Comments Thread For: Wlad’s The King, is Vitali The Best Heavyweight (Klitschko)?

[edgarg]

Lennox Lewis defeated every opponent he ever faced professionally. He avenged his only two losses, unlike Wlad who cowered away from Corrie Sanders and Ross Purity.

Lennox was also the last undisputed universally recognized heavyweight champion. HWD has been weak ever since he left.

You're talking nonsence when you say a top class boxer was "cowering away" from another. Not only that, but it's a barefaced lie, and only an insult to the many fighters who go out there to give you entertainment.

You should be ashamed.

[Boxingwizard]

Wladimir is clearly better than his brother Vitali, I doubt Vitali can throw triple left hooks like Wladimir can.

[crold1]

Vitali is better; Wlad is more accomplished. Of the two, Vitali would have been the superior choice to fight in any era and might have been a great Heavyweight if he hadn't lost so much time with dreck between Byrd and Lewis, all those years off, and he wasn't stuck in this God awful ass Heavyweight era.

[edgarg]

Hello my old friend and I see you are still kicking around Marciano. And I will say, although it was enjoyable, I really have no desire to reopen that debate we had on Marciano. But, come on are you really going to say that fighters such as Primo Carnera and Leon Spinks and the likes of Tim Witherspoon and Tony Tubbs were better fighters then Rocky? I just have one question to ask you. Are you by chance from Brockton and did Rocky possibly bully you around as a kid?

"Old" yes...."friend" no. And yes, I am still feeling the same about Marciano as always. I was around, deeply involved with boxing when Marciano was the champ. I have a RING Magazine interview he did with Nat Loubet, in which he said that he was still learning, and had a few good years to box yet. A week later......-just a WEEK- he announced his retirement.

It just so happens that around that very time [and I'm not certain as to the exact day since my magazines are all packed up, ready to move] Floyd Patterson knocked over another contender, and the pages were filled with accounts of his blazing speed, and his unusual defence, and his "oddball" mentor and trainer Cus D'Amato, who hated the way the boxing system had become so corrupted, etc.etc.

It was commonly believed then, that Rocky retired so as not to endanger his 49-0.

And when one considers that his best fights were against beaten up, over the hill, worn out, ex big names, one must accept that these fights were good, only because the matchups were good, and by that I mean to say that they had regressed enough from their best, so that they were just good enough to make a fight of it with Rocky, considering his very limited skills. I've seen them referred to as "The Over-The-Hill Gang".

At the same time, we cannot overlook that the Mafia was virtually in complete control of the whole industry at that time, and it was only when Rocky was getting out, or had just got out, that Senate investigations, and various criminal charges were announced.

[Dave Rado]

I have a RING Magazine interview he did with Nat Loubet, in which he said that he was still learning, and had a few good years to box yet. A week later......-just a WEEK- he announced his retirement.

The Ring has a long copy cycle, it's not like a newspaper - their interviews generally happen several weeks before the magazine comes out.

By the time Marciano decided to retire he'd had time to digest his performance against Moore. I saw a quote in which he said words to the effect that if he could be knocked down by a Light Heavyweight, then it was time to retire.

It just so happens that around that very time [and I'm not certain as to the exact day since my magazines are all packed up, ready to move] Floyd Patterson knocked over another contender, and the pages were filled with accounts of his blazing speed, and his unusual defence, and his "oddball" mentor and trainer Cus D'Amato, who hated the way the boxing system had become so corrupted, etc.etc.

Patterson wasn't rated at Heavyweight until after Marciano had retired. Admittedly it was very soon after, but it's unlikely that Patterson was even on Marciano's radar when he retired. At that time, Patterson was still rated at Light Heavyweight and was not yet considered to be a serious Heavyweight contender.

Patterson's last fight before Marciano retired was against a Light Heavyweight, Alvin Williams. It's true that his next fight after that was a Heavyweight title eliminator, but you have the timing mixed up. That was more than a month after Marciano retired.

It was commonly believed then, that Rocky retired so as not to endanger his 49-0.

