Is Vitali Klitschko better than George Foreman and Lennox Lewis?

WBC heavyweight champion “Dr. Iron Fist” Vitali Klitschko savagely battered Shannon “The Cannon” Briggs to earn a lopsided unanimous decision victory last Saturday night in Hamburg, Germany.

Briggs (51-6-1-1, 45 KOs), who absorbed 171 solid blows, has been hospitalized since the conclusion of the bout and he is scheduled to undergo surgery today to repair a torn tendon in his left arm.

“It was one of the toughest fights of my life, it was a brutal fight,” said Briggs, 38. “I’ve fought George Foreman, I’ve fought Lennox Lewis, and Vitali’s the best. He hits harder than Foreman, he’s got incredibly fast hands.”

Vitali (41-2, 38 KOs), who as an accomplished kickboxer amassed an impressive mark of 34-1 with 22 knockouts, is an extremely tough Ukrainian and his ring prowess cannot be questioned.

Vitali's two losses were extremely flimsy and unconvincing.

In April 2000, Klitschko easily outclassed Chris Byrd (40-6-1, 22 KOs) for nine rounds before he was forced to quit on his stool due to a torn rotator cuff that he suffered during the action.

In June 2003, Klitschko was beating one of the greatest heavyweight champions ever, Lewis (41-2-1, 32 KOs), after six rounds of captivating action.

Unfortunately, and justifiably, the referee halted the contest prior to the start of round seven and awarded Lewis the victory due to a drastically severe gash over Klitschko's left eye.

Hence, Vitali Klitschko has never been genuinely trumped in the squared circle.

Klitschko has not once been knocked to the canvas in a professional contest and he owns the highest knockout percentage (95 percent) of any heavyweight in history.

Neither Vitali nor his younger brother, IBF, WBO, IBO and Ring Magazine titlist Wladimir (54-3, 48 KOs), will ever be truly accepted by American fight fans because of their nationality and relatively passive styles inside the squared circle.

Vitali Klitschko may not be “the best.”

Nevertheless, “Dr. Iron Fist” is a genuine champion for the ages.