If Vitali Vs Lewis happened agian right after there first fight

[czars_salad]

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

vitali has a soft, baby-soft, face

[Neuraxis]

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.

[Torino]

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 ****** 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.

[BBFM]

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

[Neuraxis]

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.

[justin04]

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.

[BBFM]

That's pathetic shouldent even be called a klitschko era

[lennon]

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

[moochi]

...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.

[lennon]

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!