How can Vitali Klitschko be an ATG heavyweight if he couldn't beat an old Lewis?

[hweightblogger]

5) Losing to Lewis is no shame but it doesnt change the fact he lost against the best fighter he fought.

Nobody claimed the opposite. But this is not the topic of the thread. The topic is whether losing to ATG Lewis kills your aspiration to be an ATG yourself.

It's the same question like Can Chris Byrd be ATG when he lost to Wlad?

Or can Adamek be ATG when he loses to Vitali (= the best opponent he will have faced).

The answer is: OF COURSE they can be ATGs because losing to other ATGs is not a proof of anything since nearly everybody will lose to an ATG.

[Dirk Diggler UK]

Nobody claimed the opposite. But this is not the topic of the thread. The topic is whether losing to ATG Lewis kills your aspiration to be an ATG yourself.

It's the same question like Can Chris Byrd be ATG when he lost to Wlad?

Or can Adamek be ATG when he loses to Vitali (= the best opponent he will have faced).

The answer is: OF COURSE they can be ATGs because losing to other ATGs is not a proof of anything since nearly everybody will lose to an ATG.

Meh....being an "ATG" isnt a real or factual thing. Vitali along with his brother are the best HWs of this era (post-Lennox). Thats all you can really ask of them.

[RubenSonny]

Doesnt he hold a belt right now.......surely he won a belt after Lewis retired......

Alphabet soup doesn't mean anything, hes never been the true champ.

[Dirk Diggler UK]

Alphabet soup doesn't mean anything, hes never been the true champ.

Depends what you mean. Vitali vs Sanders was for the Ring Belt i believe. They were 1 and 2 at HW at the time following Sanders KO of Wlad

[hweightblogger]

Meh....being an "ATG" isnt a real or factual thing. Vitali along with his brother are the best HWs of this era (post-Lennox). Thats all you can really ask of them.

I know that ATG is a flexible term. And from my discussions with boxing fans EVERY ATG's ATG status is contested.

Lennox Lewis? ATG? Hahaha, has been KOed by neverbeens.
Mike Tyson? ATG? Hahaha, bum beater.
Evan Fields? ATG? Hahaha, lost to X, Y and Z...
Wlad? ATG? ...

The only non-ATG-contested boxer is The Clay and maybe J.Lo.

[Cash Cow]

If Lewis thought he had any chance of beating him in a rematch, he wouldn't have turned down a record payday.

this right here^^^...

[joseph5620]

Vitali was winning the fight according to all three judges at the time of the stoppage. I was at that fight, and Lewis almost got knocked out in round 2, Vitali just didn't follow up and let him off the hook.

Exaggerating much? Lewis didn't "almost get knocked out" anymore than Vitali did after eating a big Lewis uppercut in the 6th round. If Vitali didn't "follow up" it's because of the fact that Lewis was not almost knocked out like you're claiming.

[RubenSonny]

Depends what you mean. Vitali vs Sanders was for the Ring Belt i believe. They were 1 and 2 at HW at the time following Sanders KO of Wlad

I'm well aware what the fight was for and that fight was a prime example of how ring champion isn't always lineal champion....

[Joeyzagz]

1) He DID beat him, but didn't win because of a cut

No Vitali did not beat him.

This is Heavyweight Boxing not ping-pong. The only thing scorecards are useful for is to plug the gushing holes in his face.


With that said, Vitali is an ATG.

[Klitschko2011]

TS is a ******ed racist black supremacist piece of shit.