I swear to god I think Lennox would knock his ass out im watching the first one he doesent seem to be conditioned... wow haha

Yeah Lennox Lewis was out of shape for that fight, I agree an in shape Lewis would have knocked Vitali out.

If he was in shape, he would have destroyed him in 5 rounds. I am still waiting for a rematch between the two. That might be the only HW bout I am interested in seeing at this point, and I am not thoroughly convinced VK can stand up to Lewis' uppercuts next time.

Lewis first needs to come out of retirement

Man he needs to man up. Do this **** Yeah Dude he looked beat lewis after the first round i dont think he was ready for it but a inshape lewis would destroy vitali i was just laughing to my self watching the fight just now.

Man he needs to man up. Do this **** Yeah Dude he looked beat lewis after the first round i dont think he was ready for it but a inshape lewis would destroy vitali i was just laughing to my self watching the fight just now.


...I think Lewis would have gotten whiped right after that fight and so does Lennox or he wouldn't have left 20 mil on the table. What people seem to forget is that Lennox is not even in that fight if not for the cut. If Vitali doesn't get cut he knocks Lennox out inside of 5 and gives a one sided beating. Vit dominated before the cut and was only really hit by Lewis after he couldn't see from blood pouring down his face. Even under those conditions it was a draw post cut. Not to mention the big uppercut Lewis landed was cheap and dirty as hell and it still didn't faze big Klit. Vit's confidence was sky high after that fight and an in shape Lewis would have chosen to rumble and gotten taken out quickly.

Lennox would have kicked his ass, it didn't seem like Lennox wanted to fight no more the man in that moon that night. But if Lewis comes in ready and prepared to fight his size and skill would be to much for Vitali Klitchko.

...I think Lewis would have gotten whiped right after that fight and so does Lennox or he wouldn't have left 20 mil on the table. What people seem to forget is that Lennox is not even in that fight if not for the cut. If Vitali doesn't get cut he knocks Lennox out inside of 5 and gives a one sided beating. Vit dominated before the cut and was only really hit by Lewis after he couldn't see from blood pouring down his face. Even under those conditions it was a draw post cut. Not to mention the big uppercut Lewis landed was cheap and dirty as hell and it still didn't faze big Klit. Vit's confidence was sky high after that fight and an in shape Lewis would have chosen to rumble and gotten taken out quickly.

which uppercut are you referring to chief? i remember LL landing two monsters in the last round, both of which were perfectly legal, and both of which had VK clinging to him like a koala. Are you gonna claim VK`s cuts were stopping him seeing uppercuts coming?

I`ll ask you the same question I always think when people claim LL was getting whupped that night - if LL was getting whupped how come his face looked OK while VK had four massive cuts, in seperate areas, requiring 60 stitches?

4? i only saw 2 cuts and lewis had a pretty good gash on his nose after that fight

Lewis KO2nd round

Lewis KO2nd round

Lennox never KO'd anyone that early. He had to take them into deep water to drown them, like he said.

Lennox never KO'd anyone that early. He had to take them into deep water to drown them, like he said.

Lewis:

Knocked Golota out in round 1
Knocked Grant out in round 2
Stopped Botha in round 2
Stopped Ruddock in 2

and the list goes on.

u guys make it sound liek vitali is an inferior fighter lmao

i dont know u guys...remember lewis chin was weak and VK would have gone into that second fight with a lot of confidence,,who know *shrug* also...you make it seem like you can put lewis in the top 5 come on...lewis had one of the easiest era's to fight in,he had a sot tyson and old holyfield with a lot of big men with not skills to beat,he would have not even been a top 10 in the 70's-80's HW divison. Leiws never faced anone has big as him with anough power to fight back like VK had,lewis hit VK with a uppercut around the 6th round that would have KO'ed any HW today,and VK just ket on coming,i think this q cannot be answered,and even now if they fought we would never have been able to know who would have won back than,remember true no excuses's Lewis won the fight,but he didnt beat Vitali,and there has to be a reason why Lewis didnt want a rematch. I just think VK would have given a much tougher fight the second time around,i dont care if he doesnt have boxing skill or if he has this frankenstien way of fighting out there,its what has gotten him this far and it gives anyone and everyone trouble.

