Quote Originally Posted by GAME
Duno who Vitali has beaten to deserve this shot . His 1 claim to fame is lasting until the 6th with Lewis but a washed up Tyson lasted 8 .

Vitali may have been better than most at the time of his retirement but thats not the point . Peter has good reason to be annoyed . He was petrified against Sanders . Retired at the prospect of fighting Rahman and pulled out against Byrd when Danny Willimas won by k.o with his arm dangling against Potter .

He can probably do well in this comeback but make him work his way back up like former champs , Mcall and Moorer .
You basically hit the nail on the head with that one. Further, I think that it's unprecedented in boxing history for a sanctioning body to create a "emeritus" Champ. It's absolutely insane. If there was any legitimacy to such a title, it would have been better served by giving it to a true champion like Lewis. He fought them all and secured a great legacy for himself. Vitali really didn't do much and remains unproven. Yeah, he had a great chin and took an uppercut from Lewis that would have K.O.'d most other H.W., but he still lost the fight and that's what he's best remembered for...it's a pretty laughable situation. It's also pretty sad