By Sevak Sarkisian: Among die hard boxing fans there is no question whether or not Vitali Klitschko is a world class boxer and dominant world heavyweight champion. The question that most fans find themselves debating when it comes to the 40 year old Klitschko is if he’s good or in fact great!
Before going any further I would like to mention the fact that Vitali sports a very impressive boxing record of 43-2 with 40 KO’s. His knockout ratio is roughly 90%, one of the highest in heavyweight history. He’s known to have a great chin, good power and displays intelligence in the ring. Add all of those things to his significant size advantage and above average athleticism and you have a fighter that brings many great attributes with him inside the ring.
He holds excellent wins over the likes of Kevin Johnson, Samuel Peter, Chris Arreola, Shannon Briggs and of course Tomasz Adamek. Not to mention the fact that no fan can forget the thrilling six round war he had with then defending champ Lennox Lewis. Vitali was certainly up on the score cards, but unfortunately a nasty gash near his eye forced referee Lou Moret to stop the fight leaving Lewis with the KO victory. Lennox Lewis would eventually go on to retire shortly after that fight leaving Vitali with no rematch. Nevertheless, Vitali gave a great account of himself and his stock only rose from that grueling war.
As great as his career looks on paper Klitschko is ridiculed at times for not fighting stiff competition due to the fact that he’s competing in a weak heavyweight era. That is something Vitali has no control over. We as fans can only judge him based on what he’s accomplished in the era that he’s competed in. However, at the end of the day, one would be a fool to think Vitali wouldn’t give any heavyweight in history severe problems. Vitali would be a legitimate threat in the heavyweight division in any era due to his natural size, knockout power, and granite chin. Also, when speaking on Vitali’s career it should be noted that since he is a foreigner, he doesn’t get as much exposure in the American media as the typical American athlete does. Therefore, he probably doesn’t get the same credit from American fans as he would’ve if he were to be an American. With all things considered I have to note that in my opinion Vitali Klitschko is not just a good heavyweight fighter, but a great one!