Vitali's power ..

He had 3 cuts.And they determined this fight!lol

 

Vitali was in training to fight on the undercard and he was in camp before Lewis !

Q.Who won the fight?

 

Lewis didn’t take a 4 year leave of absence mid career like Vitali did though. This might explain why Vitali was still fighting at 40 to make up for list time. Anyway I’ve no doubt Lewis could have defended his title into his 40’s if he faced the type of heavyweight flotsam that late career Vitali did.

 

Lewis did do the right thing.

But that isn't good for his legacy. He got outboxed and won a lucky cuts victory. Nobody fights for a cuts victory, because its totally random. More punches does equal a better chance for a cut, but some guys cut easily and some guys don't. It doesn't reflect boxing ability whatsoever.

 

He was an arm-puncher but he was also a giant, so those arm punches still hurt. Would have seemed like a more brutal puncher if he’d come along in an era of 175-195lb heavyweights.

 

I'm amazed that Vitali's and Lennox's diehard fans can still find the energy to argue so passionately about that fight. There's really no great victory for either side in this debate.

Lewis' win was legitimate, but still had an element of luck about it - the two things aren't mutually exclusive. Winning a fight on cuts is a fair enough way of winning, of course, but nobody really sets out to win a fight in such a manner, and the nature of cuts is very random; sometimes you hit a guy with a peach and it leaves no real cosmetic damage, other times you catch them with a grazing or perfunctory shot, and it causes a cut. Hence why we don't judge fights which go the distance based on how both guys look after the final bell. Granted, these were very serious cuts Vitali had, and Lewis did land some big shots. But the punch stats show that he landed a lot less than Vitali did for six rounds overall.

And when on top of that you get a cuts stoppage in your favour in a fight you were otherwise losing until that point, it's only natural that there's going to be some controversy and question marks over how much credit you really deserve. On paper it looks a great result, but that's only if you ignore the actual performance. The manner of victory does matter in these kind of discussions.

That said, while neither guy looked in good shape after six (both were blowing out of their arses!), I do think that Vitali's race was closer to being run, and he was losing the early momentum he'd built up. Even without the cuts, there was no way that fight was going the full twelve, given how exhausted the pair looked. But while Lewis getting knocked out given his poor condition was a possibility, I can't help but look at the way Vitali tottered back to his stool after the sixth and feel that he was running of fumes on that point. While the factors mentioned above mean this wasn't one of Lewis' finest wins (despite it being one of the best 'names' on his record), there is an argument to be made that the cuts stoppage actually helped enhance Vitali's reputation, as otherwise he'd have likely been worn down and stopped more conclusively had the fight continued, which would have shattered his 'never really been beaten' reputation which he dined on for a decade afterwards.

As for Vitali's punching power...Well his shots were so slow they sometimes looked as if they were sent by carrier pigeon, and his knockout numbers are helped by the fact that he spent so many of his fights chucking converted Cruiserweights around. He could whack a bit, but his KO % must be one of the most misleading statistics in boxing history.

 

I think I'm the only guy in this forum who is a big fan of both Lewis and Vitali.

 

Agree with everything you state above. A fair analysis among fanatics on both sides.

 

Let all that hate run free, brother.

 

Nah they're my top 2 H2H HW's ever. Huge fan of both.

 

Lol, I am not a fan of either but an appreciator of both if that counts? I really have not been a fan of a particular fighter over the past 20 years since my early-mid 20’s. I largely enjoy most world class fighters but wouldn’t call myself a fan as I have no personal emotional investment in any of them. I don’t root for or against anyone anymore, nor do I celebrate (unless it is a philly boy, and even then not so much anymore) or get upset if the win/lose.

But in regards to Lewis/Vitali I think they were both great and respect appreciate both of them to a high degree. Not sure if that counts

 

Actually wish most fighters retired before they get to that point where they don’t belong. Always sad. Lewis did the right thing despite my younger self holding it against him for many years. No need to get embarrassed to know it’s over.

 

His Ko percentage is overrated. His brother was the harder puncher...by far.

 

sure he'd be unbeaten if facing 40 chris byrds...

 

great idea, we should decide fights on who slumps on their stool, not whse face gets so poorly defended that it hangs off.

lewiss topped vitali, vitali stopped ...charr.

why was charr allowed a ttitle shot again?


lucky it ended on cuts, sure for vitali or he'd got ktfo.