So now that they have been retired a good while: thoughts on Vitali and Wlad as fighters?

[XThe GreatestX]

legacy.
How good were they?
Who was better


I always thought Wlad was really good once he figured out how to control his pace/cardio. But there were definitely some ugly moments early on that probably take him outta the top ten hw all time list tbh. The Lamon Brewster loss in particular has to be pretty close to worst hw loss of all time if not for Buster/Tyson

Vitali was good. Kinda lived off the Lennox fight imo. Robotic but powerful with good distance control, jab, and a granite chin. Probably not a top ten hw either based on resume. I am not even sure what his best win is tbh. Peter?

But both are 1st ballet hofmer’s who were good hw’s in their day imo

 

[XThe GreatestX]

Both top 10. Obviously. If they were black there would be no discussion.

Based on resume? I don’t think either are tbh although Wlad has a better argument than Vitali

 

[KillerIsBack V2]

They are the same person so those two resumes combined make him GOAT.

 

[defjaam]

Based on resume? I don’t think either are tbh although Wlad has a better argument than Vitali

Whats your top 10, when neither of them is in it?

 

[XThe GreatestX]

Whats your top 10, when neither of them is in it?

I could see wlad in it actually the more i think about it

But obviously ali,louis,lewis,holmes,foreman,

After that it’s pretty subjective. James j jeffries pretty much beat every hw in his time period so he is in there somewhere imo. Rocky/Frazier are in there. Probably Jack Johnson. Evander had some bad losses but really good wins so he is probably in there. And ill round it out with Liston (although Tyson is also acceptable)

Thats actually 11 (possibly 12) before wlad or vitali

 

[defjaam]

After that it’s pretty subjective. James j jeffries pretty much beat every hw in his time period so he is in there somewhere imo. Rocky/Frazier are in there. Probably Jack Johnson. Evander had some bad losses but really good wins so he is probably in there. And ill round it out with Liston (although Tyson is also acceptable

I could argue against any of them. But let's take Liston: One single title defense in contrast to Wladimirs 18 consecutive title defenses (23 overall).

Resume wise Wladimirs ahead of Liston too.

 

[treelo]

Both top 10. Obviously. If they were black there would be no discussion.

If there was a downvote option rather than a 'Like', this would get it.

Wlad ended up with the better resume, his wins against the likes of Rahman, Byrd, Mercer, Haye and Povetkin gives him the edge, but he had some shockers that he didnt ever avenge.

Niether really have real top 10 resumes, as nearly all of the guys they beat were beaten by other fighters more decisively in the same era, but i think Wlad sneaks in.

 

[XThe GreatestX]

I could argue against any of them. But let's take Liston: One single title defense in contrast to Wladimirs 18 consecutive title defenses (23 overall).

Resume wise Wladimirs ahead of Liston too.

Thats a fair point

Although i could counter that Wlad has four losses, 3 of which are borderline unforgivable and his signature win is either Samuel peter or David haye which aren’t exactly all time wins.

 

[treelo]

I could argue against any of them. But let's take Liston: One single title defense in contrast to Wladimirs 18 consecutive title defenses (23 overall).

Resume wise Wladimirs ahead of Liston too.

While im not arguing between defenses between the fighters, are you really calling the IBO fights world title defenses?

 

[Gambit MMA]

id pick vitali if i had to place a bet on one of them to win a fight. wlad's chin and getting upset the few times he did would leave me with uncertainty. vitali may have been a bit more robotic but i trust his physical and mental game more than id trust wlads

 

[Hagler]

If they were black there would be no discussion.

Dude.

 

[Hagler]

Wlad is arguably a top 10 HW. Vitali was big and awkward enough to cause trouble to pretty much any HW in history.

 

[Kim Jong Un]

Wlad was better and the idea that he is not top 10 ATG comes from the idea that their era was uniquely untalented and thus their accomplishments dont mean as much. I disagree with this because HW talent is almost always bad compared to lighter weight classes, having an era with Ali, Frazer, and Foreman is the exception not the rule.

Vitali was less skilled but had a better chin and was more comfortable slanging bombs. Probably not top 10 ATG but a nightmare matchup for anyone.

 

[burningspear]

 

[PHATV]

 

[Where you at Georges?]

In a mythical time machine hwt grand prix i think wlad could UD some atg's but he could also get ktfo. Vitali only had 1 top opponent. Harder too gauge him. I dont take resumes very seriously its just candy for fanboys too fret about

 

[Absolut]

Wlad is arguably a top 10 HW. Vitali was big and awkward enough to cause trouble to pretty much any HW in history.

Later wlad fixed some glaring holes but he alway backed straight up, chin up.

Vitali’s greatest accomplishment was a loss. Those fighters worry me.

 

[YourBoss]

Wlad has had the better resume and the better carreer. Vitali is H2H the stronger of the two, and would do better in a hypothetical ATG-Tournament. Vitale being better H2H, I think historically Wlad is the one within the top 10 all time HWs, while Vitale would rank just outside the Top10 (10-15). H2H Prime vs Prime, I would put it the other way around Vitali within the Top 10 and Wladimir borderline Top 10. With his incredible Power, huge size and reach and his great jab Wlad could pose a threat to any HW in history. On the other hand he can be outboxed , his chin is mediocre, and his fightingspirit is not top notch. Vitale has had less power (still strong tho), very good workrate/stamina, great chin and a good fighting spirit.

 

[cottagecheesefan]

Wlad is EASILY in the top 10 HWs. Not only is his resume enough to get him in, but in terms of hypothetical match ups, I am picking him vs a lot of people that others would want to rank higher.

Better resume than Smoking Joe, and would lay him out.

Vitali is a great fighter, but his resume is lacking due to injury/inactivity. I still think one could make the argument tho. He has 45 fights, with a number of title defenses (11, if I am not mistaken). Even his record is better than someone like Fraizer's, and would knock him out also.

I would put Ali, Lewis, Louis, and Foreman ahead of them, but then both Wlad and Vitali have just as strong an argument as any other. Not to mention I would pick them over a lot of smaller fighters like Fraizer, Marciano, etc.

 

[XThe GreatestX]

Wlad is EASILY in the top 10 HWs. Not only is his resume enough to get him in, but in terms of hypothetical match ups, I am picking him vs a lot of people that others would want to rank higher.

Better resume than Smoking Joe, and would lay him out.

Vitali is a great fighter, but his resume is lacking due to injury/inactivity. I still think one could make the argument tho. He has 45 fights, with a number of title defenses (11, if I am not mistaken). Even his record is better than someone like Fraizer's, and would knock him out also.

I would put Ali, Lewis, Louis, and Foreman ahead of them, but then both Wlad and Vitali have just as strong an argument as any other. Not to mention I would pick them over a lot of smaller fighters like Fraizer, Marciano, etc.

Maybe wlad but vitali?

His biggest moment is a stoppage loss