Klitschko crushes Byrd

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

Vitali started the fight out good, but it was a clean punch that cause the cut therefore Lennox punches did have more of effect on Vitali then Vitali's did on Lennox. Just re-watch the fight, had the fight continued Lennox would've KO'd him in no less then 2 rounds. Lennox was beganing to pour it on Vitali. That uppercut almost sent him down.

 

Wladimir has much more boxing skills then Vitali. Vitali has more heart and a stronger chin, but Wladimir has way more pure skills.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

"Vitali started the fight out good, but it was a clean punch that cause the cut therefore Lennox punches did have more of effect on Vitali then Vitali's did on Lennox. Just re-watch the fight, had the fight continued Lennox would've KO'd him in no less then 2 rounds. Lennox was beganing to pour it on Vitali. That uppercut almost sent him down."

 

I honestly don't recall any of this, I think Vitali almost going down would have stood out in my memory. Oh well, I haven't seen the match in sometime so I'll refrain from commenting for now.

 

The cut analogy is terribly flawed however. I believe it was a scrapping straight right that caught Vitali on an angle(it's on the replay right?), though I honestly don't recall him ever being stunned or looking hurt. You know, ill taped gloves cause very similar cuts but again it's been a while. I do recall Lewis getting wobbled, stunned, and his face getting puffy.

 

"What was Lewis going to prove by climbing into the ring again? He knew full well that his best days were far behind him, and he had already secured his legacy as the best HW of the past 20 years."

 

Well, we wouldn't be having this "What IF" discussion now. He left behind a pretty big loose end. These last few years, Lewis' biggest tests were out pointing a burned out Holyfield(who still somehow rocked Lewis in the 3rd of their first fight/the only time anybody was ever in any real trouble during the series), out pointing a slug like Tua, knocking out infamous glassjaw Michael Grant and the fat ass the White Buffalo, bombing away at a stationary doped up Tyson, and trading wins with a streaky journeyman like Hasim. Finally, he gets a legit contender who at least proved he was worthy of rematch and he walks away.

 

And please save the 20 yrs crap for somebody who can't remember back that far and wasn't born than. I grew up with Holyfield during that time and his matches against guys like Bowe, Cooper, Foreman, Douglas, and later Tyson, Moorer..etc. Win or lost, these were all legit contenders or dangerous when Holyfield faced them. Maybe not the second Moorer fight but he did have Roach in his corner and proved to be when one tough hungry bastard that wouldn't stay down. Outside of two exposing loses, Lewis was really underrated back in the day and even TKO'ed Bowe in the Olypmics as I recall(differnt Bowe than the one who fought Evander though). Still, his claim to greatness is what he's done in the past few years which I'm sorry but I don't find to be as impressive as Holyfield's heavyweight run in the 90s.

 

"Wladimir has better footwork, offense, and arguably defense nowadays."

 

He's slower, more one dimensional and still has shit rubber legs(his chin seems solid though for some reason). And most importanlty Vitaili is the smarter fighter, Wlad is improving though with Stewart in his corner.

 

"The 1 fight title run against Danny Williams? Vitali benefitted by fighting a lot of scrubs throughout his career, and even after gaining prominence, his resume topped out with the average Larry Donald, an extremely fat Kirk Johnson, & semi-pro golfer/semi-retired boxer Corrie Sanders."

 

Exactly, your not gonna see alot of heart in those matches.

 

"But when has someone not taking their chosen field seriously a reason for excuse-making?"

 

No it's not a reason for excuse-making, it's a big fucking problem.

[Lei Tong 0]

The cut analogy is terribly flawed however. I believe it was a scrapping straight right that caught Vitali on an angle(it's on the replay right?), though I honestly don't recall him ever being stunned or looking hurt. You know, ill taped gloves cause very similar cuts but again it's been a while. I do recall Lewis getting wobbled, stunned, and his face getting puffy.

 

Nobody's saying Lewis hadn't been in trouble, but the level of punishment and how close Vitali was to winning that fight have been overstated a good deal since.

 

"What was Lewis going to prove by climbing into the ring again? He knew full well that his best days were far behind him, and he had already secured his legacy as the best HW of the past 20 years."

 

Well, we wouldn't be having this "What IF" discussion now. He left behind a pretty big loose end.

 

The only question remaining is if a past-his-prime Lewis could motivate himself enough to beat a primed fighter like Vitali. Apparently, he thought it'd simply be better not to possibly embarass himself, losing to fringe competition late in his career like many of his contemporaries.