i dont know u guys...remember lewis chin was weak and VK would have gone into that second fight with a lot of confidence,,who know *shrug* also...you make it seem like you can put lewis in the top 5 come on...lewis had one of the easiest era's to fight in,he had a sot tyson and old holyfield with a lot of big men with not skills to beat,he would have not even been a top 10 in the 70's-80's HW divison. Leiws never faced anone has big as him with anough power to fight back like VK had,lewis hit VK with a uppercut around the 6th round that would have KO'ed any HW today,and VK just ket on coming,i think this q cannot be answered,and even now if they fought we would never have been able to know who would have won back than,remember true no excuses's Lewis won the fight,but he didnt beat Vitali,and there has to be a reason why Lewis didnt want a rematch. I just think VK would have given a much tougher fight the second time around,i dont care if he doesnt have boxing skill or if he has this frankenstien way of fighting out there,its what has gotten him this far and it gives anyone and everyone trouble.

wee someone with some sence

With that boost of confidence Vitali would've drowned Lewis. Not to mention the cut took the fight away from Vitali. If that cut didn't happen we could be seeing a linear heavyweight champ right now.

Second time around Vitali would've knocked Lewis out. Vitali was able to take Lewises best shots with half his vision, he would have no problem taken them with full vision, and would be much more accurate.

Lewis:

Knocked Golota out in round 1
Knocked Grant out in round 2
Stopped Botha in round 2
Stopped Ruddock in 2

and the list goes on.


Very true. My bad. But his plan for Vitali was not an early KO, and his plan for Tyson was not an early KO, and his plan for Holyfield was not an early KO. OR TUA or Zeljko Mavrovic who he didn't even KO at all.

The obvious difference between your list and mine is class of opponent, I am not sure which list Vitali should fit on but I think according to Lewis it would be mine.

The obvious difference between your list and mine is class of opponent

You have a point there.

I suppose you are talking about how He had to drag Tua, Tyson, and Vitali to deep water as well etc. Although not knocking Tua out.

With that boost of confidence Vitali would've drowned Lewis. Not to mention the cut took the fight away from Vitali. If that cut didn't happen we could be seeing a linear heavyweight champ right now.

Second time around Vitali would've knocked Lewis out. Vitali was able to take Lewises best shots with half his vision, he would have no problem taken them with full vision, and would be much more accurate.

What makes you think Lewis wouldn't cut him again?!

Anyone who's sitting here saying Vitali would have given him a one sided beating if not for the cut and all that need to calm the **** down and rewatch the fight. Lewis landed two mammoth uppercuts in the closing rounds leading up to the stoppage and was still hitting Vitali with good right hands despite being gassed. It's definitely easy to say that Vitali had the momentum and stamina...but he would not have closed the show very easily. The cut hampered Vitalis ability to be more aggressive but the fight was still close. An in shape Lewis would have taken Vitali out inside of 9...and if Vitali wasn't cut so badly I think he would have scored a late knockout in the same fashion.

This is a pointless argument, Lewis is not coming back. This whole Lewis-klitschko argument should die until that changes.

Had that fight been allowed to continue, I'm pretty sure Vitali wouldn't be boxing anymore. There was another half a fight..the cut was only going to get worse. Plus all the blood he HAD to be swallowing due to his severly split lip.
Minus that cuts, I guess that fight could have gone either way, IMO. I mean you can't just say Lewis was going to dominate the rest of the way. I remember seeing a picture(can't find the damn thing) that has Lewis about to fall off his stool before they stoppped the fight. I mean the man was gassed out.
You guys can't use one argument and say Lewis was fat and out of shape, then also say Lewis was going to come on strong in the second half of the fight. Those are contradicting statements.

In the end....
Lewis is not coming back.

What makes you think Lewis wouldn't cut him again?!
vitali has a soft, baby-soft, face :D

You people are all assuming that Lewis could get in shape. Let's remember that he would have been a year older and another year of inactivity would have gone by. Lewis would come in at around the mid 250 lbs range for the rematch as well, and Vitali would probably TKO him, which is exactly why he wasn't dumb enough to fight him again. Lewis's only chance would be to cut him again, but I think that Vitali would finish him off before he got that chance.

Well Lewis was out of shape, and so was Vitali. He forgot to work out before the fight. Did you see how skinny Vitali was? ..............

