Did Vitali Klitschko "dominate" Lennox Lewis?

[Jedi Vader]

The Legacy of Lennox Lewis - Manny Steward Interview.

Well one of the best fights that he had that people don’t realize was the Golota fight. Going into the Golota fight I told him, “Lennox, this fight could be a good fight because this guy gets a little crazy sometimes when he gets tired, even when he’s winning sometimes—and he’s a bully! So my suggestion is, when you fight a bully, you bully a bully. In other words, don’t let him get into a rhythm. Try to get out and take control of him, and bully him, and rough him up!”

Lennox looked at me with that little funny look, and he didn’t say anything. That’s what he did. He just came out and crushed him. It was not one of the big super fights, but the way he jumped on Golota, I don’t think anybody ever did that to him still. I mean I looked later on when there was Mike when he fought Golota, and a lot of them struggled, but he just came in and crushed him.

I would say other than that, the fights where he realized he was losing and he made an adjustment. You know the fights with Vitali, which clearly he was losing. And I will be with Vitali and Wladimir and we will be together, and some people will ask, “Mr. Steward, who would have won if that fight had of continued with Vitali and Lennox?”

I said, “Lennox was going to win that fight”.

“Well, you know, Vitali was ahead”.

I said, “Ahead is one thing, but he had six rounds to go! In a heavyweight fight, and one fighter’s whole face is torn apart?”

I mean it’s ridiculous. There is no way he was going to win that. Lennox had been in those situations before and then came back.

But nevertheless Lennox was a guy that did what he had to do! I loved that about him. He would make his adjustments, and if you would say “do this” then he would do it. The fight with Tua, we knew that Tua was a little short dangerous guy, and he was going to be dangerous all the way, because he maintained his punching power from the first round to the last. Not like Mike after a certain amount of rounds, Mike’s intensity and punching power were kind of drained. Tua was a little slow guy, but he had punching power with them little short arms. We had a strategy to just go about a good technical for a good technical effort, and not to go for a knockout and take any risks. That’s why we fought that fight that way. But any time if I had changed the plan to get him out of there, Lennox would have gotten him out of there. That’s what made him special to me more so than all of the other heavyweights I’ve saw and worked with in history.
.

Manny would say this even in front of the Klits.

[pedro1098]

i think at that time..LL knew he had done everything in boxing he wanted to,
LL had one eye on the beach!
THE FIGHT..LL would have stopped VK within another 3 rounds,vk was fading & his best work was done up to r5, LL was taking over,if the fight had not been stopped the damage to the eye would have been bad.

[yoz]

he didnt have experience at age 31 AND having already been a world champion? NO -he had EVERY chance to gain experience if hes by that time thirtysomething in his career. If you claimed any thirtysomething in any other job for life didnt have experience you'd be laughed at for a century. Because you'd be 100% wrong.

Concerning Lewis - every year after 30 you are losing lung power, reaction speed and muscle tone, its a scientific fact. Lewis was 37, so he's had 7 years of incrementally losing his physical attributes, and it was now starting to show by the time he was in his late thirties.

As for the rest of your rematch claim, LL was 38, due for retirement, so he retired - its that simple. Virtually no HW champion has fought on past 38, with very few exceptions. Who are you to say that virtually all the HW champions we have ever had were wrong to retire before they got beyond that age? Who are you to say a guy who should be retired ought to risk his old body and brain in the ring again because you are irked that your fighter wasnt good enough to beat old him? No, its YOU thats wrong, not all of them.

the alternative you are arguing is that the fight wasnt stopped, Vitali would have lost his sight and would never have entered the ring again. Good thing Vitali didnt listen to you, or he'd be just another bum at this point in history.

Well, it's not that simple as multiplication of the mass and acceleration. That would mean that heavier Lennox is harder punching Lennox taking the same acceleration. He lost some of speed not much of his power.

I wouldn't favor fully motivated Lennox in the rematch. He was past prime and Vitali was just getting better. Prime for prime is different story.. I give it 55:45 to Lennox (possibly 6:4)..

LOL, you two at it again?

[Skittlez]

Can someone tell IB to merge this into the ESB 'TKO6' Sticky?

[Skittlez]

Vitali was cut and the vision was a serious issue. He was also close to prime, but not quite there yet.. Although that's very very debatable.

Lewis was unprepared, out of shape and past Prime.


A non Cut Vitali from the Johnson fight vs a Prepared Prime Lewis will be a good fight.


This is the issue... like I stated before. VITALI WILL ALWAYS CUT.

I admit a non cuttable vitali could probably have beaten Lewis THAT NIGHT.


