Well, let me tell you something Fourtyounce. Vitali getting injured is the best that ever happend to Peter. He would of never won the belt had Vitali not retired. And I don't see how Peter can beat Vitali, he cannot outbox him ( ). I really doubt he can Ko Vitali unless he has monumentally deteriorated from the injuries. Vitali has never been knocked down and is the far superior boxer.
So let me get a better understanding of what your trying to say here, if Peter wins its becuase of Vitalis injurys? you are clearly ruling out the possibility of ring rust being a factor as well, and with Ring rust how do you expect Vitali to be able to clearly outbox him? its going to take a couple of rounds to shake that **** off. Peter will win this fight, we already know what the excuses are going to be, Vitalis injured, he had a long lay off, this and that, Well he should have took a tune up fight first, so those excuses are nil and void when he losses.
No, I think the chance of Vitali losing is very low. And I don't think Vitali needs a tune up for a wide swinging, straight foreward, no head movement, crude fighter. Vitali should be able to pick Sam Peter apart from the outside using his superior reach, size and boxing ability.
You think too much of Vitali, he's been riding the bench for nearly 4 years, and you think he's going to come back in and take over where he left off by beating the number 2 fighter in the world? I doubt it, Vitali's timing will be horrible, his reflexes will not be nearly as good, and his iron will have rust on it. Peter does have imroved head movement, watch the Maskaev fight again and come back tell me what you see. Tyson he's not, but he is one of the best Heavyweights we currently have right now, like it or not.
I seen the fight. Peter's defense against Maskaev was the fear of getting hit. Maskaev has a bad chin , and he had to be conservative in his offense to protect it. That is why Peter didn't get hit that much because Maskaev wasn't throwing much. You cannot compare Maskaev to Vitali; way better fighter, size and much better chin. Vitali's reach and jab adds a whole nother element to the fight. Maskaev is Peter's height, Vitali makes him look like a child.
Fear of getting hit? No, he used Head movement to avoid a good deal of those punches. Maskaev is 6'2 and a half, Peter is 6'0 and a half, there's a 2 inch difference there. As far as you saying Vitali's better than Maskaev, you dont know that, the guys been on the bench for 4 years, even Maskaev been more active than that, and he didnt back out of 4 fights when it came time to step up and fight Rahman.