 

These last few years, Lewis' biggest tests were out pointing a burned out Holyfield(who still somehow rocked Lewis in the 3rd of their first fight/the only time anybody was ever in any real trouble during the series), out pointing a slug like Tua, knocking out infamous glassjaw Michael Grant and the fat ass the White Buffalo, bombing away at a stationary doped up Tyson, and trading wins with a streaky journeyman like Hasim.

 

I'll give you that Holyfield was showing his age by the time of the Lewis bouts, but Lennox was on the sownslide of his career as well. And yes, Grant & Botha were mediocre fighters, and put away as such. But the others...

 

- Tua, though a one-trick pony, had earned his title shot, putting away almost every other contender he faced, save Ike.

 

- Tyson was past his prime, but he still had enough at that point to blow past most of the scrubs in the HW division at that point. And there's no real proof that Tyson's lack of aggression in that fight had to do with anything other than the beating he took.

 

- Lewis, as was often a problem, came into the first Rahman fight overconfident, out of shape, and ill prepared (easily one of his biggest faults). However, most agree that the rematch was a more accurate measuring stick for each fighter.

 

 

Finally, he gets a legit contender who at least proved he was worthy of rematch and he walks away.

 

...how was Vitali anymore legit than any number of contenders Lewis had already dispatched? His biggest claim to fame was failing to finish off an old, out of shape Lewis.

 

 

And please save the 20 yrs crap for somebody who can't remember back that far and wasn't born than. I grew up with Holyfield during that time and his matches against guys like Bowe, Cooper, Foreman, Douglas, and later Tyson, Moorer..etc.

 

I put Holyfield right behind Lewis on my list, and arguments can and have been been made for either.

 

Wladimir has better footwork, offense, and arguably defense nowadays."

 

He's slower, more one dimensional and still has shit rubber legs(his chin seems solid though for some reason). And most importanlty Vitaili is the smarter fighter, Wlad is improving though with Stewart in his corner.

 

Wlad has the same speed (but with less awkward footwork), a better variety of punches on offense (whereas Vitali is pretty much a 1-2 kind of guy). Brains isn't an issue for either guy (fight tall, clinch in close is pretty much a no-brainer). However, Wlad's chin is still shaky as all hell, and the only thing that's improved with Stewart in his corner is his ability to clinch.

 

The one-fight title run against Danny Williams? Vitali benefitted by fighting a lot of scrubs throughout his career, and even after gaining prominence, his resume topped out with the average Larry Donald, an extremely fat Kirk Johnson, & semi-pro golfer/semi-retired boxer Corrie Sanders."

 

Exactly, your not gonna see alot of heart in those matches.

 

... true, but weren't you just ripping on Lennox's resume?

 

"But when has someone not taking their chosen field seriously a reason for excuse-making?"

 

No it's not a reason for excuse-making, it's a big fucking problem.

 

So all we're left with is a decent HW who might have been better than he let himself be. Nothing more.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

I honestly don't recall any of this, I think Vitali almost going down would have stood out in my memory. Oh well, I haven't seen the match in sometime so I'll refrain from commenting for now.

 

The cut analogy is terribly flawed however. I believe it was a scrapping straight right that caught Vitali on an angle(it's on the replay right?), though I honestly don't recall him ever being stunned or looking hurt. You know, ill taped gloves cause very similar cuts but again it's been a while. I do recall Lewis getting wobbled, stunned, and his face getting puffy.

 

Re-Watch the fight, Lennox hit Vitali with a huge uppercut that was the best punch in the whole fight. Vitali almost went down and out.

[NoCalMike 0]

Dude, Vitali never almost went down and out. And it was still arguably the thumb of the glove that caused the initial cut on Vitali. With clean punches opening it up more and turning it into the disgusting tear it soon became.

 

If you watch the fight, it is basically a lazy Lennox Lewis, slouching all over the ring, getting his bell rung for the first 2 rounds, then he starts to make a fight of it, but only throwing one punch at a time, no combinations whatsoever, oh and then the famous part where he is holding Vitali and hitting him in the side, while the stupid ref stands there and watches instead of breaking them up.

 

By this time both fighters are tired, and basically leaning on each other.....and then it is stopped. Vitali never once "almost went down and out"

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

I'm watching the fight right now.

 

If you have the fight watch Round 5, at around the 2:37. Watch that Uppercut Lennox landed. Vitali was hurt BADLY, which is why he tied him up. Best punch of the fight.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

"Nobody's saying Lewis hadn't been in trouble, but the level of punishment and how close Vitali was to winning that fight have been overstated a good deal since."