Sounds stupid huh? That's what all the people look like that say Lewis was out of shape. The Lewis out of shape theory is a bunch of B.S. The only reason people are saying Lewis was out of shape is because he was getting whipped. Let's face it, if Lewis was winning, no one would be mentioning him being out of shape. It's just an excuse for Lewis fans to cling to and I'm pretty sick of it.

regardless he would of schooled vitali. <-- Period not buts or ifs vitali couldent finished a fat lazy lennox thats pathetic. :)

regardless he would of schooled vitali. <-- Period not buts or ifs vitali couldent finished a fat lazy lennox thats pathetic. :)

Because Vitali has finished off anyone early besides Johnson recently. :thinking:

I think that a 33 year old Lennox Lewis would clearly beat a 33 year old Vitali Klitschko, but a 40 year old Lennox vs. a 33 year old vitali? I'd give Lewis a 50/50 chance, dropping fast as he gets older. Klitschko looks goofy but he has very fast hands for a big guy, is accurate and hits hard, and unlike his younger brother he can take a punch.

I do agree with you that Lewis looked COMPLETELY unprepared and unfocused for the fight with vitali - he didn't even seem to warm up until the third round. If he had been fully warmed up and focused then he probably would have beaten Vitali. Although... you do have to take into account that Klitschko was essentially fighting with one eye, by the end of that fight...

I doubt that we'll ever have Lewis/Klitschko II. Here's what I predict, for Vitali's carrear: he captures one or two more titles over the next 2-3 years, but at some point someone knocks him out by getting inside his long arms or by taking advantage of his problems with endurance - and that will be the end of the Klitschko era.

That's pathetic shouldent even be called a klitschko era

http://www.secondsout.com/USA/colhauser.cfm?ccs=208&cs=12106&highlight=lewis%20tyson

Lewis-Tyson was the high point of Lennox's career. "That was my ultimate fight," he states. "After Memphis, it was, 'Thank you; mission accomplished.'"

The next 10 months were, in Lewis's words, devoted to "family time, social time, and girlfriend time." Then he readied to fight Kirk Johnson. But two weeks before their scheduled June 21st bout, the challenger pulled out with an injury.

"And all of a sudden," Lennox remembers, "the Klitschko fight was there. Manny was saying I should go for it. Adrian was saying go for it. HBO told me it was Klitschko or nobody. And looking at the whole spectrum, the business as well as the boxing aspects of it, I decided to take the fight. I'd been preparing for Kirk Johnson. All of my sparring had been with short guys, the boxing type. I thought I'd be able to adjust to Klitschko's style as the fight went on. But in retrospect, the change of opponents threw me off."

Lewis versus Vitali Klitschko was an exciting inartistic brawl that ended after six rounds when the ring doctor ruled that a jagged cut on the challenger's left eyelid mandated stopping the fight. Klitschko objected vehemently. The crowd also voiced its discontent.

"The booing bothered me," Lennox admits. "We'd both fought as hard as we could. We'd fought and fought, giving it everything we had." As for the fight itself, Lewis posits, "Klitschko got off to a good start, but he was fighting off emotion and that lasts just so long. Also, I'm a slow starter. As a fight goes on, I get stronger. I could have been in better shape. If I'd been in Tyson shape or Rahman-rematch shape, I would have looked better. But I'm satisfied with the Klitschko fight. Not happy about it, but satisfied. I brought Klitschko into the deep water. And if the ring doctor hadn't stopped it, he would have drowned."

That view is seconded by Lewis's longtime adversary, Evander Holyfield, who says, "It doesn't matter who was winning the fight. What matters is who won. Lennox busted him up. They had to stop it. Lennox won the fight."

Klitschko was the mandatory challenger for Lewis's WBC title. That means, under WBC rules, Lennox has until June 21, 2004, before he must defend or relinquish his crown. Recently, he announced that he won't fight again this year. Meanwhile, the WBC has been sending out signals that it will authorize a fight between Vitali Klitschko and Hasim Rahman for an "interim" heavyweight belt.

Once, boxing had "world champions." Now, the desire for multiple sanctioning fees has given us "world" champions, "super" champions, and "interim" champions. But there's only one heavyweight champion of the world at present, and everyone knows who it is. Lewis would still be favored in a bout against any other fighter. He has no fear of a Klitschko rematch and means it when he says, "I've already proven that I can beat Vitali Klitschko on my worst day."

That, of course, leads to the question of retirement. A year ago, after beating Mike Tyson, Lennox acknowledged, "There's always someone to fight. That's the drug of the sport." Then he added, "What else is there for me to prove? That I can be Evander Holyfield and not know when to quit? Or prove that I'm stuck in the sport and won't get out until I'm speaking so people don't understand me?"

