Almost every boxing fan will agree that there isn’t a heavyweight on the scene who poses a legitimate threat to Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko.  Neither brother has lost a fight since 2004 when Wladimir fell at the hands of Lamon Brewster, a defeat that was avenged three years later.  Have the Klitschko brothers remained undefeated for the last six years because they are all-time greats, or have they been sitting at the top for so long due to the lack of competition?  The answer probably lies somewhere in between.  No one truly knows what the Klitschkos are capable of because they’ve never been put to the test (with the exception of Vitali’s 2003 fight with Lennox Lewis).  At this point, all we can do is speculate as to how they might have matched up with other heavyweight champions in the past.

 

When you contemplate how the Klitschko brothers would fare against previous champions, you have to put them in their primes.  After all, Wladimir Klitschko was stopped inside the distance by Ross Puritty, Corrie Sanders, and Lamon Brewster, so you have to figure that any heavyweight who has ever cracked the top 10 would have a shot at beating him.  But Wladimir has improved quite a bit since those fights.  Most fighters are considered past their prime after a few losses.  But in the case of the Klitschko brothers, their losses actually brought them closer to their prime.

 

I believe that Vitali reached his prime some time after his loss to Chris Byrd, perhaps on the night he faced Lennox Lewis.  When Vitali refused to answer the bell for the 10th round against Byrd due to a shoulder injury, he was the subject of a great deal of criticism.  The media nicknamed him “Quitschko” and I think that woke him up to what big time boxing is all about.  It made him mad and brought the dog out in him.  And from that point on, he began to show his potential.  In my opinion, Wladimir came into his own following his fight with Samuel Peter.  Leading up to the fight with Peter, Wladimir was considered to be very fragile (and some people still consider him to be fragile).  He had not made a strong case for himself since his losses to Sanders and Brewster and many felt that he was just one good punch away from exiting the top 10 forever.  Against Peter, he hit the canvas multiple times, but he kept his composure and demonstrated that he has the desire to compete at an elite level.  He’s remained undefeated ever since and has been willing to face all comers.

 

LENNOX LEWIS

 

Because of his size, his skills, and his strength, I consider Lennox Lewis to be the ultimate heavyweight specimen.  He would have matched up well with any heavyweight in history and it’s a shame that his time at the top didn’t overlap with the Klitschko era, because it would shed some light as to how good the Klitschkos actually are (and they may have taught us a thing or two about Lewis).  I would favor Lewis to beat either Klitschko because of his versatile approach to fighting and his willingness for combat.  The Klitschkos seem to have only one way of getting the job done, as they often administer a slow, methodical beat down, resulting in a late round stoppage.  But Lewis had the ability to sit back and box cautiously as he did with David Tua, start fast as he did with Andrew Golota, or stand toe to toe as he did with Ray Mercer.  I think that Vitali would give Lewis a good fight as we saw when they met back in 2003.  But I believe that Lewis would get the better of him and possibly stop him late.  As for Wladimir, I don’t think he would match up well with Lewis, as he wouldn’t have the same physical advantages that he does over most of his opponents.  Wladimir would be forced to fight an aggressive fight which isn’t in his nature and I believe that Lewis would stop him within 6 rounds.

 

EVANDER HOLYFIELD  

 

It may seem unfair that these smaller guys have to compete with some of these modern day giants, but then you look at a fighter like Evander Holyfield who always rose to the occasion and set the standards for every heavyweight who preceded him.  He was the ultimate “curve-breaker” and he had the heart and the toughness to compete with anyone.  Some might favor Holyfield to beat the Klitschkos because he demonstrated that he can overcome a size disadvantage as he did in his second fight with Riddick Bowe, and also to a certain degree in his second fight with Lennox Lewis (which some people believed he won).  But Riddick Bowe was out of shape when Holyfield faced him in their second fight and he only won by a small margin.  And I happen to believe that Lewis deserved a close decision the second time around, and I also believe that Lewis truly came into his own after his fights with Holyfield.  I could see Holyfield winning perhaps 2 or 3 out of 10 fights with the Klitschkos.  But for the most part, I believe that the Klitschkos’ size and consistency would be the difference.