 

Like I said it's been a while but my initial reaction was that the stoppage was a blessing for Lewis not Vitali. Mike's description of the fight sounds more accurate to what I recall watching.

 

" Apparently, he thought it'd simply be better not to possibly embarass himself."

 

You nailed it there.

 

 

"I'll give you that Holyfield was showing his age by the time of the Lewis bouts, but Lennox was on the sownslide of his career as well. And yes, Grant & Botha were mediocre fighters, and put away as such. But the others..."

 

Not a natural heavyweight and a small one at that, Holyfield relied so much on sharpness; quick multiple combinations/counter punches to beat his naturally stronger opponents. With age and years of abuse(he has been in far more competitve wars than Lewis and took considerably more punishment), he simply didn't have the activity level to compete against a bigger man like that anymore. All Lewis had to do was paw with his open handed jab and keep his distance, and that's exactly what he did.

 

"- Tua, though a one-trick pony, had earned his title shot, putting away almost every other contender he faced, save Ike."

 

Sign O the Times. Horrible fucking fight anyway, you couldn't pay me to sit through that again. Both guys looked like shit, to be honest.

 

"- Tyson was past his prime, but he still had enough at that point to blow past most of the scrubs in the HW division at that point. And there's no real proof that Tyson's lack of aggression in that fight had to do with anything other than the beating he took."

 

I guess Lewis is in the elite company of Danny Williams and some Irish guy. Let's face it, the Tyson they fought wasn't that much worse than the one Lewis did.

 

"...how was Vitali anymore legit than any number of contenders Lewis had already dispatched? His biggest claim to fame was failing to finish off an old, out of shape Lewis."

 

He didn't get dropped by a telegraphed right hand in the early rounds. Some things are obvious by watching them, if you can't tell Vitali had more to offer than the fucking White Buffalo I would seriously question your ability to judge a fighter. Stats don't tell everything.

 

"Wlad has the same speed (but with less awkward footwork), a better variety of punches on offense (whereas Vitali is pretty much a 1-2 kind of guy). Brains isn't an issue for either guy (fight tall, clinch in close is pretty much a no-brainer). However, Wlad's chin is still shaky as all hell, and the only thing that's improved with Stewart in his corner is his ability to clinch."

 

at the clinch comment.

 

Wlad's problem is he can't handle an aggressive opponent, I mean Corrie Sanders ran over him. Not because he was hurting Wlad with his devestating power but because Wlad isn't sturdy and had no clue how to avoid being hit. I can't see Viatli having that problem, in fact he didn't when he carried Sanders for 8 or so rounds before dropping him at will. I agree he'll have no trouble with Hasim.

 

"... true, but weren't you just ripping on Lennox's resume?"

 

I'm not praising Vitali as the best figher of the last 20 years either.

 

I can say that unlike Lewis Vitali beat everybody he was suppose to beat though.

 

 

"So all we're left with is a decent HW who might have been better than he let himself be. Nothing more."

 

More like a good but often uninspired fighter who had shit competition and bad luck.

[Lei Tong 0]

"- Tyson was past his prime, but he still had enough at that point to blow past most of the scrubs in the HW division at that point. And there's no real proof that Tyson's lack of aggression in that fight had to do with anything other than the beating he took."

 

I guess Lewis is in the elite company of Danny Williams and some Irish guy. Let's face it, the Tyson they fought wasn't that much worse than the one Lewis did.

 

I would argue that while Tyson had something left around the time Lewis teed off on him, he had pretty much nothing left 2 years later.

 

"...how was Vitali anymore legit than any number of contenders Lewis had already dispatched? His biggest claim to fame was failing to finish off an old, out of shape Lewis."

 

He didn't get dropped by a telegraphed right hand in the early rounds. Some things are obvious by watching them, if you can't tell Vitali had more to offer than the fucking White Buffalo I would seriously question your ability to judge a fighter. Stats don't tell everything.

 

Vitali had done little to distinguish himself from previous contenders aside from luck-out and fight Lennox on a very bad night.

 

I can't see Viatli having that problem, in fact he didn't when he carried Sanders for 8 or so rounds before dropping him at will.

 

Vitali never dropped Sanders, which was pretty dissapointing.

 

 

I can say that unlike Lewis Vitali beat everybody he was suppose to beat though.

 

Except Lewis... and Byrd.

 

 

"So all we're left with is a decent HW who might have been better than he let himself be. Nothing more."

