He was shot to hell but the referee stopped the fight because Vitali was bruised and battered.
Vitali later had the nerve to ask for a rematch but it didn't happen.
A prime Lennox lewis would have done more damage but he beat Vitali at 38 years old
His real K.O. percentage is a 87.23%. It's much lower than your actual number.
He also couldn't beat Chris byrd.
That fight was stopped and he didn't ask for a rematch.
Infact, His brother Wladimir beat Chris byrd 2 times. Something Vitali couldn't do.
In conclusion, I'm a fan of both Klitschko brothers but their resumes aren't perfect either.
The yanks don't like Floyd mayweather and they don't like the Klitschko brothers.
People discredit dominant fighters.
Yes Vitali is the best HW and is way more rounded than Wlad. His skills are on par with the very best of this era but Europeans dont get much credit for that just like Dariusz Michalczewski in his day or the people who insist GGG or Kovalev are one dimensional power punchers and cant recognize great balance when they see it.
Vitali is one of the most skilled fighters recently, I think if he was the undisputed champ instead of the overrated Wlad, hed get more credit
I have to tell you first off that I think both Vitali and his glass jawed brother Wlad were both better than Tyson. That said, all three of them were probably the three most over rated heavyweights in the history of boxing. There are at least 50 all time great heavyweights that would have beat all three. Great Champions do not quit on their stools, whether it be against Chris Byrd or Kevin McBride, and great champions certainly don't have glass jaws.
i don't understand what mike tyson has to do with the question ! are you saying vitali is underrated or tyson overrated or both . vitali is rated where he should be in britain it's only the yanks that don't like him . wladimir is the better of the two brothers if you want to compare fighters .
He smoked everyone put in front of him for decades albeit in an era of donkeys. What fellow ATG Heavyweights would you pick as a favourite over Vitali? My answer would be not many. The guys a beast, Iron chin and serious power
It's a shame he went to politics, if he carried on just a bit longer he would have absolutely schooled Haye, Wilder and Pulev. Yet still not get the credit he deserved.
You have to give him his due for this era.
But, this is not a great heavyweight era.
Prime Tyson would destroy him.
He would be a contender in any era, but not a champion.
You could blindfold Muhammad Ali and tie one hand behind his back and it would still be a first round KO for Ali.
In fact the great Joe Frazier was blind in one eye ... he would have annihilated Klitschko.
Frank Bruno would have knocked Klitschko on his ****.
Say what you want about Vitali Klitschko. 45-2, his only 2 losses by career threatening injuries, while winning on the scorecards. Knockout % = 91.1%. Never been knocked out or knocked down. Jumped in as a late substitude and was leading on the scorecards against Lennox Lewis, who was one of the best HWs ever, when the fight was stopped and Lewis retired straight away, rather than give him a rematch. Vitali retired for 4 years and came back in 2008, destroying WBC champ Samuel Peter, making him quit on the stool.
He beat the best there were in his era.
Funny how people always hype fighters like Mike Tyson as the greatest fighter ever. Name me one fighter prime Mike Tyson beat that a prime Vitali couldn't beat. 39 year old, shot to hell Larry Holmes? Blown up light heavyweight Michael Spinks?
I think Vitali would have been a solid contender, or even a champion in any era of boxing. Definately a top 10 HW of all time.
