Which Klitschko Brother Was The Best?

Pretty much this. I think Vitali early in their careers was the better all around boxer. Wlad was always more dangerous though with his hand speed and power. But by around 2007 to 2014 Wladimir reached a level of dominance that Vitali never reached. Wlad hardly lost any rounds during this whole stretch.

I’d say Wladimir but Vitali would do better in many Head to Head matchups throughout history do to his awesome chin and natural instincts in the ring.

If Vitali was blessed with his brothers power though… Lol! He would’ve been undefeated. No doubt about it

 

Vitali is getting undersold in this thread. Wlad has a much better resume, of course, but in H2H I would pick Vitali, so it all depends on what you mean by 'best.' The version of Lennox Lewis that Vitali lost to would've beaten Wlad, I think. Vitali also smashed Samuel Peter to pieces after he had given Wlad fits, and he dealt with Sanders pretty easily, cleaning up the mess left after Wlad got obliterated by him.

If Vitali were more active, we'd have more to go off. Better legacy is Wlad, better fighter is Vitali, in my opinion. I was never hugely sold on Wlad, a solid champion in a dreadful era who gets rated way above his station.

 

I think about the only thing that Vitali had that was superior to Wlad was his chin .

 

How so, if he lost 2 out of his 4 biggest fights and din't beat anybody of significance?

No, he would still have a glass body that would get him injured every other camp. Wlad with his brother's chin, that's the perfect fighter you're looking for.

Nah, we're just looking at the real picture, not wouldas and ifs. H2H is nothing but speculation. The fact is Vitali didn't beat better fighters than Wlad. Peter gave Wlad fits in the first fight, but Wlad completely dominated him in the rematch, which was closer time wise to Vitali's fight, that the first fight. It shows that Wlad improved from 2005 to 2010. Yes, Sanders obliterated Wlad, but Wlad obliterated Byrd who beat Vitali by making him punch the air which resulted in the injury and made him quit. Styles make fights.

If I told you that out of 2 fighters fighting in the SAME ERA, one defeated way better competition, way more Top 10 guys, won more belts, had twice as more title defences, was considered THE champion while the other wasn't, was rated higher in 10 out of 12 years they were fighting, and told you he wasn't the better one, you would laugh my ass out of the forum. But for some reason, Vitali gets a pass because all the wouldas and ifs.

 

I don't think Wlad gets rated way above his station when most people don't have Wlad in the top 10.

 

Vitali was much better at boxing on the back foot.
W had no ability to box off the backfoot.
V had better stamina too.
Punch mechanics and general footwork W was clearly superior

 

Honestly, I think it depends on how you define “best.”

If we’re talking career achievements, then Wladimir probably edges it. He had the longer reign, unified the belts, defended them for years, and stayed on top in an era where being champion for a decade is no small feat. Technically, under Emanuel Steward, he became one of the most disciplined and efficient heavyweights ever.

But if we’re talking pure fighter, I’ve always felt Vitali was the better of the two. He was tougher, had a granite chin, and the only times he lost were because of injuries — nobody ever really beat him up. He fought more aggressively, took more risks, and you never got the feeling he’d fold under pressure like Wlad sometimes did when caught clean.

So, for me:

• Vitali = better fighter
• Wladimir = better career

If they ever fought in their primes, my money would be on Vitali. Just too durable and mentally strong.

 

Lewis literally beat him up to a bloody pulp.

So, if Vitali was better, why didn't he beat better fighters then? Why wasn't he the dominant force Wlad was? How can you be better and not accomplish even 50% of the stuff the guy you are being compared to?

 

If Vitali didn't have injury problems we would have known for sure.

But my gut feeling is Vitali is h2h an almost unbeatable monster. Despite Wlad having better power and skills. Nobody was gonna outpoint or knockout Vitali legitimately.

 

We must conclude Wlad to have accomplished more in the light of history, but it didn't necessarily have to be that way.

I actually think that Vitally might have has a s high a potential ceiling or higher, but he was older when he got into the sport, and had a run of bad luck.

So with that caveat out of the way, I have voted for Wlad, based on his resume.

 

Wlad had the better career and ranks higher all time but Vitali's better H2H

 

Even H2H Wladimir in his peak (2007-2012ish) wasn't a easy fighter to handle either.

I don't think it's a guarantee Vitali was absolutely better H2H than that Wlad with no questions asked.

 

Wlad in every way but his chin and that was huge so Vitali is higher in all time H2H match ups ..

 

Exactly as I see it. Well stated. All points.

 

I get what you’re saying, and I’m not trying to overhype Vitali. On the Lewis point, yes, Vitali was a bloody mess by the end. Lewis definitely did serious damage. But it wasn’t a one-sided beating where Vitali mentally folded or got dominated. He was actually ahead on the cards and still pushing forward when the doctor stopped it. Lewis won because of the cut, not because Vitali was physically or mentally broken. That’s the distinction I was making.

As for why Wlad accomplished more if Vitali was “better,” that mostly comes down to timing, injuries, and styles. Wlad had the Steward partnership and developed a style that was built for long, consistent title runs. Jab, clinch, stay safe, control distance. It wasn’t always exciting, but it was perfect for dominating an era.

Vitali’s career never had that kind of uninterrupted stretch. Injuries took big chunks out of his prime, and Lewis retired right when Vitali was entering his best years. If Lewis doesn’t retire, or if Vitali stays healthy, the heavyweight picture could look very different.

Being the better fighter head-to-head doesn’t always translate into the better résumé. Boxing has plenty of examples of that. Vitali had the toughness and chin and was harder to break in the ring. Wlad had the longevity, the consistency, and the safer style that allowed him to build the bigger legacy.

So for me it still stands:
Vitali was harder to beat in a ring, and Wlad built the greater career on paper.