What do you mean amateur styles. As an older fighter, Vitali has fought highly regarded boxers in Gomez, and Johnson. They had quick hands, good skills, and good defense...yet combined the two of them one one round. Vitali is active, accurate, can throw and land punches from multiple angles, and is pretty hard to hit cleanly. All fighters have flaws in their style.
I'm leaning towards Liston here in terms of the power and ferocity element, by late rounds stoppage or UD. Neither Klitschko has fought a fighter with the thudding jab and wrecking ball right of Sonny Liston. It wouldn't surprise me based on pure athleticism to see both Klitschko brothers beat Liston too. Wlad and Vitali should are amongst the best conditioned heavyweight fighters in the history of the sport. Stamina is another issue though, because I wouldn't put them in the same category as prime Marciano, prime Frazier, Ezzard Charles or even 1960's Ali.
[ I'm currently writing a new "Frankenstein" script built especially just for him........... WORD!! MR.BILL:deal[/quote] Get George Foreman for it and it can be Frankenstein meets the Mummy Liston by a KO. Good trumps big.
Ok. I accept that Byrd is a decent 210 pounds, as was Sonny Liston. I was selling him short, but I do think the fact that he was 165 pounds at 22, and boxed at 140 when he was 18 kind of indicates he has a smaller frame. I think you're selling Michael Spinks short. Against Cooney he weighed 208 and I dont accept he looked any more "soft and weak" than Chris Byrd at any time. Spinks built himself up with good sound training methods like Holyfield (& Byrd) did. You're right about Byrd. His weakness of punch distorts my perception of his size.
Name me another heavyweight champion who utterly dominated his subpar competition, in every single fight, like Vitali has. Oh. You can't. Try it, go on. :hat
Im not a hater but I dont know how anyone can rank Vitali that high based on his competiton and his inability to show any type of infighting skills. Liston closes the gap, Vitali crumbles.
He could do it, and wasnt lost on the inside. Lennox Lewis wasnt a great infighter either, but he could get by, Vitali drowns on the inside.
I seem to recall him clinching, holding the back of his opponent's head while he punched them, grabbing the ropes, anything but boxing legally...
Your speaking of Lewis? If so youre right, but its something, rather than freezing and becoming somewhat defenseless and confused on the inside. A smart fighter like Lewis picked up on that and started throwing shots in the clinch that ultimately led to Vitalis quick breakdown.
That merely shows that he's a model of consistency in terms of preparation physical and mentally for each fight, and therefore is above to perform to the best of his ability against subpar opposition. In now way does that show his ability to beat guys like Sonny Liston.