By Vitali Shaposhnikov: According to a recent interview with the former Wladimir Klitschko (56-3-0) conqueror Lamon Brewster (35-6-0), Vitali Klitschko can be beaten only by those willing to go in there and take punishment. (http://news.sportbox.ru/Vidy_sporta/Boks/Professionalnyj/spbnews_Leymon-Bryuster-Pobediti-Klichko-mozhet-kazhdiy).
Talking about the recent victory of Vitali Kliltschko over Tomasz Adamek, Lamon had the following to say: “Adamek is neither big enough nor strong enough. I don’t think that he punches hard. He had the wrong fight plan for this fight: you can’t plan on out-boxing a boxer. In order to compensate for the size difference, one needs more bravery. I am not implying that Adamek was not brave; he just had the wrong strategy. Vitali is a tremendous athlete. How can you plan on out-boxing a boxer from such distance, if you are so much smaller? That’s impossible”
When asked who can beat Vitali, Brewster had the following answer: “Anyone who is willing to fight in the ring. Those who are brave. Those fighters that are not afraid to take a shot and keep pressing Vitali by going to the body a lot. I think a good boxer with a good left hook should be able to get the job done.”
Brewster makes sense when it comes to strategy and understanding of odds. Vitali is not only a big but also an awkward fighter, thus trying to fight by the book is unlikely to lead to a victory. But to say that anyone with bravery and a left hook is all a fighter would need is a bit dismissive. Vitali fought different competition, and has dominated the brave before (Chris Arreola comes to mind).
The two things that I think a fighter would need in order to compete with either of the Klitschko brothers are experience and long reach/height. A tall fighter would at least be able to keep them off via jabbing and moving. Without that, the long reaching jab of either brother will pepper their opposition until their opponents are mentally worn out.