Will Vitali Klitschko fight someone as tall as him
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The best post on here today. Valuev is actually on record as saying that he really wantes the fight badly and was glad to accept $2.5 mill but Don King wouldn't agree, instead demanding $4 mill which klitschko dismissed as unrealistic. Later on when valuev was basically retired they offered him $1.5 mill, explaining that they wanted the fight but more money just wasn't there and Valuev wasn't really a draw any more it was just that VK wanted to fight him to prove he could beat a 7 ft giant.I agree in a way. Its not really VK's fault, but its a legitimate criticism. There's a plausible argument (that I don't really ascribe to, but it is a plausible), that VK's style of fighting, keeping his left low, relying on incredible reflexes to dodge blows, usually by leaning back, is less well suited to fighting the true superheavyweights, very tall, very reachy fighters. The only legitimate top 10 guy until the past year or so, since VK has been contemplating retirement, who fit that bill though was Valuev. Valuev is probably the best example of all time of someone pricing himself out of a fight. VK wanted the fight (after he'd already lost his title to David Haye) and offered him 2.5 mil, which would probably have been around 40% of the purse, but Valuev wouldn't take it. Still, I think its one of the few legitimate holes in VK's resume. If he had (t)ko'd Valuev (say, he fought Valuev instead of Sosnowski, the guy he fought to stay busy while he was trying to get Valuev, and basically unarguably his worst title defense), I'd have him at least one or two spots higher on my all time list than I do now. Still, all that said, arguably his best win was Corrie Sanders (6'4), and as you said Briggs was at least 6'4 as well.
There was a matter that was not publicly aired as such. He was actually acromegalic and had severe debilitating bone and joint pains. It was only his guts and determination which carried him through many fights.Comment
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