Vitali H2H top 10 HW ATG?

See, that really lifts my paint. No chance? Does anyone have a chance then? If one of the most technically assured HW's in history has virtually nil chance of winning, surely Vitali is representitive of a new evolution in not just boxing but humanity?

Things are just tighter at the top than that.

 

What are his technical shortcomings?

 

I don't think that Vitali is proven as a tactical genius, though i'd like to hear otherwise from people who think he has made good technical adjustments. I do think he qualifies as a good general because he, like his brother, is so adept at controling range and tempo.

 

Yeah, this is a given. In fact, whilst I'd pick Bowe prime for prime to beat Vitali, I have a sneaking suspicion that Vitali would take a series between them if they shared an era. Vitali deserves maximum credit for his focus. It doesn't matter they put in the other corner, he's ready and properly prepared. If you want to talk about him in relation to ATG fighters, i'd say he's arguably the most focused top drawer HW since Rocky Marciano. Vitali may not be quite as spartan, but he comes with the same focus.

 

Hit to much for a technician? Do you consider Rafael Marquez a technician? How about Juan Manuel Marquez? It will be easy to dredge up examples of both of these men getting hit far more than Bowe does here, and both of them are excellent technicians. There are only two questions in terms of analysing technical defence which are relevant and they are

A) Is the defence technically assured?

B) Are the lapses is technical assuirty justifiable in terms of offensive pay-off?


To take them each in turn.

When Bowe is threatened he is tucking his chin in. That's a good start. He doesn't carry his head in this position throughout, so to a degree he's rellying upon physicality to save him (reaction time), but it's not like he's hanging his chin out to dry. The consequence of this is he gets hit more than he needs to but he doesn't get hit cleanly.

He retreats in a straight line (a no no) but he uses head movement to protect himself when he does this and shows tight, giving his man a smaller target. Because he's assured inside, he allows the distance to be closed and then takes control.

Inside, his defence is very good. He is capable of "bracing" his man in such a way that it looks like he isn't doing any holding/is involved in a clinch, whereas it is actually the case that he is resting, and often leaning (Lewis did this too). In fact you can see this in this video at around 3.05. He also has his chin perfectly positioned for in-fighting, and he seems to have a good sense of when he can technically bull.


As for his ability on offence justifying risks, in this fight, they're assured. Bowe is obviously dominating and can afford to take to give. That's obvious enough.

All of this in a round, where, as noted in commentary, he's taking a rest.

He slides out of shots, he understands the importance of head movement even when taking a shot, and he uses a variety of guards to protect himself, cross arm, technical guard.

The right hand? When he leads with it it is, but this is partly because he's leaning out of trouble. I like the technique, personally, although I feel it might cost him against a really good southpaw or someone who had the wherewithall to feint Bowe into a lead and switch.

But the right is a shot Bowe picks. He picks it out. It's only when he throws the long version that he has a balance issue, at all other ranges it's as assured a punch as you will ever see, in fact the final five right hands, all different, he finishes this fight with are as perfect examples of right hand punching as you will see.

:huh

He counter-punches space, not shots. It's a safety first approach and whilst its perhaps not in keeping with his overal style, i don't see a problem with it. Liston was the same, and he's another great HW technician.

He's excellent at all ranges; that's the single most important issue when juding technicians.

Mobility and work-rate would be the key, I think, and I don't think anything but a prime Bowe, a rare animal, would relish the job of facing Vitali. But Bowe isn't going away and has the proven quality. He would be my pick.