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Okay, it's probably a moot point as Vitali's had a dozen bouts since then and mixed with higher competition, but I finally got to see the bout with Herbie Hide where Vitali won the WBO belt in June 1999.
What surprised me is that although I'd seen the knockout clips and read that Hide was overwhelmed by the situation, he clearly won the first round against Vitali.
It could be a lot of things, but Big Klit looked less mobile, less physical, and even not as tall. I guess a lot of it is him realising his own advantages and disadvantages and working around them, but bearing in mind at 6'2 Hide is only half an inch taller than Danny Williams, then he managed to find Vitali's chin quite easily.
It's also possible Vitali was nervous in the first round, but Hide - who isn't a bad boxer, but has a lousy chin - was hitting him fairly regularly. That said, in order to fully reach Klitschko the Nigerian was adopting windmill arm tactics and wasn't getting the full power behind them. But the speed of the attack, getting inside Vitali's reach (which left the big man grabbing hold) and staying outside, making Vitali come to him... it was winning Hide the fight.
For a round, anyway...
What surprised me is that although I'd seen the knockout clips and read that Hide was overwhelmed by the situation, he clearly won the first round against Vitali.
It could be a lot of things, but Big Klit looked less mobile, less physical, and even not as tall. I guess a lot of it is him realising his own advantages and disadvantages and working around them, but bearing in mind at 6'2 Hide is only half an inch taller than Danny Williams, then he managed to find Vitali's chin quite easily.
It's also possible Vitali was nervous in the first round, but Hide - who isn't a bad boxer, but has a lousy chin - was hitting him fairly regularly. That said, in order to fully reach Klitschko the Nigerian was adopting windmill arm tactics and wasn't getting the full power behind them. But the speed of the attack, getting inside Vitali's reach (which left the big man grabbing hold) and staying outside, making Vitali come to him... it was winning Hide the fight.
For a round, anyway...
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