Now Lewis is even closer to calling it a day. He's talking about that time in the future "when I see myself taking my children out, doing whatever my kids want me to do with them." As for the role that boxing might play in his future, he says, "Having been in the business for so long, I think it's time for me to share my knowledge with some of the young fighters coming up. Boxing needs people with good ethics and good knowledge to step up and help the fighters. I'm not sure how I'll do that, but it's something I want to do."

Then Lennox raises his right hand to eye level, holding his index finger and thumb three inches apart, and declares, "I couldn't retire without fighting Tyson because that argument had to end. After Tyson, I was this close to retiring, but I decided to give it one more year. Now . . ."

The heavyweight champion adjusts his index finger and thumb so there's only a hair's width between them.

"Now I'm this close."

HBO will wave a lot of money in Lewis's face to encourage him to fight again. That means the temptation will be there. But Lennox's present plan is to retire. He knows that only two heavyweight champions (Rocky Marciano and Gene Tunney) retired with their titles in tact. Also, Lennox is a student of history. It's not lost on him that Marciano and Tunney were both white.

Now is the time to go. Lennox seems to acknowledge as much when he says, "Someone will emerge after I'm gone. A new star will be born and the cycle will continue. All I ask is that you write the truth; about me, about boxing, about the world. The truth is fine. What I've accomplished will speak for itself."

Lennox Lewis is a man of dignity and grace, who has been the best heavyweight in the world during his reign. Boxing will miss him more than it knows.


Award-winning author Thomas Hauser

...I think Lewis would have gotten whiped right after that fight and so does Lennox or he wouldn't have left 20 mil on the table. What people seem to forget is that Lennox is not even in that fight if not for the cut. If Vitali doesn't get cut he knocks Lennox out inside of 5 and gives a one sided beating. Vit dominated before the cut and was only really hit by Lewis after he couldn't see from blood pouring down his face. Even under those conditions it was a draw post cut. Not to mention the big uppercut Lewis landed was cheap and dirty as hell and it still didn't faze big Klit. Vit's confidence was sky high after that fight and an in shape Lewis would have chosen to rumble and gotten taken out quickly.
excuse me....the cut? or did you mean the cuts? i think you need to learn all over again that boxing is a combat sport, in which a boxer aims to destruct his opponent with his fists....

lennox was a bit sloppy like in his first fight with the rock, but if they were to fight again, i am sure lennox would have taken him out a lot easier.

4? i only saw 2 cuts and lewis had a pretty good gash on his nose after that fight
vitali was cut on the eyebrow in rd 3, when he returned to his corner after rd 5 you can see there was now a cut on his eyelid under the swelling which had formed under the cut on the eyebrow, he also had two cuts on his cheek and a split lip, i make that 5 cuts!

Vitali had multiple cuts. Lets make it clear that he had more than just 1 or 2.

I swear to god I think Lennox would knock his ass out im watching the first one he doesent seem to be conditioned... wow haha
I swear to God I would flipp my coin a few times to see what will happen.

Lewis:

Knocked Golota out in round 1
Knocked Grant out in round 2
Stopped Botha in round 2
Stopped Ruddock in 2

and the list goes on.


Botha and Ruddock weren't stopped that early

Botha and Ruddock weren't stopped that early

Sorry, got confused. Confused Ruddock with Briggs, and for some reason, the Botha fight seemed longer than that to me, but it wasn't.

When has Lewis ever faced an opponent taller than he is who fought him back, even after being hit? Grant was a good prospect, but what happened? He completely folded after being hit, and that's why Lewis blew him out. Against VK, they traded a few jabs, but when Lewis tried to intimidate VK with his punches, VK responded by hitting him back. I think it's fair to say Lewis shouldn't have been dead tired after six rounds, but I'm not sure whether it was because of lack of conditioning, or if it was simply because he got stunned. Ever been dazed by a punch? Takes it right out of you. As far as what would have happened if...VK got cut, and got stopped (by the fight doctor), just as any other cut fighter would have. What makes it so bad is that even though VK looked to be in no condition to fight, he was in fact still in the fight big time. My point is, even though Lewis didn't look stellar physically, IMO a big part of the reason he looked as bad as he did is because of the fighter he was facing. I mean come on, IMO Lewis is just a fighter who was always able to make very efficient use of his physical attributes, very much in the same way as VK, depite the extremely different styles. What if VK had fought Lewis the way he did Sanders, and pretty much every other fighter he faced? What if Lewis had fought the way he did against Tua? We could go on and on about this. I don't have a problem with VK losing the fight, hell it answered the doubts everyone had about his heart. My only problem is Lewis fans implying that VK was never in the fight, was schooled by Lewis and then stopped, and that Lewis would KO VK easily in a rematch, something none of us can say for sure one way or the other. So, unless Lewis shuts his mouth and comes out of retirement, this arguement will go on forever.

