Frank Bruno vs Vitali Klitschko

[DrDuke]

Well, it's so funny to read about all these "quits" on boxing forums from all these keyboard fighers, who have never put on gloves, stepped up in a ring and gotten their a$$es whooped.

Actually, there was a good point on Vitali-Byrd. It wasn't that important fight for showing some extra toughness. And to call it a quit in the Lewis bout is super dumb. Vitali showed some real toughness in that bout, especially when he was taking serious punishment in the last round.

[Ambling Alp II]

Of course most of us who aren't professional boxers would quit in fights.
That isn't the point. They should not compared to average people. Otherwise everyone of them would have to be praised for exceptional power, speed, jab, hook etc.
For example people will say some one like Chris Byrd didn't have much power. He would have knocked most of us silly. For a heavyweight boxer, he lacked power.
Professional boxers should be compared to other professional boxers. Anyone who has seen a lot of fights has seen guys who just won't quit even though they are taking a terrible beating. Often they go the distance; occasionally they even win. When we see a guy quit for far less, then yes they should get criticized for it.

To say that the Byrd fight wasn't important is super dumb. It was the 2nd best opponent that he fought in his career. It was really one of only two fights he had against real quality competition.

Have not seen anyone say that he quit against Lewis. He got his face beat up and the fight was stopped.

[Ambling Alp II]

There are different types of toughness, so it depends what type you are talking about. He obviously was physically tough, and though he did quit from the torn rotator cuff he fought through a horrifically damaged face and huge shots in another fight, when fighters quit all the time under much less. You just seem to reduce every fight with him to the byrd fight

Do you actually think he is tearing his cuff in this fight, that he quits with the same injury? And when we are taking both at their best? Eating punches and fighting through blood wasnt a problem for him and never made him quit, crumble, take a knee, or be very badly hurt etc, he had the toughness for that, far far more than his bro, and more than most

Specifically, how would this lack of toughness you see with the shoulder injury actually play out in a loss vs Bruno?

No other fighters don't quit all the time when they get get a damaged face. Most of the time they continue until the ref or the corner stops, which is what happened in the Lewis fight. Going three rounds with a cut is not exactly unheard of. It's expected.
No he probably would not have had the exact same injury against Bruno. But it shows they he lacked toughness to deal with adversity. He would probably had to actually fight a live opponent who would be throwing more punches and harder punches that he seldom had to deal with.

[DrDuke]

To say that the Byrd fight wasn't important is super dumb. It was the 2nd best opponent that he fought in his career. It was really one of only two fights he had against real quality competition.

You talk about this fight retrospectively. By that moment it wasn't an important fight. Byrd's major wins came after it, WBO wasn't a major belt then.

Have not seen anyone say that he quit against Lewis. He got his face beat up and the fight was stopped.

Uhm, how then to understand this stuff?

What % of fighters would have quit against Lennox Lewis in that situation? It can't be that high.

[Ambling Alp II]

At the time, it was a big fight for each guy. The biggest fight in Klitscho's career up to that point.
In retrospect, it was also a huge fight for Klitschko since it was against the 2nd best fighter that he ever fought.
Either way, it was a big fight for him.

How do I not understand this stuff? You made a comment as if someone had said he quit against Lewis. Nobody did.
My statement about it being a low % of fighters would have quit in that situation means that it was not a big deal for Vitali to not quit. Some of his fans act as if this was great achievement not have quit. It wasn't. At all.

[margaret thatcher]

Cool, so if Bruno manages to completely shred up his face and land huge shots for rounds, we have evidence that he won't quit, got it!

[Ambling Alp II]

He fought with a cut for three rounds. Believe it or not, that has been done before. About a million times. Not exactly the most courageous act in the history of the ring. Maybe he could repeat that miracle in a fight against Bruno.

[margaret thatcher]

4 rounds, one of the worst cuts in boxing history and taking huge shots and still wanting more. Bruno would probably never even get him that f@cked up in the first place and of course had his own issues down the stretch

What exactly do you think Bruno would do to him? Rip his shoulder apart, or just hit him hard? because the latter never made him quit. Would Chris Bryd enter the ring and spook Vitali away?

[Ambling Alp II]

If the guys was named Joe Smith nobody would be making a big deal about him lasting a few rounds being busted up. Nobody would be giving it a second thought. But it's a Klitschko so some people gaga over it.

