Wlad Klitschko Ranks As The 50th Greatest Heavyweight Of All Time

[Willow The Wisp]

- - Dunno about that. Vit lost a battle and won the WAR when he forced Lewie into a publicly disgraced retirement the day before the WBC was going to strip him for not fighting Wlad.

Everywhere Lewie goes, the shame of that moment will follow, especially when revealed his mommy wouldn't let him fight Vit after she met him.

End of the line Lennox Lewis battered and stopped the best version of Vitali.

Vitali an excellent heavyweight.
But not in Lewis' class.
Nor Wladimir's
Nor Fury’s, Usyk's, Joshua's or Wilder's.

[billeau2]

End of the line Lennox Lewis battered and stopped the best version of Vitali.

Vitali an excellent heavyweight.
But not in Lewis' class.
Nor Wladimir's
Nor Fury’s, Usyk's, Joshua's or Wilder's.

I am even willing to give Vitali the proverbial "benefit of the doubt" and say, if he had maybe fought better competition he might have attained more lofty heights... Maybe... But he didn't and her is the thing about your post, as many will cry about claiming this was the best version of Vitali... But it really really was and here is why...

Lewis was Vitali's Moby ****... Vitalie had his chance and he was stoked. Some say he didn't have time for a camp, but Lewis did not train either because he was fighting some very weak challenger (Kirk Douglas?)... Both men could have used a better camp at most! So they were even in this regard.

But here is the kicker! Vitalie SAW the situation. He KNEW he had to take a leap and really attack. Either version was a fail: Either, he did this and consequently opened himself up to Lewis (Lewis was coming on when the fight was stopped), or, he just could not summon the will to really go after his dream... I tend to believe this version. Vitalie was not willing to risk getting Ko'ed to try to take Lewis out... My opinion.

Meanwhile pushed to desperate heights, Lewis found reserves and a way to win.

[QueensburyRules]

End of the line Lennox Lewis battered and stopped the best version of Vitali.

Vitali an excellent heavyweight.
But not in Lewis' class.
Nor Wladimir's
Nor Fury’s, Usyk's, Joshua's or Wilder's.

- - Right, Lewie got beat up but knew he won on a fluke cut, or deliberate cut designed by his trainer. No Matter, Lewie cut his 6 fight lucrative retirement plan short of 5 fights in disgrace because he was scared of what a healthy Vit does to him.

Yup!!!

[billeau2]

- - Right, Lewie got beat up but knew he won on a fluke cut, or deliberate cut designed by his trainer. No Matter, Lewie cut his 6 fight lucrative retirement plan short of 5 fights in disgrace because he was scared of what a healthy Vit does to him.

Yup!!!

Lewis got beat up? And then we see Vitalie's face right? Lay off the hooch brother... So what lets say you are correct and Lewis said "gee ya know, this was a tough fight, the media are ungrateful, really tried to attack me as much as my opponent, do I need to do this anymore? I beat the latest and greatest, I am not getting younger, I really am afraid of what another fight with Vitalie does to me, and I will not duck him... sounds like a great reason to retire!"

Tell me what would be WRONG with this you drunken fool. What would be craven about this? assuming, giving you the benefit of the doubt here. Vitalie had his chance... Obviously another fight would be damaging to both men... NO DISGRACE! lol.

Your brain is pickled, your reasoning is little to none and little left town... Your the disgrace here.. Now go retort about Ginsburgh you gin addled r e t a r d.

[JAB5239]

- - Right, Lewie got beat up but knew he won on a fluke cut, or deliberate cut designed by his trainer. No Matter, Lewie cut his 6 fight lucrative retirement plan short of 5 fights in disgrace because he was scared of what a healthy Vit does to him.

Yup!!!

If you punch someone with the intentions of doing damage and cause a cut, it's not a fluke. Face the facts.

[JAB5239]

Lewis got beat up? And then we see Vitalie's face right? Lay off the hooch brother... So what lets say you are correct and Lewis said "gee ya know, this was a tough fight, the media are ungrateful, really tried to attack me as much as my opponent, do I need to do this anymore? I beat the latest and greatest, I am not getting younger, I really am afraid of what another fight with Vitalie does to me, and I will not duck him... sounds like a great reason to retire!"