 

More like a good but often uninspired fighter who had shit competition and bad luck.

 

Bad luck, when he had boxing media as a whole on his jock simply for being a white guy who was competitive with Lennox? Hardly.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

"I would argue that while Tyson had something left around the time Lewis teed off on him, he had pretty much nothing left 2 years later."

 

Because Tyson looked so awesome struggling to knock out nobodies in Scottland. Hell, Botha gave him trouble in his big comeback fight long before the Lewis fight.

 

 

"Vitali had done little to distinguish himself from previous contenders aside from luck-out and fight Lennox on a very bad night."

 

Right....

 

 

"Vitali never dropped Sanders, which was pretty dissapointing."

 

Oh he fell into the ropes.

 

 

"Except Lewis... and Byrd."

 

I don't think he was suppose to beat Lewis. Byrd maybe, though everyone was pretty high on him at the time. Hurting your shoulder after beating on a guy and getting koed really isn't the same thing though.

 

 

"Bad luck, when he had boxing media as a whole on his jock simply for being a white guy who was competitive with Lennox? Hardly."

 

So this is what this is all about. Out.

[NoCalMike 0]

"Bad luck, when he had boxing media as a whole on his jock simply for being a white guy who was competitive with Lennox? Hardly."

 

So this is what this is all about. Out.

 

The media was on Vitali's nuts after the fight a bit, only because no one thought they would see Lennox Lewis nearly KO'd. They all bought their tickets expecting to see Lewis beat up a shit fighter named Kirk Johnson, and instead saw an exciting fight which nearly saw a new champion crowned, plus it was in America where the fans have never really liked Lewis, they just bandwagoned on him after his decent reign as champ.

 

I never disliked Lewis, I just didn't get into him much because he is one of those guys who never even liked boxing that much, he just happened to be good at it, that is why half the time he showed up to fights out of shape, not trained well and just not into his fights. He said so himself after he retired that it was hard to motivate himself to train hard for fights because he didn't "love" the sport.

 

I would have been much more interested in seeing Lewis vs. Holyfield/Tyson/Bowe in 91-1996, rather then the late 90's, but Oliver McCall knocking Lewis out ruined all that and Lewis had to work his way back, which he eventually did, but by then the heavyweight contenders were Michael Grant and Shannon Briggs...LOL.

 

With that being said, rarely in boxing do the fans want to see the champ hold the belt all the way till retirement, they want to see new blood take over and have the torch passed, that is why everyone wanted a Vitali/Lewis rematch before Lewis retired, because at that time, people viewed Vitali as the only legit threat to Lennox. Whether or not Vitali would have won the rematch, no one knows, neither guy trained for the other in the first fight, and I am sure Lewis would have been in better shape, but the fact that people viewed Vitali as a threat to Lewis is what peaked people's interest.

[Lei Tong 0]

"I would argue that while Tyson had something left around the time Lewis teed off on him, he had pretty much nothing left 2 years later."

 

Because Tyson looked so awesome struggling to knock out nobodies in Scottland. Hell, Botha gave him trouble in his big comeback fight long before the Lewis fight.

 

Tyson hardly looked awesome, but he didn't struggle much outside of looking lethargic against Botha.

 

 

"Vitali had done little to distinguish himself from previous contenders aside from luck-out and fight Lennox on a very bad night."

 

Right....

 

If wins over Donald, Bean & Norris impress you...right.

 

 

I don't think he was suppose to beat Lewis.

 

Considering the previous two times Lennox came into a fight in that shape he had lost, I'd say it should've been Vitali's night.

 

"Bad luck, when he had boxing media as a whole on his jock simply for being a white guy who was competitive with Lennox? Hardly."

 

So this is what this is all about. Out.

 

...?

[Coffin Surfer 0]

"...?"

 

It means that statement had lead me to believe that I'm not talking with rationale person so I'm bailing on this one and saving my time.

 

If you want an answer, Mike took the time to explain it.

[Lei Tong 0]

The media was on Vitali's nuts after the fight a bit, only because no one thought they would see Lennox Lewis nearly KO'd.

 

Do you honestly think RING Magazine would have plastered Kirk Johnson's face all over the magazine, pushed him to the top of their rankings, and trumpeted him as their champion after a win over Corrie freakin' Sanders (with HBO along for the ride), had he been in the same position as Vitali?

[NoCalMike 0]

The media was on Vitali's nuts after the fight a bit, only because no one thought they would see Lennox Lewis nearly KO'd.