When has Lewis ever faced an opponent taller than he is who fought him back, even after being hit? Grant was a good prospect, but what happened? He completely folded after being hit, and that's why Lewis blew him out. Against VK, they traded a few jabs, but when Lewis tried to intimidate VK with his punches, VK responded by hitting him back. I think it's fair to say Lewis shouldn't have been dead tired after six rounds, but I'm not sure whether it was because of lack of conditioning, or if it was simply because he got stunned. Ever been dazed by a punch? Takes it right out of you. As far as what would have happened if...VK got cut, and got stopped (by the fight doctor), just as any other cut fighter would have. What makes it so bad is that even though VK looked to be in no condition to fight, he was in fact still in the fight big time. My point is, even though Lewis didn't look stellar physically, IMO a big part of the reason he looked as bad as he did is because of the fighter he was facing. I mean come on, IMO Lewis is just a fighter who was always able to make very efficient use of his physical attributes, very much in the same way as VK, depite the extremely different styles. What if VK had fought Lewis the way he did Sanders, and pretty much every other fighter he faced? What if Lewis had fought the way he did against Tua? We could go on and on about this. I don't have a problem with VK losing the fight, hell it answered the doubts everyone had about his heart. My only problem is Lewis fans implying that VK was never in the fight, was schooled by Lewis and then stopped, and that Lewis would KO VK easily in a rematch, something none of us can say for sure one way or the other. So, unless Lewis shuts his mouth and comes out of retirement, this arguement will go on forever.

Yep, much of what you say is absolutely correct. Both fighters were still in the fight, BIG time, and either could've KO'd the other at any time, though after seeing Klitchko take those bombs from Lewis and manage to stay on his feet, I feel less and less like Lewis would've managed to pull off a win in later rounds. Older fighters, who come into the ring in mediocre shape, do NOT "get stronger as the fight goes on"...they fade after mid rounds, and aren't able to recover nearly as much in between rounds. In that respect, Lewis is full of Ka-Ka, big time. However, I think he still had a chance to win in 7, maybe even the first part of 8, but after that, if he hadn't managed to floor Lurch, I think he'd have ended up on the canvas for a 3rd time in his career.

Also, in a rematch....remember that Klitchko's cuts would've taken a bare minimum of 6 months to heal, but 9 would've been closer to reality. At this point, Lewis would've been another year older and slower, and I just don't know if he could've pulled out another win. Sure, if he managed to open another cut, but Lewis has only had 2 other wins during his career by TKO stoppage due to cuts, so I think it's a safe bet that a cut TKO isn't something to rely on. So in effect, he'd have had to KO Klitchko because Klitchko has never EVER been behind on the score cards at the end of a fight, and he can't depend on outworking him either, so that leaves knocking him out. And after seeing Lurch take those frigging nukes from Lewis in their first fight, I also have serious reservations about Lewis being able to KO Klitchko as well. So, you stick a 39 or 40 year old fighter in with a 34 year old fighter, with a high work rate and heavy hands, who's got a chin of solid steel and a ****load of heart, who's never been on the canvas, and which one do you expect to win? Well, let's just say that I put money on Lewis in the first fight and nearly shat myself during round 2. If they'd had their rematch a year later, I'd have put my money on Klitchko, and would've felt confident enough that if I hadn't been able to watch the fight live, I'd have expected my money to show up in my account without needing to place any phone calls :)

I like Lewis as a fighter, always have, but I'm also not blinded by loyalty in any way and have no problems accepting simple basic facts of boxing.

lewis was not looking so well when they fought so vitali would of knocked lewis out in my view as for a prime lewis knocking vitali goes vitali has never even been knockdown so theres is no was lewis would be able to knock him out

to the people who think lewis was gettign better as the fight goes on....IMO if he looked any wrose then he did in round 2 he would been KO'd hahahahaha, so of course he was doing a little better he had to, if u look at round 6 lewis was just waiting for that uppercut he was so obviously setting it up and when he hit it and vitali didnt go down i bet u insdie he was like o ****. he couldnt last another round 1 more shot and it was over lewis had nothing left. remeber guys vitlai is 34 that isnt exactly prime either imo

What makes you think Lewis wouldn't cut him again?!


