Who is Vitali's greatest Win?

No other heavyweight champion, even old Foreman, faced the terrible competition Vitali has.

 

Samuel Peter.

The Sanders win isn't all that because...well Sanders isn't all that. People just like to make Sanders out to be something special because he defeated Wladimir, but Sanders was effectively a journeyman his entire career, was erratic throughout his career, and was past his best (whatever that was) by the time he fought Vitali. While he beat Sanders coming off a good win, its about the same level as Williams etc.

He has some pretty good wins over the likes of Hide, Kirk Johnson and Danny Williams pre-retirement. Those wins are pretty decent wins in them self.

Post retirement he has some good wins too over the likes of Gomez, Arreola and Solis but they aren't anything to get too worked up about. Gomez was a cruiserweight and while Vitali battered him he was much naturally smaller guy that Vitali and had never made anything truly solid in his cruiserweight attempt. Arreola and Solis while being undefeated and having some momentum and decent wins on their resumes are fat disgusting blobs, a reflection of this weak heavyweight period.

Samuel Peter was a really good win in my book. Just shy of a very good win. Peter had until that point only lost to Wlad and had put in a very good showing against Wlad. Peter has a pretty good resume to his credit (at least by this heavyweight era's standard) and Vitali battered a whole into him after a long layoff and injury. Still...Peter is also a reflection of what seems to be heavyweight norm today, a fat body who isn't particularly skilled from a technical viewpoint.

When Vitali beats a hole into Adamek later in the year he will another Peter-esque win on his resume. There can be no denying however that Adamek has proven during his heavyweight run to be open to being hurt (Arreola) and has punch power (at this weight) that Malignaggi would laugh at. All of this being because...Adamek is too small to be a truly competitive heavyweight.

Vitali may have very well been a dangerous opponent in any other era (a belief I share) but his resume is as weak as American beer.

 

Larry Donald is/was a very good boxer, so was Kevin Johnson and so was Juan Carlos Gomez. Herbie Hide was favored to win against Vitali and he won the first round before getting KO'd. Let's not pretend that these guys all suck. Kevin Johnson & Gomez had styles that made for fairly boring fights but that doesn't mean they can't box. Be serious.

 

:good
Yeah the 1st wlad/peter fight was pretty good & competitive for a bit. I know James Toney is a shell of his former self but the fact that Peter outboxed him is interesting to me.

And yeah, Peter was confident going into the 1st Wlad & vitali fights. Good wins for Vitali over peter & sanders. Not a Klitschko fan but they deserve some credit indeed.

 

Jack I think I covered that in my post. That being said Joe Louis fought a bunch of complete bums and so did Holmes from 1979-1984 or so. It is all opinion and conjecture anyway.

 

The problem I have with calling Sanders his "best" win is that Sanders was not in top shape for that fight. That being said, Sanders was the last guy in my opinion that at least tried to KO Vitali he threw bombs took bombs and didn't quit and went out on his shield. That is a lot more than the Kirk Johnson's, Kevin Johnson's, Arreola's, Peter's, etc can say. :deal

 

Vitali pitches shutouts against these guys, they aren't all that bad either.

His workrate is on par with the lower weights, sometimes better.

His KO percentage is off the charts for a guy that's spent his entire boxing career fighting at Heavyweight.

He's never been knocked down as a pro.

He's only lost by injury to Top 3 ATG Lennox Lewis and Chris Byrd with a freak shoulder injury. He lost that Byrd fight because Byrd was too elusive. For all the connected punches Vitali had a lot of over extended misses that aggravated the injury. That's a testament to Byrd's defense more than anything else. It ranks as Byrd's best win.

 

I guess you haven't tried Samuel Adams or Yuengling..................:yep

 

Cool beans :thumbsup

They're my current favorite Heavys but I'm starting to like Helenius & Boytsov. I appreciate all Heavyweights and consider Louis, Ali & Lewis to be the top 3 ATGs.

 

I'm writing an essay so I'm getting all metaphorical in my posts because I'm in the zone. I was fishing for a response more than anything. I quite like to have one of two American beers when I go out.

 

Let me add Mike Tyson to the list of Champs from weak eras. So was Marciano to some degree.

Ali fought in the best era IMO.

 

Holyfield, obviously a Top 10 great, was also a fitness freak along the lines of Wladimir Klitschko. I could never picture Evander firing up the crack pipe but I could easily picture Tyson doing so................:yep Doesn't change the fact that Tyson was an ATG but his division was weak & so is his resumé even if it is better than Vitali's as far as names are concerned. Mike has been KO'd badly, Vitali never has. I assume Vitali is financially sound & my advice to him legacy-wise would be to go out on top like Lewis did. It will gain him legacy points.....................

 

Right on buddy, agree with this too. Anyone that denies Lewis a ATG spot top 5 is crazy.

 

I drink Beck's & Spaten whenever I have a choice but every country has a decent brand or two. I hate Corona & Tecate but I like Dos Equis. "Be thirsty my friends.............."