Good posts on this thread. Lotsa

I voted Peter - there's really no question. A tuneup fight would be a great idea for Vitali, just to gauge the working condition of his previous injuries. The truly bad scenario is that Vitali returns, beats Maskaev, and then either retires or reinjures himself. Then the title scene gets even blurrier, and the division sinks even further.

Peter's shown his durability and has paid his dues to get that shot. Vitali should definitely be in the picture if he wants to return, no doubt - I personally think he has the goods to smack around just about everyone in the division, if he's healthy - but stepping in on the shot that Peter's earned is bad form for him, IMO.

...although I'm sure he wouldn't lose any sleep over what I think