The Old Fighters are done

[Neuraxis]

That's because you haven't seen very many Vitali fights. They are all on their site. Vitali used to throw a devastating right hook.

[vB Martin]

Again, limited rotation of the shoulder.

I'm not saying that he can't fight. I'm saying he has yet to display the heart I expect of a champion.

Besides, why would a left shoulder injury affect his right hook?

[NichtGeflechten]

You have never seriously played any sport. You haven't the slightest idea of reality. You are completely hung up on the "rotator" part of rotator cuff. When one is unlucky enough to have a serious rotator cuff injury you can't even lift your arm away from your body. When a physician checks for this injury he will have you stand with your arms perpendicular to your body, he then takes his index finger and applies pressure to the top of each wrist while asking you to resist. Against Byrd Vitali could no longer hold his left arm up to parry,throw a jab or a hook. He could only flail about with it. He was smart enough to retire from the fight. His present SUCCESSFUL career vindicates his WISE but UNPOPULAR choice back then.

P.S. A pitcher doesn't have someone throwing punches at his face.....

[Neuraxis]

Again, limited rotation of the shoulder.

I'm not saying that he can't fight. I'm saying he has yet to display the heart I expect of a champion.

Besides, why would a left shoulder injury affect his right hook?

He fights a lot more cautious now so he doesn't tear something again.

[Neuraxis]

You have never seriously played any sport. You haven't the slightest idea of reality. You are completely hung up on the "rotator" part of rotator cuff. When one is unlucky enough to have a serious rotator cuff injury you can't even lift your arm away from your body. When a physician checks for this injury he will have you stand with your arms perpendicular to your body, he then takes his index finger and applies pressure to the top of each wrist while asking you to resist. Against Byrd Vitali could no longer hold his left arm up to parry,throw a jab or a hook. He could only flail about with it. He was smart enough to retire from the fight. His present SUCCESSFUL career vindicates his WISE but UNPOPULAR choice back then.

P.S. A pitcher doesn't have someone throwing punches at his face.....

What about if someone charges the mound.

[vB Martin]

You know nothing about me, but you can say I have never played any sport? I've played sports all my life, all of the contact variety. I have 2 ****ed knees, arthritis building in my left shoulder and 4 questionable disks to prove it.
Guess what? I still play football almost everyweekend with my friends, I still play on a softball team, I dive, I skydive and I work out daily.
I will likely suffer greatly for this in my old age, but oh well. At least I enjoy it now

Thank you for the medical information on how a doctor diagnoses a rotator cuff injury, but I already knew that.

Physically, V made the proper decision. No sense in causing it further injury. Financially, he made the wrong decision, and the decision he made probably did more damage to his career than the injury would have had he gone on and fought. Because of his decision, he will always have the ghost of it hanging over his head, people like me will always question his heart until he proves otherwise, and he will likely never enjoy a reign as a "popular" champion.
A sad as it is, the reality of boxing is that it's as much a business as it is a sport. He screwed himself in the business portion of it.

[Neuraxis]

You know nothing about me, but you can say I have never played any sport? I've played sports all my life, all of the contact variety. I have 2 ****ed knees, arthritis building in my left shoulder and 4 questionable disks to prove it.
Guess what? I still play football almost everyweekend with my friends, I still play on a softball team, I dive, I skydive and I work out daily.
I will likely suffer greatly for this in my old age, but oh well. At least I enjoy it now

Thank you for the medical information on how a doctor diagnoses a rotator cuff injury, but I already knew that.

Physically, V made the proper decision. No sense in causing it further injury. Financially, he made the wrong decision, and the decision he made probably did more damage to his career than the injury would have had he gone on and fought. Because of his decision, he will always have the ghost of it hanging over his head, people like me will always question his heart until he proves otherwise, and he will likely never enjoy a reign as a "popular" champion.
A sad as it is, the reality of boxing is that it's as much a business as it is a sport. He screwed himself in the business portion of it.

Apparently you missed the HBO poll after the Vitali v. Sanders fight on who the true heavyweight champion is.

[vB Martin]

P.S. A pitcher doesn't have someone throwing punches at his face.....

and this relates to a rotator cuff injury how, exactly?

[vB Martin]

There's no doubt that V is the true heavyweight champion, but he is champion in an era when there are no serious contenders left.

Part of what it takes to be a popular champion is how many asses you can put in seats and how many fringe fans can tell someone anything about you.

Anyone with enough fan rabidity to be on this site will watch him fight, but how many casual fans will go out of their way to see him?

[NichtGeflechten]

I noticed you never boxed...maybe that's the problem. Falling out of an airplane and drinking beer with middle aged married men hardly qualifies as serious competition but I get your point. I can sense who is truly a hard person, Vitali is a hard man. He COULD have just been an EX-BOXER now by not stopping the fight and not the present day WORLD CHAMPION so I really don't see how any sane person would be so contrary to his choice.