By Anthony Mason: Much has been made of the Klitschkos’ long title reigns. What many fail to do is put these so-called title defenses in context. The reigns of both Klitschkos will be analyzed and only when this is done can the legitimacy of their defenses be evaluated. Only after comparing the Klitschkos’ competition against the truly great heavyweights can their place in history be properly determined.
With this article, we will focus on Vitali Klitschko, and a subsequent article will complement this one to analyze Wladimir Klitschko’s career. Vitali is definitely a good heavyweight, but simply being good is not enough to be ranked among the best. Vitali supposedly has nine consecutive title defenses, tied with Lennox Lewis, Joe Frazier, and Mike Tyson for sixth all time.