Why is Vitali so great?

[Fulcrum29]

Vitali has always been the bigger, stronger brother who can take and deliver punishment.
Wlad has a suspect chin and oftentimes looks sloppy and in poor shape against mediocre opposition.
Vitali would murder Wlad if they ever fought.

damn right.

[Joe2608]

Vitali is basically Wlad except without the flaws.

[dans]

Vitali is basically Wlad except without the flaws.

Vitali is not as fast, has worse footwork, has a worse jab, and doesn't throw combinations like Wlad. Only area I see an advantage for Vitali is chin.

[Fulcrum29]

Vitali is not as fast, has worse footwork, has a worse jab, and doesn't throw combinations like Wlad. Only area I see an advantage for Vitali is chin.

wrong. he has DIFFERENT footwork, not worse. his footwork works better for him than wlad's does for wlad as they have different fighting styles. worse jab yes, worse combinations? wrong.

[dans]

wrong. he has DIFFERENT footwork, not worse. his footwork works better for him than wlad's does for wlad as they have different fighting styles. worse jab yes, worse combinations? wrong.

Is it Vitali's admirable showing against Lennox Lewis that gets him so much credit? I just don't get it.

[Joe2608]

Vitali is not as fast, has worse footwork, has a worse jab, and doesn't throw combinations like Wlad. Only area I see an advantage for Vitali is chin.

Chin, power, ring generalship, heart, stamina. The list goes on.

I'll give Wlad Jab that's about it. He doesn't throw combinations anymore. He throws jab jab jab jab jab occasional right hand jab jab jab.

You ever put them 2 in the ring together and Vitali would take him out with the first big punch he landed.

[dans]

Chin, power, ring generalship, heart, stamina. The list goes on.

I'll give Wlad Jab that's about it. He doesn't throw combinations anymore. He throws jab jab jab jab jab occasional right hand jab jab jab.

You ever put them 2 in the ring together and Vitali would take him out with the first big punch he landed.

God I wish they would fight. Not because I don't believe you or respect your point of view. I just don't see what everyone else does and I wish there was someway to know for sure.

[PittyPat]

I don't think I ever recall either of these guys fighting on the inside. Do you have an example to remind me?

Lennox managed to draw the VitMan into an ugly as hell brawl in their fight, which I think would've been the key to him (Vitali) being TKO'ed from exhaustion in the later rounds.

I'm not nuthugging, but I genuinely do think Lennox was telling the truth when he said "I would've knaaaacked him out!" - those last 2 rounds were brutal, and I had him winning them (along with the 3rd).

Vitali, on the other hand, looked just as tired as Lennox and pretty damn frustrated as well. He was in new territory (not distance-, but stamina-wise), and I don't think he was quite prepared for that.

Sanders, too, gave him a real stiff test despite gassing out in only the 2nd round. I think they hugged quite a lot, although it was a fun match because of the absolutely sickening bombs being landed by both men.

I think this is the key to beating both of them..get in close and pummel their bodies- when the guard drops, start picking away at the chin while giving them no space to operate.

That's the reason I'm giving Haye such a good chance of beating either of them. If he manages to slip, bob and weave his way past their jabs (which most people know he's capable of, since he actually has good head/upper body movement compared to the rest of the HWs), he could be whizzing uppercuts to their chins and clacking bombs around their bodies. Relatively new territory for them again.

The way for them to win will be to wait for Haye to make a mistake and thus catch him coming in. I would hope that he's not ****** enough to try and fight them from a distance, because their jabs will tenderise him like mincemeat... and a power right hand will pulverise him into a beefburger. However, he will have to take risks in order to get on the inside (like Hatton against Pac), so how effectively he does it is up to him.

In the end, the brothers do have a much better chance of winning solely because of their jabs that always keep opponents at a safe striking distance.

I think that if they let the fight continue Vitali would've been knocked out. Just opinion though.

"Definitely!" :laff2:

[GreatestIam]

Fact of the matter is Vitali is the more seasoned more dominate fighter, whereas Wlad in his own right is to a very dominate fighter, difference is Wlad has been exposed, Vitali not. However if the two fought qwho would win, Vitali no doubt he's relentless focused and non-stop as is wlad but can wlad exchange1

[BattlingNelson]

Is it Vitali's admirable showing against Lennox Lewis that gets him so much credit? I just don't get it.

Lol at your bet with Mr. Crust.

On topic: After the fight this weekend I felt and perhaps posted that I thought Vitali again was the no. 1 HW. Having slept on it I don't think so. Vitali looked rusty and he gassed from lack of stamina. If that fight was after a 4 year lay-off I could understand it, but he actually looked sharper and better conditioned against Peter.

So I think it's still Wlad on top. He might be a tad less entertaining but he gets the job done without flaws. It's not the klit's fault that the division is subpar. It's kinda like Duran's run at lightweight which lacked a lot in good/great fighters or Joe Louis who was HW champion in a period devoid of great fighters. No comparisons beside that.