Tyson/Douglas: Tyson got beat up by Berbick, Page and McCall in Sparring

Yes, Vitali in his PRIME.

You have to be Very Good to beat Vitali. Bigger guys with SKILLS, like I said, SKILLS, and size is key....will trouble Vtiali. Lewis showed a guy like him makes Vitali's magical defense disappear. And even his Great Stamina, when pressed past the comfort zone (and the same can be said about Lewis), big guys like that, wear out. But we are also talk about Lewis, a Super HW "ATG" fighter. Talented fighters aren't supposed to have easy time with each other. And I counting on all these guys being at their best since.

If a smaller guy faces Vitali, you need to be slick and/or fast. Fast to slip the jab and get in on the inside and bang away at that Huge torso of his. And a big torso like that, on such a big man, can take affect on his stamina...especially shots placed under/on the heart, rib-cage, and liver area. "Vital" areas.

Wlad's my favorite HW. People rip on his "Boring" style but to me, its brilliant for him. We've seen Wlad the enforcer and although more exciting, and dangerous, he was also more vulnerable. Wlad's more intelligent approach, cautious approach, chess-like approach, is much more beneficial to someone of his Size (who if pressed hard will burn out like we've seen in the past), his not so great chin, and his vulnerability to panic a bit when pressed hard (although it may have dimmed in more recent years but its hard to say because of competition).

And the great part of boxing, even though we can rip on this guy and that, on that level, and it can simply come down to strength and power, sometimes, anybody can be defeated. We even saw this with Wlad.


NBA Players: I'm strictly talking athletic ability. The size these guys are, their athletic ability is off the charts. You don't see athletes like them in boxing. Wlad, yes, but I wouldn't put him as an exceptional athlete for his size/weight like Lebron James and others.


First: Just because you are a good amateur does not mean you will be a good Pro. We've seen this plenty of times throughout history. Who knows what Savon would have done as a pro. He had the chance to fight Mike Tyson and turned it down. He was knocked out a number of times as an amateur.

Stevenson was another one. Great amateur but who knows what he would have done as a pro. I like both but I just don't know. He too was offered to fight Ali and turned it down. But did that have to do with more of not being a seasoned pro and more comfortable as an amateur? Yeah, maybe. But who knows.

But overall, I like the skill set of both of them.

Quick note: There was an aritlce, maybe a few, and I think they may have actually been put on this site on the front-page, with former Soviet fighters talking about their era and if they could have turned pro. It was an interesting read. I think one guy talked about how he didn't think it was possible until he saw Kostya Tszyu years later make the transition and then thought, maybe it is possible. But also noted that 3 round fighting is less that then 12-15. And it does make a difference. The longer the fight goes, the more you can be exposed Mentally, Physically, and Technically.

Even an out of condition Ali, when he went to the Soviet Union, the Soviet fighters were impressed with Ali. I didn't get it because I saw what Ali looked like then and he wasn't impressive anymore. but hey, seeing Ali in person brings that aura of Greatness with him.

Some of those fighters were also in better condition than we see with some of the guys today. I mean, what is up with Povetkin?

Emanuel Steward said the Klitschkos are the last of the true Soviet fighters. I mean, just look at them physically and technically and look at the others that are in the HW division. Now some of the lower weight guys are still quite good. But again, Amateur and Pro are different and we don't know which ones fail and which ones succeed. My favorite was Kostya Tszyu. Great Amateur, Good pro...well conditioned. Although I'm not sure he lived up to the expectations I thought he should have done but maybe he was what he was.

The problem I have with many of today's fighters is similar to what I had problems with in the 80's...lack of mental toughness and condition. Technical skills we can get to later.

Let's take what many Trainers and Former Fighters point to: the current Amateur system which prefers to use head-gear and a point system that allows for pitt-patty punches. It forces the amateur to adjust for the Pro game and not all do and when you combine that with the others, it makes for a different style of fight. A "Sport" more than a "Fight" like we saw the grinders back in the day.
Now that doesn't mean we don't see quality amateurs who don't care for the pitty-pat style as well as pros that go for the kill...but overall, it may be true. And they should go back to the original way of the amateur system that many Great notable HOF Boxers have gone through.