 

MIKE TYSON

 

As sensational of a heavyweight as Mike Tyson was, it must be noted that he never beat a great fighter who was in his prime (though the same can be said for other great heavyweight champions).  The closest he came was perhaps Michael Spinks, a fighter who started his career at light heavyweight and had been inactive for a year before Tyson faced him.  Tyson was a devastating puncher with great skills and I believe he would run over any of the heavyweights today with the exception of the Klitschko brothers.  Tyson struggled with bigger men, he didn’t handle adversity well, and he looked sloppy against guys like James “Bonecrusher” Smith and Razor Ruddock.  The Klitschkos are on a completely different level than any opponent Tyson has defeated.  Vitali has already demonstrated a lot of toughness and the ability to stay composed under fire, so I believe that he could stand up to whatever Tyson would bring.  Questions remain about Wladimir, but I believe that his range and his punishing jab would be enough to keep Tyson away.

 

LARRY HOLMES

 

I believe that Larry Holmes is one of the most underrated heavyweight champions in history.  Like the Klitschkos, he dominated in a very weak era.  But most people will agree that he had the best jab of any heavyweight champion in history.  His reach was equal to that of the Klitschkos (81”) and I could see the timing of his jab giving the Klitschkos a lot of problems.  He was a solid pro and he brought a lot of confidence to the table.  But Holmes offered very little head movement and he liked to pick shots off with his hands, which isn’t the best defense against taller opponents.  And as good as his jab was, he didn’t have as many weapons in his arsenal as the Klitschkos.  Still, Holmes did a lot of subtle things that separated him from all of the other heavyweights of his generation.  And if he faced the Klitschko brothers in a series of fights, I could see him batting about .500 in a lot of close, “split decision type” fights.

 

MUHAMMAD ALI

 

Muhammad Ali was certainly the greatest of his time, but was he the greatest of all time?  I think it’s fair to say that he’s the most accomplished heavyweight champion ever.  It seemed that he always found a way to win when the odds were stacked against him and a lot of people are of the belief that there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do.  But every man has his limits.  And it’s quite possible that Ali would have met his match against a 6’6” 250-pound specimen with a great deal of athletic ability and coordination.  Ali’s style didn’t match up well with taller fighters.  Against one of the Klitschkos, I could see a young Ali dancing around with his superior foot speed and making the bigger man look a bit silly, but he would have a hard time moving in and out and getting any offense going because of the long, powerful jab of his opponent.  And an Ali in the later part of his career would have an even harder time coping, because he was less mobile and he took a lot of punishment, which is a bad idea against an opponent with superior size and strength.  Styles make fights and I think the Klitschkos would have presented a stylistic challenge that even “The Greatest” wouldn’t have been able to overcome.

 

A FINAL WORD

 

At this point in time, the Klitschko brothers have not been embraced as all-time great heavyweight champions.  And after reading this analysis, I suspect that many boxing fans would disagree that the Klitschkos could be competitive with the fighters of old.  A lot of fans are in awe of the fighters of yesterday and when these proposed match-ups are kicked around, I believe that people sometimes get caught up in the nostalgia and completely dismiss the chances of these modern day fighters without giving it much thought.

 

I believe that champions like Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes were better pound-for-pound fighters than Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, but in my eyes, the Klitschkos are in a different weight class altogether.  In my opinion, the time is coming where it will be necessary to form a super heavyweight division.  It is likely that this idea would not appeal to the majority of boxing fans.  After all, the talent pool at heavyweight is shallow as it is.  And if you form a second heavyweight division, then this lack of talent would be spread very thin.  But times are changing and athletes are getting bigger.  And it may be that the heavyweight champions of old wouldn’t have the same opportunity to achieve if they had to give up 30-40 pounds. 

 

In my opinion, the best fights are between two warriors who are the same size.  I don’t enjoy seeing small heavyweights like Eddie Chambers (209 1/2 pounds) get manhandled by bigger, stronger men like Wladimir Klitschko (244 3/4 pounds).  Nor do I enjoy watching a giant like Nikolay Valuev (316 pounds) look like he’s stuck in the mud against a faster, more mobile fighter like David Haye (217 pounds).  But given the state of the heavyweight division, nobody seems to mind watching these smaller guys face such a size and strength disadvantage.  Because of all the contenders, no one stands out as a special talent who is being denied an opportunity to make history.   

 

Even though the Klitschkos have not had the opportunity to prove themselves against A level competition, I believe they are worthy champions.  They may not be the most exciting to watch, but they’re always in top shape, they’re always focused, and they don’t pick and choose their opponents.  Many fans didn’t appreciate Lennox Lewis until he retired.  And when he was gone, there was a brief time when the heavyweight division was without leadership.  I respect the Klitschkos for their overall dominance.  And like Lennox Lewis, I believe that the boxing world will appreciate them much more when they are gone.

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