Rank the top 10 heavyweights

[SacTown1]

Holyfield has surgery as well for the same injury he suffered agaisnt Byrd, only he finished the fight in a losing effort.

All Vitali needed to do was coast, he didn't even need to throw that arm again, and it was only for 3 rounds against a guy that wouldn't have been able to hurt him.

The bottom line is it was a LOSS.

It's not a "He was dominating Byrd but..."

great post homeboy, how can these guys seriously defend Vitali for QUITTING????

I know it was a long time ago, but once a quitter, ALWAYS a quitter

I just hope my boy Rahman is the guy who exposes Vitali once again

[Kid Achilles]

Vitali not a quitter.

I know it was a long time ago, but once a quitter, ALWAYS a quitter

I respect your opinion Sac, but I think that's a rather bold assertion to make when consider the circumstances of Vitali's fight with Byrd.

He has an advanced degree in medicine, and knows his body like no one else on the planet. I trust a doctor/athlete's educated assessment of his own rotator cuff over anyone's opinion on this forum.

Remember that he was winning that fight, and Byrd was not hurting him or giving him any reason to quit. I could understand you criticizing him if he bailed out against a puncher who had already rocked him a few times before the conclusion of the fight. That would be throw his courage under the spotlight. But this is Chris Byrd we're talking about who was losing the fight on all scorecards.

Vitali quit for health reasons, and not out of any kind of fear of Byrd. I can't see it any other way.

To say he'll always be a quitter flies in the face of evidence that most of us have on our computers. Watch him against huge punchers like Lennox Lewis and Corrie Sanders, where he was hurt by some big shots and still fought on impressively. That is not how a quitter behaves in a fight.

[Bozo_no no]

Vitali quit for health reasons, and not out of any kind of fear of Byrd. I can't see it any other way.

That's a very kind assertion.

Byrd had taken Vitali's best shots, and was pressing harder in the last few rounds than he was earlier in the fight.

Don't forget that Vitali was relativly green himself at this point.

He was uncomfortable because he was in pain, and Byrd was asserting himself.

Vitali choose to surrender his title on his stool rather than fight through the discomfort.

It's really a moot point now, but it's just tiresome to read the fanatical bregade's "Everyone knows Vitali dominated that fight but..." rants.

Vitali lost that fight, and Byrd won. Some people need to get over this.

[Dude]

1. Vitali Klitschko: Holds the only belt worth mentioning in the HW divison and has some good wins against Top10 opponents. Had a though fight with Lewis and is widely recognized as the number 1.

1. Lamon Brewster: Beating Wladimir Klitschko, Andrew Golota and Luan Krasniqi all by KO in his last 4 fights is quite an accomplishment. He seems to be getting better with every fight. It's hard to rate him below or over Vitali because they are hard to compare right now. Lamon has to fight Vitali sooner or later to clearify his status.

3. Chris Byrd: getting older and older but still holding on to his trashy belt. Didn't impress in his last outings but always found a way to keep his belt. He won't hold on this spot for much longer as his reflexes and speed seem to fade away.

3. Wladimir Klitschko: should be the undisputed champion but isn't though enough ...yet. Won his do or die fight against Peter and showed his critics that he has a passable chin and heart. His combinaton of size, speed and ability make him the most talented fighter in the division. But talent doesn't win no belts. Can't rate him below Byrd as he destroyed him in their encounter. If he keeps his new mindset and grows in confidence he might achieve what he's expected to achieve: being the standout HW of his generation. If just that IF wasn't such a big one.

5. Hasim Rahman: another fighter with big question marks over his potential. Knocked out Lennox Lewis only to be destroyed in the rematch. Has another chance when he faces Vitali Klitschko. If he wins this fight he'd easily move into top spot. It's just that nobody really believes that he will. Has been known for being lazy in the gym and threw away some fights with this ****ed up attitude. The potential is there he just has to walk the walk, finally.

6. John Ruiz: as much as it hurts to even mention him in any Top 10 list you can't deny that he's always fighting the best opposition available and most of the time winning. That secures him this spot. If only Toney wasn't just plain ******...

7. Samuel Peter: the youngest HW in this list with a perfect body for his style of boxing. Still has to work on many things and didn't really beat anyone up to date but showed the potential of being the next big thing when he knocked down Wladimir. He should be a Top5 HW in the near future, right now he definitly isnt.

8. James Toney: could be higher up the rank if he beat Ruiz without any forbidden substances (and no question that he most likely would have). Best defensive fighter and best counter-puncher of the division. He moved up so much in weight that he doesn't really carry the power of a HW and he's getting older as I wright this. But still he can beat most of the fighters mentioned on this list except for those who are two big and just literaly out of his reach. He still has one or two good fights left in him, let's see how high he'll be able to climb.

9. Calvin Brock: though he's still in the building phase. Good win over McCline. I haven't seen too many of his fights. He gets this spot mainly because there's noone else contesting it.

