did not have the signature opponents or crowd-pleasing styles to really catch fire in the United States.

 

Trust me I'm a much bigger Lewis fan than Klitschko fan. Lewis deserves the victory no doubt and would of won had the fight not been stopped anyway in my opinion.

But my general point is that if Vitali and Lewis fought 100 times (in some special machine which heals them after every battle) how often does Vitali suffer a fight ending cut? I don't think that often.

 

I don't want to go off tangent here too much, but judging by his track record, you can not say Louis would have fought more black challengers if he did not lose three years boxing for the army in W.W.II.

 

Actually, yes I can. From 1942-1945...Ring Magazine ratings were dominated by black fighters. Louis literally would have been forced to fight 1 or 2 of them. From 1937-1942...for the most party blacks really cracked the Ring Magazine top 5 consistently. But starting in 1942, that changed when a new wave of black heavyweights(lee q murray, elmer ray, jimmy bivins, turkey thompson) came into the scene.


Also if you want to go by track records...Joe Louis fought 3 hall of fame black fighters in title fights. That is 3 more than Jack Dempsey. Louis certainly would get in the ring with the best black fighters if the opportunity came about, and the timeframe was right.

 

I'm totally burned out with debating how good or great the K-bros. are....... They will not get their credit until they are older and more so gray...... That's reality..... Still, I dig the bros..........

MR.BILL

 

It was the same with Lennox before them MrBill, half the USA was calling the heavyweight champ an effete scared *** ffs

 

Absolutely no agenda here.

Love the "highest KO percentage" bit there, the one with no substance behind it. You know, the one where one of Vitali's "accomplishments" is all of a sudden used to define greatness.

Not even factoring in the fact that Vitali has a paper thin resume, which isn't particularly hard to rack up a high KO percentage against.

Jorge Luis Maysonet is the greatest fighter of all time, he had 22 knockouts in 22 wins.

Did I mention Valero?!!? :admin

 

Vitali is not an ATG, full stop.

Giving Lennox Lewis a good fight and knocking out an assortment of B-/C+ level fighters does not make you a legend.

Is Shannon Briggs an ATG, Mavrovic, Mercer, Bruno?

No, thought not :deal

 

Suzie,

There were no mandatories back in Louis day. Louis was not forced by politics to fight anyone!

I seem to recall Jeffries fighting Peter Jackson, who was the British Empire champion ( A big title back then ), and Johnson in title fights.

 

Russell, if you research things, you will take note that Vitali fought many guys who were hard to stop. The type that dull KO percentages, like Purrity, Donald, Bean, Peter, etc... In most cases Vitali KO'd his man faster than anyone before him. You have much to learn.

A high KO percentage is not based on power alone. Style, punch out put / stamina, and the distance of fights ( the shorter the harder it is to get a KO ) also factor in.

 

Considering Vitali notoriously holds his left hand low and has a lean back defense, yes, I personally think an 84" reach, overhand right loving Lennox Lewis has a good chance of opening up a cut, maybe not as bad as the one that occurred, but a cut nonetheless.

That's an aspect of the fight people don't acknowledge I feel. Lewis' money punch is a stylistic nightmare for Vitali, who to this day, continues to use the same style that saw his face get mauled.

 

Jackson was coming off a 6 year layoff. He was diseased, and 100% washed up.

 

Yep. Vitali has always been a sucker for overhand rights...he just didn't fight anyone good enough to capitallize on this flaw until he fought Lennox Lewis. Vitali commits two cardinal sins in boxing...He leans straight back to avoid punches, and he keeps his left hand very low.