What makes you think he would?

regardless he would of schooled vitali. <-- Period not buts or ifs vitali couldent finished a fat lazy lennox thats pathetic. :)

You my friend are an idiot.

Lewis lost his desire for fighting after Tyson...he said so himself before the Tyson fight that he was only going on to try to get a fight with Tyson. Once he got Tyson he said he completed everything he needed to complete in Boxing and didn't feel the desire anymore. I think he just wanted a quick Canada vs Canada payday vs Johnson then retire...but people were clamouring for Vitali

Lewis lost his desire for fighting after Tyson...he said so himself before the Tyson fight that he was only going on to try to get a fight with Tyson. Once he got Tyson he said he completed everything he needed to complete in Boxing and didn't feel the desire anymore. I think he just wanted a quick Canada vs Canada payday vs Johnson then retire...but people were clamouring for Vitali

Are you sure about that one??? Lewis tried to sue Tyson when Tyson wouldn't rematch him! Didn't sound like he was done to me if he had so much ambition that he would sue a guy to try to make him fight him again after he already destroyed Mike the first time! Lewis wanted to keep fighting! Vitali just ruined his plans. ;)

I beleive a prime tyson would of destroyed lennox. but lennox is top5 hands down.

to the people who think lewis was gettign better as the fight goes on....IMO if he looked any wrose then he did in round 2 he would been KO'd hahahahaha, so of course he was doing a little better he had to, if u look at round 6 lewis was just waiting for that uppercut he was so obviously setting it up and when he hit it and vitali didnt go down i bet u insdie he was like o ****. he couldnt last another round 1 more shot and it was over lewis had nothing left. remeber guys vitlai is 34 that isnt exactly prime either imo


Good points! Not that it matters much but didn't Vitali just turn 33? Wasn't he 31 when he fought Lewis?

Regardless, Vitali should have jumped on Lennox in that 2nd roun and finished him when he had Lewis hurt and none of this debating would be taking place!

Good points! Not that it matters much but didn't Vitali just turn 33? Wasn't he 31 when he fought Lewis?

Regardless, Vitali should have jumped on Lennox in that 2nd roun and finished him when he had Lewis hurt and none of this debating would be taking place!


hmm my bad i wonder why i thought vitali was 34..must have someone else on my mind.

Good points! Not that it matters much but didn't Vitali just turn 33? Wasn't he 31 when he fought Lewis?

Regardless, Vitali should have jumped on Lennox in that 2nd roun and finished him when he had Lewis hurt and none of this debating would be taking place!



...Man, you got that right. Vit knows he made a mistake in that fight with Lewis by not finishing him in the second round and I guarantee you that he will never make that mistake again.

I beleive a prime tyson would of destroyed lennox. but lennox is top5 hands down.


....So by your rational then Tyson is like top three?? lol lol lol Good comedy my man. A prime Vitali whips em both baring a freak occurence so where do you think that would put him?

nah, he couldent beat a worn out lennox lewis.

tyson thing might be to far stretched but i think tyson would kick the **** out of muhammad ali.

nah, he couldent beat a worn out lennox lewis.

tyson thing might be to far stretched but i think tyson would kick the **** out of muhammad ali.


....Yeah, you mean the 5 pounds overweight Lewis who was in great shape like right before that fight and nobody had mentioned his looking old or tired in his last few fights. Yeah, suddenly he just got tired, old, and out of shape in the Vitali fight. Yeah, that is an unbelievable transformation. I have a feeling that if Vitali hadn't come along then Lewis would have been "in his prime" for several more years. What a convenient excuse Lennox had ready made. Nobody dictated to Lewis like Vitali did and Lennox was stumped. He did not believe he could beat big V in a rematch or he would have fought him. Vitali got inside of his head in a major way and Lewis was not about to step back in the ring with him. If something miraculous occurs and Rahman beats Vit with a lucky punch then Lewis will come out of retirement. He prays every day that somebody will get rid of Vitali so he can come back and fight some stiffs for big paydays.

i think the same thing would of happened again, lewis would of cut vitali to ribbons again, the question is,if vitali got cut that bad again and it went on more rounds would it do permanant damage to vitali's face, and is it worth it?