Who was better, Lewis or Wlad?

[Master]

Are you still on this?

Doctor stopped the fight because it was a horrible cut, Vitali may have been ready to go but was saved the injury getting worse. It could have ended his career if it carried on.

Yes and I'll stay the fuck on it too @Master ....people call Vitali out for quitting "He quit, he quit, he's a quitter"......no quit in him that night, no quit in him other than the time he fought Chris Byrd and tore the absolute hell out of his rotator cuff meaning he couldn't throw a punch properly so he was fighting with 1 arm. I mean I guess he could have continued the way Holyfield did when he tore his rotator cuff but that ended Evander's career for the most part.

Yes the cut was horrible, nobody is complaining about the doctor @imp but it's a false statement to say either Vitali quit OR Vitali's corner stopped the fight....both of those are FALSE, UNTRUE.



But hey I guess if you want to say those things and not be corrected, then go right ahead because what actually happened apparently means very little to you.

Vitali is definitely a tough man and good champion. If not for injuries he would have had as long a reign as Wlad.

[powerpuncher]

A huge damper on Wlad is that he avoided (although excusably) the best HW during his reign which was his brother. If they had fought and Vitali won, then his title reign and number of defenses wouldn’t be a factor. He would have been the same exact fighter, but would be looked at differently.

That is my biggest problem. I just have a very hard time believing that Wlad would beat Vitali and because he never proved that he could, his reign is tainted whether it was a good excuse or not.

[Spicoli]

Can we once and for all put away the stamp of 'weak chin' regarding Lewis. Two lackadaisical nights, two single right hands and two knock downs does not trump warring and staying upright against the punching likes of Ruddock, Mercer, Bruno, Tyson, Briggs, Morrison, Vitali, Tua, 24 rnds of Holyfield left hooks etc etc. Lewis just had more depth and polish for me. His jab was one that kept a guy at bay to be followed by brutal uppercuts and right hands. Wlads jab was a premier signature but at times it was also the entire fight and he used it as a buffer to almost prevent some good action. Both special weapons but I think with very different intentions as was their confidence. I think when push came to shove Lewis was just a harder man.

[TitoFan]

Also, I never got the sense that Lewis was fighting "not to get knocked out". There's a very fine line that goes unnoticed a lot of times, but can alter the whole complexion of a fight. Defense is one thing, and we all appreciate it. I love a good defensive fighter as much as anybody. But fighting "not to get knocked out" isn't just good defense. It's a style which exasperates and many times leads to questionable tactics in the ring.

[Mark TKO]

Late to this but Lewis for me and it's not even close.

Lewis skills were on the slide by Vitali fight and he knew he didn't have it in him for a rematch - time was calling on him and he had the sense to get out and after years at the top he had every right to make that call. Vitali was 5 years or so younger ?

Bit like Wlad pulling out of the AJ rematch - he knew time had called and we can't blame him.

Lewis lost twice. I still say the McCall fight was stopped prematurely - though chances are McCall would have stopped him - and I've still never got over why Lewis, such a professional his entire career, didn't prepare properly for Rahman fight. Bit of an insult to the fans and the sport. Hagler commentating in second round "his mouth his open, he's struggling to breathe"...

Still the rematch showed us how good he really was.

Top 5 greatest all time ? Maybe not but very close.

[Mark TKO]

At their peaks Lewis KOs Wlad within 5

[Drago]

At their peaks Lewis KOs Wlad within 5

Agreed, no way wlad gets out of this without being KO'd.

[Drago]

Can we once and for all put away the stamp of 'weak chin' regarding Lewis. Two lackadaisical nights, two single right hands and two knock downs does not trump warring and staying upright against the punching likes of Ruddock, Mercer, Bruno, Tyson, Briggs, Morrison, Vitali, Tua, 24 rnds of Holyfield left hooks etc etc. Lewis just had more depth and polish for me. His jab was one that kept a guy at bay to be followed by brutal uppercuts and right hands. Wlads jab was a premier signature but at times it was also the entire fight and he used it as a buffer to almost prevent some good action. Both special weapons but I think with very different intentions as was their confidence. I think when push came to shove Lewis was just a harder man.

Great Post!