That was not Lennox Lewis at his best. Far from it. He looked slow, and not in as good as physical condition than normal. If Lewis was at his best, he would have jumped all over Klitschko. The fight would ended earlier. If Klitschko had a lot of power, he would have gotton that version of Lewis out of there.


A good defensive fighter never would have have been hit so much and probably would not have been busted open. It's not a coincidence that really good defensive fighters seldom get cut.
If Klitschko had a lot of power, he would have gotton that version of Lewis out of there.

Bruno was no legend. However he was hard puncher, had enough boxing ability and was aggressive. He would be all over Klitschko. How would Klitschko react ? there's not much to suggest that he had would handle it well. I think Bruno stops him more often than not.

Again, I am not saying that Klitschko would have injured his shoulder against Bruno. I am saying that when you step in competition, you get different problems that you have not had to deal with before. Fighting a guy better than the other guys that were far inferior is a different ballgame. The exact problems that they present might be different. Obviously Lennox Lewis and Chris Byrd were very different kinds of fighters. However, both times Klitschko showed that he couldn't handle it went things did not go easy for him as did did in his other fights against all those stiffs that he beat.

It's not a coincidence that in his only two fights against really good competition, he lost and couldn't finish the fight in either. Make all the excuses that you want. that is what happened.

[Onetimeonly]

Vitali knew he should have seen it out against Byrd.

[drumzz]

We've had a interesting topic about Bruno vs Wlad, here it is: viewtopic.php?f=29&t=241830

Now it's time to make a one about Frank taking on Wlad's brother.

Bruno vs Vitali, 12 rounds.

So, I gotta favor Vitali here. Bruno wouldn't be able to deal with annoying jabs and one-twos from Klitschko. He wouldn't overpower bigger Vitali inside either. Vitali wasn't a helluva puncher, so he wouldn't knock out cold even Bruno, whose chin wasn't close to be granite, but Vitali could maul Bruno down to TKO or RTD. Either Vitali by decision, 117-111 or 116-112, or by a stoppage around the 10th round.

What are your thoughts on this matchup?

Bruno might wind up getting killed.

[Evander]

I'd pick Vitali here, likely by stoppage.

[Onetimeonly]

Ironically, and I've never seen any of his fans mention it, vitali changed opponents late in both of his losses. Ruddock and Boswell.

[margaret thatcher]

He was gonna fight Razor in 2000? lol Vitali

[Onetimeonly]

Yeah, Byrd filled in late. Didn't even know until I turned it on.

[Ambling Alp II]

Given that, we can't really call that a loss for Klitschko then, can we?

[margaret thatcher]

Hell, it was already a Vitali win since he was ahead, so now I guess we should classify it as a Vitali KO and take a few extra points off Bryd too

[Onetimeonly]

Given that, we can't really call that a loss for Klitschko then, can we?

He isn't allowed losses.

[gilgamesh]

Given that, we can't really call that a loss for Klitschko then, can we?

He stepped into a ring, and the other guys hand got raised at the end of the match. That's a loss where I come from.

[drumzz]

Funny how Vitali has perhaps the best K.O pct in boxing history never been downwind yet there are those here that would bet on Bruno beating him? Bruno at best was a decent fighter, and at best had a decent jab, but was not not a fighter that could take the kind of shots Vitali would hit him with. Vitali would have to make Bruno sign a special contract before they fought, because in a match like this I could seen Bruno being taken out of the ring on a stretcher and respirator, the type of beating that almost killed the LETS GO CHAMP big mouth.

[Ambling Alp II]

Vitali has a 87% KO rate. (Against just brutal competition. )
Bruno? A mere 84%.
Total mismatch. Is there any thing else to even consider?

[Ambling Alp II]

Given that, we can't really call that a loss for Klitschko then, can we?

He stepped into a ring, and the other guys hand got raised at the end of the match. That's a loss where I come from.

It is normally a loss. However, you are are obviously not familiar with the obscure "Vitali Rule". His losses don't count. There are extenuating circumstances that just have to be considered. Now as far his wins, the circumstances for his opponents should not be considered.
The quality of Klitschko's opponents should not be considered either. We should just assume that he would defeat fighters that were far better than anyone he actually beat in real life.

[Onetimeonly]

Bruno definitely was the bigger puncher. Ko% is an embarrassing stat.

[ruin795]

Vitali would easily stop Bruno. KO 8

[Ambling Alp II]

Mythical Vitaly is just so amazing.