Vitali was the overall better fighter. He also had an iron chin and was mentally tougher than his little brother. LL was the only fighter that was able to hurt and land big shots every other fight he dominated.
If Wlad and Vitali would fight I'd definitely pick Vitali to win and most likely be KO
wlad's chin wasnt as bad as made out to be, he always was stopped by a barrage of punches and would get up off the canvas ect. His problem is when he got stunned he got flustered and couldnt keep his composure. Ditto for when someone could put pressure on him. Vitali was able to stay relaxed, in addition to having an iron chin.
Vitali had odd angles, things like his 45 degree half hook half uppercut. He had a great sense of timing and space, was able to slip and counter. his defense was better in that regard, a lot better, he could sense shots coming and slip them. Wlad always looked like a fish out of water and steward was able to help but basically taught him to jab and hold like lewis which made him boring. It patched up his problems but never fixed the core issues.
I always felt Wlad was probably the more athletic guy, he moved very well in his prime for a big man. Not the big stiff robot people thought. Deceptively quick footwork, not a dancer, but the ability to get in and out of range was great for his size. He had a better jab too and maybe a bit more technically sound in some areas. I think he was the bigger puncher with a single shot. Wlad has much better wins than Vitali too. Vitali's resume is actually quite thin. His most notable performance is giving Lewis a good fight until he got his face caved in. His 4 year absence or whatever it was didn't help his resume of course.
Vitali was tougher though with a better chin and as mentioned above, Vitali was always very composed and skilled in his own right.
I'd say Wlad had the greater career and maybe considered "greater" overall solely on achievements, but i'd pick Vitali to beat him in a fight.
I'd say they were closer to being equal than one being significantly better than the other though.
Wlad and at this stage, it shouldn't even be close. Vitali was gritty, great chin and good power but he was just as boring as Wlad and had inferior opponents throughout his career barring the Lewis fight.
Wlad has the superior opponents, superior number of titles, superior longevity and superior championship reigns.
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