10. Sinan Samil Sam: Slow, resiliant, posseses a great uppercut, has a decent punch and a good chin. Dissapointed the last time he had the chance to really break through. Hopefully he'll do better this time. Fought some good opponents and beat most of them. Could be fighting for the WBO belt soon. I'd love to see him take on Brewster. Would be an exciting fight.

Honorable mentions: Luan Krasniqi, DaVarryl Williamson

[Kid Achilles]

Bozo,

I'm not saying that Vitali won that fight. He lost it fair and square. Due to an accident yes, but then many fights are won and lost by luck.

However to claim that Vitali is a quitter like Andrew Golota is a quitter is just incorrect. I think you would agree with me there, after seeing the Lewis and Sanders fights yourself.

My post was not about whether Vitali deserved to win or lose that fight. It is a reponse to Sac calling him a coward.

[Easy-E]

Holyfield had surgery as well for the same injury he suffered agaisnt Byrd, only he finished the fight in a losing effort.

All Vitali needed to do was coast, he didn't even need to throw that arm again, and it was only for 3 rounds against a guy that wouldn't have been able to hurt him.

The bottom line is it was a LOSS.

It's not a "He was dominating Byrd but..."

i understand you point, and thats why, in my book, byrd is number two. but i cant understand why anyone would put him ahead of vitali, when vitali showed to be the better fighter in their first meeting, and has gotten better since. byrd won, i understand, but i think vitali is better, so he gets my 1, byrd is 2, lamon is 3, toney 4, ruiz 5 and wlad 6 (i think he gets beat by everyone in the top 5 except byrd...which is again strange. theres a good case for wlad being 5 or 4 i understand, but i have a bad feeling that if he faces peter again he would lose
my opinion

[Bozo_no no]

when vitali showed to be the better fighter in their first meeting

False.

He lost. Just like he lost to Lewis.

Beyond that his biggest career wins are over Corey Sanders, Larry Donald, and Kirk Johnson.

He's one of four title holders who's shown to be inactive (just like the other title holders) and has a lot left to prove.

You can have whatever opinion you want.

It's the idiots who start swearing at anyone that doesn't agree with Vitali being at number one that have the real problem.

All the huffing and puffing in the world doesn't change the fact he's one of four title holders at present who's been inactive with a very meidocre win colum on his overall resume.

Until the top five active fighters in the present division fight eachoter, none of them deserve anymore credit than the other.

[Easy-E]

False.

He lost. Just like he lost to Lewis.

Beyond that his biggest career wins are over Corey Sanders, Larry Donald, and Kirk Johnson.

He's one of four title holders who's shown to be inactive (just like the other title holders) and has a lot left to prove.

You can have whatever opinion you want.

It's the idiots who start swearing at anyone that doesn't agree with Vitali being at number one that have the real problem.

All the huffing and puffing in the world doesn't change the fact he's one of four title holders at present who's been inactive with a very meidocre win colum on his overall resume.

Until the top five active fighters in the present division fight eachoter, none of them deserve anymore credit than the other.

i agree, but i think the fight with rahman is a good start, we can see if vitali is the real deal
for the most part, the hw division and who is number one is based on opinion, its a total mess
i hope brewster can clean it up...

[SacTown1]

HEY FELLAS, at least we're getting SOMEWHERE in late '05

Vlad-Peter was a great match-up for the #1 ranking

Vitali-Rock will determine the top-dawg in the division

plus we got Toney-Guinn and Byrd-Williamson for basically the #4 and #5 spots, behind Lamon Brewster who came up big on the 28th

AT LEAST these guys are finally fighting!

[SacTown1]

I respect your opinion Sac, but I think that's a rather bold assertion to make when consider the circumstances of Vitali's fight with Byrd.

He has an advanced degree in medicine, and knows his body like no one else on the planet. I trust a doctor/athlete's educated assessment of his own rotator cuff over anyone's opinion on this forum.

Remember that he was winning that fight, and Byrd was not hurting him or giving him any reason to quit. I could understand you criticizing him if he bailed out against a puncher who had already rocked him a few times before the conclusion of the fight. That would be throw his courage under the spotlight. But this is Chris Byrd we're talking about who was losing the fight on all scorecards.

Vitali quit for health reasons, and not out of any kind of fear of Byrd. I can't see it any other way.

To say he'll always be a quitter flies in the face of evidence that most of us have on our computers. Watch him against huge punchers like Lennox Lewis and Corrie Sanders, where he was hurt by some big shots and still fought on impressively. That is not how a quitter behaves in a fight.

Holyfield hurts his shoulder vs. Byrd, & goes the distance...

Vitali does the same, & quits....


one man will forever be remembered as a Warrior, the other guy has a 1st AND last name that can easily utilize the word "quit" for a nickname

I'll let you decide who's who