User blog comment:Crimson and Darkness/Volume 25 discussion blog/@comment-185.174.211.68-20180502170633/@comment-30924344-20180504142857

Vali is not a physical fighter like Issei so Issei is stronger than Vali. I am 100% sure Issei's punches hit harder than Vali's; Crom could be beaten by Issei in hand-to-hand whereas Vali cannot do the same, hence he had to rely on Albion's powers to stop him.