Ali, Tyson, Louis, Liston, Foreman, Lewis, Marciano, Johnson, Holmes, Jeffries, Dempsey are all easy favorites over Vitali. Frazier would be a little tougher but I think Frazier would take over late and win, Holyfield struggled against the better boxers he fought but would be able to outphysical and outheadbutt Vitali, Bowe-Vitali I'll admit would be tough but Bowe was super durable and would beat up Vitali on the inside to win. Vitali was a good fighter but no ATG and I don't think he'd beat really any of them.
I think Vitaly would be an uphill battle for many ATG's but I think there is a difference between being an uphill battle and causing trouble to greats and being the number 1 fighter on a H2H list.
I didn´t write he is. I agreed with Lennox Lewis and just brought in Vitali because i think he would give anbody a good fight and wanted some oppinions on that. But well, it seems most guys over here aren´t interested in discussing this subject but more on bashing. That´s poor.
Well, you don´t need an atg to beat an atg, sometimes you just need the right style or you just need to be the right man at the right place. Said that, i agree with most, if not all, of these guys beating him but they would have to be at their A-game to do so. I also wanted to name DM as someone who would pose any lhw some problems but somehow i forgot it.
The thread is asking for the best ever fighter in each division. Why would you mention Vitali if you think most ATGS would beat him, just seems strange. I understand your point of Vitali giving some a good fight but he's far from the best ever.
Well the threadstarter picked Lewis, i agreed but at the moment Vitali sprang to my mind and i wanted to know what the rest here thinks about him giving any hw a goof run for their money. That´s it. But well, there really seems to be a strange reflex related to the name Klitschko.
Wlad Klitschko is manure IMO, but I agree about Vitali, he was a beast who would give anyone a hard night. The Lewis who fought him was not quite the Lewis of 2000 though.
There was one heavyweight vitali couldnt give a hard night too...The peak version of super southpaw Corrie Sanders the freak of nature ATG.
HW - Muhammad Ali The list he has already beaten, Frazier, Liston, Foreman might well not likely be scaled by any other heavyweight ever. LHW - Michael Spinks I'll go the less chosen route here. Tho he didn't have 200 fights he beat superb opposition at 175 and was never headed. His adaptability and sheer ability to win is as important as his neck breaking power when warring down the timeline. He's the sort of fighter that makes me confident he will find a way when up against it at 175. MW - Carlos Monzon I would like to pick SRR on his best night here, but will pay homage to Monzon's ATG consistency in his natural weight class. JMW - Thomas Hearns Boils down to who one favours out of Hearns vs McCallum really, and i personally go for Thomas. WW - SRR No explaination needed. JWW - Pernell Whitaker Oh the controversy. Truth is this is H2H and Whitaker collected a title easily on his way thru at a time where he was very close to peak. I think he can get by both Chavez and Pryor so here he stands. LW - Roberto Duran He's hard to go against and i often think his best opposition could well be Whitaker. JLW - Julio Chavez No confidence for any choice here as i really can't pick between Arguello and Chavez with Floyd sneaking around too. Not a bee's dick in this one. FW - Henry Armstrong I think he'd trouble Pep greatly with his ridiculous workrate and frenzied no rest attack. His durability also holds him in good stead vs Saddler. I don't often see him picked over these two, but here he is. JFW - Jeff Fenech Tho i rate Gomez the better overall fighter and a fearsome great i have always harboured the suspician Fenech would get over him. I believe he would smother the much crisper Gomez offensive and good fighters were quite often put off by Fenech's total lack of respect for them and their reputation. In short - Fenech roughs them up and drags them straight out of their comfort zone. This IMO could happen here. BW - Carlos Zarate I'd long been swayed into picking Jofre here but am going back to my earlier guns and going the big Z man. His physique at bantam is like a Thomas Hearns at 147 with Zarate having a devastating left hook as well and no durability questions IMO.