Wladimir, Vitali Klitschko - Which Brother Ranks Higher

[billeau2]

as I remember it, vitali was going to be on the undercard and it was against a complete bum. they were building up to a vitali or wlad fight for Lewis and i think wlad had a recent loss at that point, maybe the brewster fight. that is why vitali was on the undercard.

yeah lewis was going to fight johnson but vitali also thought he was going to fight a super bum and not lennox lewis. so that goes both ways.

lewis opened a cut when he was holding and hitting and the glove grazed vitalis eye with a partial connect, ripping it open. that was luck on his part, he was otherwise losing the fight. in a rematch what would the strategy be, to hope he opened a cut again? the punch that opened the cut was technically illegal though no ref does much about holding and hitting.

lewis should have given a rematch and he woudl have been very well compensated for it. he knew at his age that his chances of losing the rematch were very high so he declined the career high payday and retired.

Lewis was winning the last two rounds IMO... Just something to consider. vitalie perhaps should have found that spark which greatness provides and found a way to put Lewis down. I agree on both men having the same prefight handicap. Vitalie had all the skills to be great, but just didnt seem capable of rising to the opportunity. He had Lewis gassed enough that any supreme effort would have been rewarded... I am on the fence as to whether Lewis won the fight with his own display of taking the iniative in those last rounds, or if Vitalie lost the fight, being younger, better conditioned, and a real dislike for Lewis... All things that would seem to drive a fiidghter when it was time to make a statement.

In Vitalie's defence, Lewis was catching him with some hellacious shots those last rounds... It was what it was... I don't think Lewis owed anyone a rematch. During his career he took on all commers. If he felt like retiring, more power to him. I would have felt different if he took a different fight avoiding Vitalie, but he didn't.

[HOUDINI563]

Lewis was way over anxious during this bout. He saw Vitalis defense open for a right hand and he was loading up, looping it and missing rather than shorter and more accurate.

At the end of the final round Lewis landed a right hook that had Vitali out on his feet staggering into Lewis across the ring. Then a right uppercut at the bell. Had the bout continued the next round would have been Vitalis last.

[OctoberRed]

Lewis was way over anxious during this bout. He saw Vitalis defense open for a right hand and he was loading up, looping it and missing rather than shorter and more accurate.

At the end of the final round Lewis landed a right hook that had Vitali out on his feet staggering into Lewis across the ring. Then a right uppercut at the bell. Had the bout continued the next round would have been Vitalis last.

Im not sure if it was. I remember Lewis not being in the greatest shape for that fight and appeared to be slowing down in that round.

[HOUDINI563]

Watch the final 45 seconds.

[billeau2]

Im not sure if it was. I remember Lewis not being in the greatest shape for that fight and appeared to be slowing down in that round.

Im not sure if Vitalie was done for... I do know that Lewis was coming on the last two rounds... To me this meant that in addition to Lewis gaining momentum, it gave people watching the ethical authority to stop the fight. Its one thing if you are cut bad and damaging your opponent, like Fury to Wallin, it is different if it looks like your opponent is going to injure you further when you already have a bad injury.

It just looked like Vitalie was fading fast... And could therefore be injured horribly for no good reason.

[OctoberRed]

Im not sure if Vitalie was done for... I do know that Lewis was coming on the last two rounds... To me this meant that in addition to Lewis gaining momentum, it gave people watching the ethical authority to stop the fight. Its one thing if you are cut bad and damaging your opponent, like Fury to Wallin, it is different if it looks like your opponent is going to injure you further when you already have a bad injury.

It just looked like Vitalie was fading fast... And could therefore be injured horribly for no good reason.

I think is Vitali would have weathered the storm a bit more, Lewis would have been gassed and punched out.

[billeau2]

I think is Vitali would have weathered the storm a bit more, Lewis would have been gassed and punched out.

They both were gassing something fierce. It's possible. Reminds me a bit of Lyle foreman. One guy up...one guy down... reverse... etc etc lol

[QueensburyRules]

- -The Brothers are near inseparable in dominating their era and their's was the greatest historic accomplishment at the turn of the century.

As such, 2A and 2B after #1 Joe Louis followed by Big George and Dempsey. Any of this crowd in shape and prime whoops the best of the rest, so weep thee softly into the night...

[Ben Bolt]

A lot of times. I found the bros boring to watch ...
But their stats tell me, I was asking for too much.
Wlad 64-5, 53 (!) KOs; Vitali 45-2, 41 (!) KOs ... 94 stoppages combined ...

- -The Brothers are near inseparable in dominating their era

They had done well in any era.

[OctoberRed]

A lot of times. I found the bros boring to watch ...
But their stats tell me, I was asking for too much.
Wlad 64-5, 53 (!) KOs; Vitali 45-2, 41 (!) KOs ... 94 stoppages combined ...



They had done well in any era.

Yup, not too many went the distance.