 

Do you honestly think RING Magazine would have plastered Kirk Johnson's face all over the magazine, pushed him to the top of their rankings, and trumpeted him as their champion after a win over Corrie freakin' Sanders (with HBO along for the ride), had he been in the same position as Vitali?

 

 

No, but Kirk Johnson didn't almost KO Lennox Lewis, and everyone knows why there was so much at stakes in the Vitali/Sanders fight. Older brother, avenging younger bro's loss....

[Coffin Surfer 0]

"No, but Kirk Johnson didn't almost KO Lennox Lewis, and everyone knows why there was so much at stakes in the Vitali/Sanders fight. Older brother, avenging younger bro's loss...."

 

It should also be noted that Johnson was already plastered on the cover of Ring, along with Michael Grant, and some other guy as THE FUTURE OF THE HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION sometime around 2000 for doing much less. I bet they regret at least two of them.

 

I believe this was around the time time Johnson shot up the rankings by knocking out glass jaw Oleg(who happens to be white! I smell a media conspiracy.)

[snuffbox 0]

When did 'almost' start counting in boxing?

[Lei Tong 0]

The media was on Vitali's nuts after the fight a bit, only because no one thought they would see Lennox Lewis nearly KO'd.

 

Do you honestly think RING Magazine would have plastered Kirk Johnson's face all over the magazine, pushed him to the top of their rankings, and trumpeted him as their champion after a win over Corrie freakin' Sanders (with HBO along for the ride), had he been in the same position as Vitali?

 

 

No, but Kirk Johnson didn't almost KO Lennox Lewis, and everyone knows why there was so much at stakes in the Vitali/Sanders fight. Older brother, avenging younger bro's loss....

 

I suppose I should've made it clearer that by "in the same position," I meant had teed off on an out of shape Lewis the same way Vitali did, and lost in the same controversial matter.

 

Also, "almost KO'ed" is a strong phrase considering Lennox never even went down.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

When did 'almost' start counting in boxing?

 

You don't think a fighter can win respect or make a name himself in tough defeats(especially controversial ones)?

[Lei Tong 0]

It's fine if said fighter can follow up with some good wins, but if not, the value of the performance comes into question.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

It's fine if said fighter can follow up with some good wins, but if not, the value of the performance comes into question.

 

Lewis retired, so he knocked out the guy he was going to fight. Tyson got knocked out, so he beat the guy that did, he beat the guy that beat his brother. Who else is out there? Hasim! Sorry man, the heavyweight division is shit.

[snuffbox 0]

Was Jerry Quarry a three time heavyweight champion of the world?

[Coffin Surfer 0]

Was Jerry Quarry a three time heavyweight champion of the world?

 

Your comparing Quarry/Ali to Lewis/Viatli? Your joking?

[Lei Tong 0]

It's fine if said fighter can follow up with some good wins, but if not, the value of the performance comes into question.

 

Lewis retired, so he knocked out the guy he was going to fight. Tyson got knocked out, so he beat the guy that did, he beat the guy that beat his brother. Who else is out there? Hasim! Sorry man, the heavyweight division is shit.

 

 

How about any of the other champions? Or anyone not at a career high in weight? Or near the verge of retirement? The heavyweight division was and is a pathetic mess, but even then Vitali's resume leaves a whole lot to be desired.

[snuffbox 0]

Im gonna go watch my tape of Razor Ruddock beating up Mike Tyson.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

"How about any of the other champions? Or anyone not at a career high in weight? Or near the verge of retirement? The heavyweight division was and is a pathetic mess, but even then Vitali's resume leaves a whole lot to be desired."

 

I'm not asking again, who do you feel he should have fought?

 

Brewster, we saw what a bad ass he turned out be, getting pounded by a guy who didn't even know how to throw a punch. Tony maybe? Ruiz?

[Lei Tong 0]

Those guys would have been fine, IMO. Rahman would've been decent as well (at least moreso than Maskaev & Brock, both of whom Vitali would've much rather have faced).

[Coffin Surfer 0]

"Im gonna go watch my tape of Razor Ruddock beating up Mike Tyson."

 

Wow that brings back memories. If your using it as another analogy I'm gonna have to once again disagree though. Having just been systematically demolished by a journeyman like Douglas earlier in the year, Tyson was no longer seen as the undisputed King of the Heayweights like Lewis was at the time of Vitali fight.

 

"Those guys would have been fine, IMO. Rahman would've been decent as well (at least moreso than Maskaev & Brock, both of whom Vitali would've much rather have faced)."