Tell me what would be WRONG with this you drunken fool. What would be craven about this? assuming, giving you the benefit of the doubt here. Vitalie had his chance... Obviously another fight would be damaging to both men... NO DISGRACE! lol.

Your brain is pickled, your reasoning is little to none and little left town... Your the disgrace here.. Now go retort about Ginsburgh you gin addled r e t a r d.

[Willow The Wisp]

Lewis got beat up? And then we see Vitalie's face right? Lay off the hooch brother... So what lets say you are correct and Lewis said "gee ya know, this was a tough fight, the media are ungrateful, really tried to attack me as much as my opponent, do I need to do this anymore? I beat the latest and greatest, I am not getting younger, I really am afraid of what another fight with Vitalie does to me, and I will not duck him... sounds like a great reason to retire!"

Tell me what would be WRONG with this you drunken fool. What would be craven about this? assuming, giving you the benefit of the doubt here. Vitalie had his chance... Obviously another fight would be damaging to both men... NO DISGRACE! lol.

Your brain is pickled, your reasoning is little to none and little left town... Your the disgrace here.. Now go retort about Ginsburgh you gin addled r e t a r d.

If Jeff retired after beating Jack Monroe, and Johnson did it after beating Pat Lester, and Joe Louis retired after Walcott II, and Muhammad Ali after Earnie Shavers, and they never came back, like Lennox did; they would have done something good. Good for themselves, good for their families and good for the sport.
All hail Tunney, Marciano and Lennox Lewis for being smart.

For Lennox, and every great champion, there would always be another challenger with a decent chance.
To Lrwis' everlasting credit, he got the chance to batter and stop the last guy who he fought.

[JAB5239]

If Jeff retired after beating Jack Monroe, and Johnson did it after beating Pat Lester, and Joe Louis retired after Walcott II, and Muhammad Ali after Earnie Shavers, and they never came back, like Lennox did; they would have done something good. Good for themselves, good for their families and good for the sport.
All hail Tunney, Marciano and Lennox Lewis for being smart.

For Lennox, and every great champion, there would always be another challenger with a decent chance.
To Lrwis' everlasting credit, he got the chance to batter and stop the last guy who he fought.

Exactly. Klitschko nut huggers cannot accept this because they could almost taste victory as if it were their own. When Lewis snatched it away they became so embittered that anything they could use to take away from Lennox win they did with utter and complete disdain.

[billeau2]

If Jeff retired after beating Jack Monroe, and Johnson did it after beating Pat Lester, and Joe Louis retired after Walcott II, and Muhammad Ali after Earnie Shavers, and they never came back, like Lennox did; they would have done something good. Good for themselves, good for their families and good for the sport.
All hail Tunney, Marciano and Lennox Lewis for being smart.

For Lennox, and every great champion, there would always be another challenger with a decent chance.
To Lrwis' everlasting credit, he got the chance to batter and stop the last guy who he fought.

What really gets my ire is when some fan who usually never experienced combat, feels privaleged to demand that a fighter take another fight. As though Lewis had some obligation to a media that was awful to him, and to an opponent who was really incensed with him... Vitalie really was disrespectful to Lewis and angered him. Then when Lewis, just after a brutal fight, expressed that feeling, he was castigated. Merchant and the rest of the talking heads had no sense of "this guy (Lewis) has some currency, a right to feel a certain way" but instead accused him of making excuses, and not respecting an opponent who was very disrespectful... Both guys did not like each other, it was hardly Lewis being a poor sport, as Merchant seemed to want to be the narrative.

No commentator seemed to even give Lewis credit. I mean he took that fight knowing he was going in undertrained... Also Vitali and Vlad seemed to delight in deciding whom got to fight whom... One may well ask why Vlad did not want that smoke, and the hypocracy of Vlad, who when losing to Sanders, did not want the rematch, and unlike Lewis, went on to fight others...

[billeau2]

Exactly. Klitschko nut huggers cannot accept this because they could almost taste victory as if it were their own. When Lewis snatched it away they became so embittered that anything they could use to take away from Lennox win they did with utter and complete disdain.

I have watched that fight many times and struggle with the notion that Vitalie was mounting an attack. It looked to me like Vitalie was done. And with that cut, a round of falling further behind, constituted being in harm's way, hence I think it was a good stoppage. When Fury got cut he started fighting extra hard and preventing any further attacks, as opposed to this fight, unless I am missing something?