vitali not fighting in years hurt him?????

Vitali was by no means a great boxer, but he feasted on boxers like Sam Peter. The only thing that Peter has that I can see bothering a prime Vitali is that Peter throws his right hand in an unorthodox, awkward looping arc (which is one of the reasons so many of his punches are behind the head) which might just hit the chin of Vitali if Vitali leans away from it, since he'd be leaning into the arc of the punch.

If Peter pumps out the jab into Vitali's chest, targets the right hand when Vitali leans away, and works on the inside, I can see him winning very impressively in their upcoming fight. More likely, however, is a so-so points win which Peter will clearly deserve, but will not look impressive in the process of getting.

 

simple answer: the 4 years off won't affect his ring appearance.