 

In 2003, Ruiz just had been defeated by a middle weight carring extra pounds while Toney had just made his heavyweight debut against a brain damaged Holyfield.

 

Williams and Sanders were both more marketable and appealing after recent upset ko victories. I would also blame the WBC who listed Sanders and Kirk as contenders before I pointed the finger at Vitali. These are the guys they said he had to fight to get the vacated title.

 

Hasim was next on the list but Vitali either legit injured himself or simply lost interest(his bid at politics is suspcious).

 

"at least moreso than Maskaev & Brock, both of whom Vitali would've much rather have faced)."

 

Evidence please?

[Lei Tong 0]

"Im gonna go watch my tape of Razor Ruddock beating up Mike Tyson."

 

Wow that brings back memories. If your using it as another analogy I'm gonna have to once again disagree though. Having just been systematically demolished by a journeyman like Douglas earlier in the year, Tyson was no longer seen as the undisputed King of the Heayweights like Lewis was at the time of Vitali fight.

 

Tyson was no longer considered invincible, but considering Lewis had lost just a couple of years earlier to Rahman, and cameinto the Vitali fight at a career high weight, it makes performing well against him under those circumstances a little less imprssive.

 

"Those guys would have been fine, IMO. Rahman would've been decent as well (at least moreso than Maskaev & Brock, both of whom Vitali would've much rather have faced)."

 

In 2003, Ruiz just had been defeated by a middle weight carring extra pounds while Toney had just made his heavyweight debut against a brain damaged Holyfield.

 

Around the time Vitali handpicked Williams, Ruiz had just beaten Rahman & TKO'ed Oquendo and Lamon had laid out his brother.

 

Williams and Sanders were both more marketable and appealing after recent upset ko victories. I would also blame the WBC who listed Sanders and Kirk as contenders before I pointed the finger at Vitali. These are the guys they said he had to fight to get the vacated title.

 

I won't deny that Vitali recieved some preferential treatment (of course), but he did have free reign after the Sanders fight, and he chose Williams.

 

Hasim was next on the list but Vitali either legit injured himself or simply lost interest(his bid at politics is suspcious).

 

Considering Vitali's knee had been cleared, and Arum basically told him to fight or get fucked... I'll say he simply gave up on the fight.

 

"at least moreso than Maskaev & Brock, both of whom Vitali would've much rather have faced)."

 

Evidence please?

 

http://www.boxnews.com.ua/news.php?id=1514&lng=en

 

Unfortunately, Boente also confirmed that Oleg Maskaev, 30-5 (24), is on the shortlist to be the man Klitschko faces in September. Maskaev may well own a KO win over Rahman and be on an eight fight KO streak but the 36-year-old Uzbek has been knocked out three times in the last five years. And not by world beaters, either, in Kirk Johnson (l ko 4), Mount Whitaker (l ko 2) and even Corey 'Not, not former WBO champ Corrie' Sanders (l ko 8).

 

Boente wouldn't be drawn on who else is on the shortlist of four prospective, but you gotta figure at least one of them would be a worthwhile fight.

 

Which Maskaev most certainly is not.

 

I'll try and find a link for the Brock match-up.

[Lei Tong 0]

http://www.boxnews.com.ua/news.php?id=1614&lng=en

 

Disregarding the possibility that he might be stripped of his World Boxing Council title and disregarding challenges to his manhood, Ukrainian heavyweight Vitali Klitschko was expected to finalize a contract last night to fight Calvin Brock in September instead of higher-ranked contenders Hasim Rahman or Monte Barrett.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

"Tyson was no longer considered invincible, but considering Lewis had lost just a couple of years earlier to Rahman, and cameinto the Vitali fight at a career high weight, it makes performing well against him under those circumstances a little less imprssive."

 

If the Vitali match directly followed the first Rasim match I would say Vitali probably wouldn't have gained as much from it. It would be far more clear that Lewis' days are over. Tyson was also completely outclassed by Douglas where as Hasim/Lewis was more close until the one big punch.

 

That's not to say Razor didn't benefit from the Tyson matches, he did get a number one contendership match against Lewis once Tyson was out of the equation and in jail.

 

 

I can understand Williams being picked fresh off the Tyson win. Ruiz wouldn't have been a good fight financially or pubically. But yeah, Lamon would be interesting though.

 

 

I will comment on the articles when I get more time to read them though I will say the events surrounding the Vitali/Hasim match were odd.