Why the hate for big brother?

[Max Power]

The Klitschko's divide boxing fans like no other when it comes to HW's. Modern fans and Europeans consider them the best ever and the current era the strongest and US/English fans and older gen consider them weak champions in a weak era.

All that aside though I completely understand how Wladimir can receive such criticism. Despite his dominance of the division never before seen, his fights are rather boring, systematic and sometimes outrageous with all the hugging. He seems not to want to engage in anything resembling a rough crowd pleasing fight.

But WHY in hell would anybody feel that way about Vitali? I have heard from guys like blockbust etc on this forum how bad Vitali is but really, his fights with Lennox, Johnson, Sanders and Williams were very impressive! He delivered us breathtaking smash fests against very strong opposition. He was not afraid to put his body on the line to deliver the results!

In my opinion Vitali Klitschko should also be considered alongside the other great exciting heavyweights. The good times didn't finish when Lewis retired but a little later when Vitali did!

[FinitoElDinamita]

I dont think anybody hates him. Its just that he has a goofy style and is holding the belt hostage ..

Why isnt he fighting stiverne? And he got his ass beat by an old, disinterested lewis.

[Max Power]

How old was Lewis? 37? That's virtually prime for a modern HW! He was barely 5 or 6 lbs over his usual weight and seemed pretty bloody keen to fight in the lead up to it! Haven't you seent he pre fight interview with Lennox? I seen Lewis get spanked harder than I ever did before, not just caught with a freak big shot.

Lennox is virtually considered worldwide by most sober boxing fans as the greatest h2h heavyweight of all time and Vitali certainly gave him all he could handle. Where the disrespect comes from I don't know!

Yeah he's held the belt hostage long enough but he is about to retire and let Wlad, Arreola, Stiverne fight it out so I can't see the problem. It seems more like Euro hate to me! Sad!

[p4pking]

Fair points. For brothers they certainly don't fight the same way and should never be grouped together like that. There's the fact that they inevitably wouldn't ever fight, and they are kind of a promotional entity to boot, I think people just judge them together for that. It has been a weak era, imagine if they weren't brothers and Wlad never fought Vitali lol.

[Max Power]

I don't think it's a weak era at all. Haye, Arreola, Povetkin, Thompson, Peter, Stiverne and virtually all the top heavies through the 00's and 10's would be competitive in any era.

I think Vitali pre retirement could have spanked his little brother stupid and knocked him out. Wlad was more agile than Vitali and he fought aggressive back then but he had not the spirit or the chin of big brother. From Vitali's return though I feel Manny's training had turned the tides and from 07-08 onwards this Wladimir beats Vitali but not in an impressive fashion.

My top 6 prime for prime, h2h all time are

1. Lennox Lewis
2. Wladimir Klitschko
3. Vitali Klitschko
4. Riddick Bowe
5. Evander Holyfield
6. Mike Tyson

[powerpuncher]

i dont mind them. they are just very overrated by some people. i understand that wlad is just a boring fighter but that doesnt factor into what i think of him as a fighter.

[TitoFan]

The Klitschko's divide boxing fans like no other when it comes to HW's. Modern fans and Europeans consider them the best ever and the current era the strongest and US/English fans and older gen consider them weak champions in a weak era.

All that aside though I completely understand how Wladimir can receive such criticism. Despite his dominance of the division never before seen, his fights are rather boring, systematic and sometimes outrageous with all the hugging. He seems not to want to engage in anything resembling a rough crowd pleasing fight.

But WHY in hell would anybody feel that way about Vitali? I have heard from guys like blockbust etc on this forum how bad Vitali is but really, his fights with Lennox, Johnson, Sanders and Williams were very impressive! He delivered us breathtaking smash fests against very strong opposition. He was not afraid to put his body on the line to deliver the results!

In my opinion Vitali Klitschko should also be considered alongside the other great exciting heavyweights. The good times didn't finish when Lewis retired but a little later when Vitali did!

Good post. I have no ill feelings toward big brother. He catches flak for being "robotic", but I can live with that. Not everybody is a smooth, fluid boxer. I don't "hate" Wlad either, although his style is harder for me to take. Any fighter who is blatantly, obviously deathly afraid of getting tagged on the chin, to the point of cheathing and making god-awful fights..... drops points on my personal scale. I've seen Wlad engage in morbid "paw-fests" with Sultan..... grapple Olympic-style with Povetkin..... and refuse to take even the slightest chance against big-mouth Haye, who had promised to decapitate him. And every fight leaves me puzzled as to why I watched the damn fight in the first place. That didn't happen with the Tyson's the Lennoxes, or hell.... even the Vitali's of the division. Only with Wlad.