Shocker: Vitali Klitschko the Betting Favorite over Sam Peter

[Motofan]

No suprise to me. The odds are only close because Vitali hasnt fought for years and is easily injured. Skill wise this is an easy fight for Vitali. Even now I think he should be the favorite in the fight.

[Yessum]

peter catches klit leaning forward and nails him behind the ear with a crazy wild looping right that takes him out of the game soon later.

[MAXWELL_]

Peter is crude as it comes but i think he can edge it as Vitali will be rusty and past it imo.

he he hee! sams been looking like a pathetic oaff last fights.
i get the feeling he's having training problems. he's regressed .
have thought that at any other time in hvwt history he'd be considered 2nd tier.
at one time vitali was considered a whining weak top tier.

i think vitali should plan on getting extra medical insurance just incase he trips at the weigh-in.
peter could get dangerously desparate early i feel and make vitali give up.

theyre both holding each other up by mid rounds.
vitali gives up.

[Nautilus]

In a surprising development, Vitali Klitschko, who hasn't fought in nearly four years, has opened in some sportsbooks as the betting favorite over WBC heavyweight titlist Samuel Peter. [details]

Well, I think it only shows how impressive Vitaliy really was as a Champion.

[hishaam15]

ring rust is always an issue. 4 year layoff gonna affect Vitali no matter how hard he trained during the 4 years.

predicting sam peter KO early

[edgarg]

peter catches klit leaning forward and nails him behind the ear with a crazy wild looping right that takes him out of the game soon later.

Your scenario sounds idyllic.......buy unfortunately Klitschko does not "lean forward" He fights off the back foot, and generally leans BACKWARD, like the pictures we see of the old time fighters. This works very well, in that only a fighter of close to his own size, Like Lewis, might have the chance to tag him.

I recall, before he won the title so easily, how all the analysts werre deriding him, calling him , "robotic" "stiff" wetc, when the exact opposite is the case. I recall that Larry Merchant referred to him as a piece of "construction equipment" or something like that. I have great respewct for Merchant's insightful comments, but I've always disagreed with him on this.

This fight may be more interesting than we think, because, what many have not noticed, Peter has improved since his Wladimir Klitschko fight. If we discard the McCline fight as an off night, or as the result of "styles" he's not so bad, and has good fighting heart. If the McCline fight And the first Klitschko fight indicate that his chin is not so good, and he has trouble with tall fighters, then........he's in for a bad night, since there's nobody boxing today who can take advantage of a stumble by his opponent like Vitaly Klitschko.

Peter's only hope then, is that VK would be too rusty to unwind, recoil, and strike easily. We must wait and see.

[MANGLER]

I ain't shocked at all. Only reasons to pick against Vitali is injuries and the layoff. At his best he'd destroy Peter.

[revs1227]

I do hope the inactivity doesn't have any affect on Vitali.

me 2 but im almost positive it will lol

[Hitman932]

you have to take into account that the majority of money bet on the fight will be bet by europeans, russians in favor of Vitali.

he is getting all the superfan bets and that drives the line in this case moreso than the actual odds of him winning.

[!! Mr. Soprano]

Unless Vitali quits on injuries, I just don't see Peter winning period.

Willing to drop all my points on that one!