Who ranks higher on the all-time HW list: John Ruiz or Vitali Klitschko?

[The Hammer]

Who ranks higher on the all-time HW list, John Ruiz or Vitali Klitschko?

Our respected poster IMDAZED rates them both about the same. Do you agree or disagree?

[IMDAZED]

Of course they won't agree. They've been told Vitali is so great because he won rounds against an old Lennox and he's always lumped in with his brother although he doesn't have half of his brother's resume. The real question is: Who the **** has he beaten? And yeah, if you look at Ruiz's resume, it's comparable. I'll take 1999/2000 Holyfield over Chris Arreola.

[yoz]

Disagree. Vitali's resume is pap, but he's definitely better than Ruiz.

[Konstantin]

Of course they won't agree. They've been told Vitali is so great because he won rounds against an old Lennox and he's always lumped in with his brother although he doesn't have half of his brother's resume. The real question is: Who the **** has he beaten? And yeah, if you look at Ruiz's resume, it's comparable. I'll take 1999/2000 Holyfield over Chris Arreola.

[Mr. Fantastic]

Ruiz is higher to Jones' fanatics so it can make Jones look like the god they portray him as.

[IMDAZED]

Ruiz is higher to Jones' fanatics so it can make Jones look like the god they portray him as.

This would make sense if I thought Ruiz was some great champion. I don't. Vitali isn't either.

Look at Ruiz's resume and tell me who Vitali beat that's so much better than who Ruiz beat?

[The Hammer]

Vitali has not done enough to be a considered a top ten ATG HW, but he's FAR ahead of John Ruiz.

- He's the only man to hold a world HW title in three different decades.

- He's the only man besides George Foreman to win a world HW title fight past the age of 40.

- He has many KO/TKO over decent HWs, including several who were Ring top ten at the time.

Corrie Sanders, Tomasz Adamek, Larry Donald, Kirk Johnson, Herbie Hide, prime Danny Williams, JC Gomez, etc. are not ATGs but they're definitely not bums either.

[gauze]

if ruiz wasn't promoted by don king (who has a cozy relationship with the WBA), i doubt his resume would be as good as it is. he really lucked out there. in all honesty, he probably shouldn't have been seen or heard from again after being obliterated by tua. and winning a split decision over jimmy thunder...chris f'n byrd and mo harris ko'd thunder the same year lol. while his resume is more impressive than vitali's, head to head i don't favor him over any top 25 all-time heavyweight. he's a very mediocre fighter.

i have vitali in the top 25 or so but i give him a lot of credit due to how he matches up head to head and his dominance against the guys he has fought. he doesn't have any gift victories or fights that easily could have been given to the losing fighter. vitali could have been competitive in any era, ruiz would be the journeyman that he is in most eras.

[IMDAZED]

if ruiz wasn't promoted by don king (who has a cozy relationship with the WBA), i doubt his resume would be as good as it is. he really lucked out there. in all honesty, he probably shouldn't have been seen or heard from again after being obliterated by tua. and winning a split decision over jimmy thunder...chris f'n byrd and mo harris ko'd thunder the same year lol. while his resume is more impressive than vitali's, head to head i don't favor him over any top 25 all-time heavyweight. he's a very mediocre fighter.

i have vitali in the top 25 or so but i give him a lot of credit due to how he matches up head to head and his dominance against the guys he has fought. he doesn't have any gift victories or fights that easily could have been given to the losing fighter. vitali could have been competitive in any era, ruiz would be the journeyman that he is in most eras.

I agree with the bolded. And yes, I base fighters on resume, first and foremost. And while I wouldn't rate Ruiz over Vitali (he does have some unimpressive losses), who here can argue that Vitali has beaten better opponents than Ruiz? He hasn't and doesn't deserve to be sniffing any ATG conversation. Maybe head to head.

[BostonGuy]

The thing that impresses me about Vitali as compared to Ruiz, is that he has defended it some many times in dominant fashion without losing it. During Ruiz' title reign, he lost the (WBA) belt a couple times only to regain it; and most his fights were very close.