Rocky didn't hide the fact that he retired partly because he thought he didn't really have it any more. He said that if a light heavyweight could knock him down then it was time to retire. But getting out because you think you're on the slide isn't the same thing as what your statement above implies.

Another reason he later gave was that he felt his manager was fleecing him; and a third was that he was appalled when he discovered that one of his handlers was in the pay of the mafia.


To say he is over-rated by many isn't very controversial. To say he's the worst champion of all time is just ridiculous. You're under-rating him just as badly as others over-rate him.

Louis said in his memoirs that he thought that Marciano would have beaten him even when he was in his prime. I think Louis was wrong, but nevertheless, he was clearly sincerely impressed by Marciano, having been in the ring with him. And he wasn't as shot when they fought as some pretend. He still had one of the best jabs in boxing, which Marciano was not able to avoid, but was able to walk through; and one of the fastest right hands.

Louis said, "I had a bad weakness I kept hid throughout my career. I didn't like to be crowded, and Marciano always crowded his opponents. That's why I say I could never have beaten him."

When Ali sparred with Marciano, Ali commented afterwards about the difficulty he had reaching Marciano with his jab. Marciano also reportedly put Ali down with a body punch during sparring.

If you don't think Marciano is a top 10 ATG Heavyweight, I think that's a fair opinion. But to say that he's the worst world Heavyweight champion of all time, worse than people like Bruno, Witherspoon, Tubbs, Ellis and Baer, is beyond ridiculous.

[Ravens Fan]

The Ring has a long copy cycle, it's not like a newspaper - their interviews generally happen several weeks before the magazine comes out.

By the time Marciano decided to retire he'd had time to digest his performance against Moore. I saw a quote in which he said words to the effect that if he could be knocked down by a Light Heavyweight, then it was time to retire.



Patterson wasn't rated at Heavyweight until after Marciano had retired. Admittedly it was very soon after, but it's unlikely that Patterson was even on Marciano's radar when he retired. At that time, Patterson was still rated at Light Heavyweight and was not yet considered to be a serious Heavyweight contender.

Patterson's last fight before Marciano retired was against a Light Heavyweight, Alvin Williams. It's true that his next fight after that was a Heavyweight title eliminator, but you have the timing mixed up. That was more than a month after Marciano retired.



Rocky didn't hide the fact that he retired partly because he thought he didn't really have it any more. He said that if a light heavyweight could knock him down then it was time to retire. But getting out because you think you're on the slide isn't the same thing as what your statement above implies.

Another reason he later gave was that he felt his manager was fleecing him; and a third was that he was appalled when he discovered that one of his handlers was in the pay of the mafia.


To say he is over-rated by many isn't very controversial. To say he's the worst champion of all time is just ridiculous. You're under-rating him just as badly as others over-rate him.

Louis said in his memoirs that he thought that Marciano would have beaten him even when he was in his prime. I think Louis was wrong, but nevertheless, he was clearly sincerely impressed by Marciano, having been in the ring with him. And he wasn't as shot when they fought as some pretend. He still had one of the best jabs in boxing, which Marciano was not able to avoid, but was able to walk through; and one of the fastest right hands.

Louis said, "I had a bad weakness I kept hid throughout my career. I didn't like to be crowded, and Marciano always crowded his opponents. That's why I say I could never have beaten him."

When Ali sparred with Marciano, Ali commented afterwards about the difficulty he had reaching Marciano with his jab. Marciano also reportedly put Ali down with a body punch during sparring.

If you don't think Marciano is a top 10 ATG Heavyweight, I think that's a fair opinion. But to say that he's the worst world Heavyweight champion of all time, worse than people like Bruno, Witherspoon, Tubbs, Ellis and Baer, is beyond ridiculous.

Dave I at one time thought that edgarg was just a boxing fan but he takes Marciano's career way to seriously and made it a personal thing. And because of that I truly believe that he may be Roland LaStarza Jr.

[boxingking500]

i think wlad is the better techincal boxer... he has more power, speed, but is more cautious than his older brother

vitali is the better, tougher fighter....


it be a good fight prime for prime (current wlad is prime.... and vitali prime was before the 4 year layoff.... )

but currently... wlad wins..