You guys are seriously under estimating how cuts play into a fight.


People just dittering they thumbs like Lennox didn't mean to cut him.

Look at Morrison vs Lewis.
Look at Tyson vs Lewis
Look at Mason vs Lewis
even look at Bruno vs Lewis

any version of Lennox always looks for the cuts. He himself admits in interviews

"One of the objectives of boxing is to maximize the injuries done with every punch'

Lewis always cut opponents right around the area where he cut Vitali. The main difference being somehow Vitali's cut just happened to erupt earilier.

Tommy Morrison
"Even if I haven't suffered multiple knock downs, that cut would have opened up later on in the fight. This is why I think Lennox is a monster, he got razers in his fists along with power.


If Vitali fought Lewis again.. he would have been cutted again.

[Skittlez]

I wouldn't favor Vitali prime for prime. There goes your theory

Mate, I am not hardcore Klitschko fan. I love Lennox. My only objection is when people start to talk nonsense. Why can't it be enough for you that Lennox won that fight but you need to insist on 'Lennox is better in every department' when that's obviously not true.

Look Simurgh.. I'm not putting down Vitali at all when I say this.. but the two Steward trained giants will both beat Vitali prime for prime.

People tend to think VItali can walk through Wlad's punches as well.. no.. Wlad will easily coast to a 8-4 UD.. Vitali is a top 15 H2H Heavyweight. Lewis is higher, so is Wlad.

Not only is Vitali easy to cut, look at his style.. look at the way he leans back and the angles he throws his punches.. That style is extremely effective against a ****** like Arreloa or fat boy Peter.. but against a 6'5'6'6 240+ super heavy who is just as skilled if not more so. that's big trouble.


Another issue with Vitali

1- HE HAVE NO 1 PUNCH KNOCK OUT POWER on par with Lewis-Wlad-Foreman.. so it's like he can't even throw that massive right hand to end the fight. He literally have to land enough for a late ko due to wearing the opponent down or winning via decision..

This is why I also favor Ali over him prime for prime. And I give Holyfield a 60-40 chance. Tyson a 50-50. Even Prime Bowe I give a 60-40 against Vitali.

You don't 'lose' your power as you get older... how the hell was Vitali unable to knock out Chisora? Or even Briggs?
People talk like Shannon Briggs is some iron chin warrior. no he's not lmfao.
He's chin is very average at best. Lewis cracked that glass like a decade ago.

[Simurgh]

Look Simurgh.. I'm not putting down Vitali at all when I say this.. but the two Steward trained giants will both beat Vitali prime for prime.

People tend to think VItali can walk through Wlad's punches as well.. no.. Wlad will easily coast to a 8-4 UD.. Vitali is a top 15 H2H Heavyweight. Lewis is higher, so is Wlad.

Not only is Vitali easy to cut, look at his style.. look at the way he leans back and the angles he throws his punches.. That style is extremely effective against a ****** like Arreloa or fat boy Peter.. but against a 6'5'6'6 240+ super heavy who is just as skilled if not more so. that's big trouble.


Another issue with Vitali

1- HE HAVE NO 1 PUNCH KNOCK OUT POWER on par with Lewis-Wlad-Foreman.. so it's like he can't even throw that massive right hand to end the fight. He literally have to land enough for a late ko due to wearing the opponent down or winning via decision..

This is why I also favor Ali over him prime for prime. And I give Holyfield a 60-40 chance. Tyson a 50-50. Even Prime Bowe I give a 60-40 against Vitali.

You don't 'lose' your power as you get older... how the hell was Vitali unable to knock out Chisora? Or even Briggs?
People talk like Shannon Briggs is some iron chin warrior. no he's not lmfao.
He's chin is very average at best. Lewis cracked that glass like a decade ago.

I said numerous times that I would favor both Wlad and Lennox against Vitali prime for prime. I also said that Vitali's somehow fragile body is his biggest issue.
Although I favor both against Vitali I see it as close fights. In terms of percentage 60:40 (or 55:45) to Wlad/Lennox.

Vitali never had that one punch power. He is taking his opponents by accumulation of punches. That's how he got 90% of his KOs.

[Boxing Bob]

he's pretty much dominated everyone he ever beat
but not everyone he faced, ie Lewis
that fight was 4-2 Vit when Vit got stopped
he didn't "dominate" jack shit

co sign, end thread

[edgarg]

Vitali was ready to be knocked out in the next round.

Yes, of course he would have been. There there now... calm down. You forget that you are talking about a fighter who has never been remotely in danger of being knocked down, who is noted for having a steel chin.

Klitschko wasn't dominating, but he was winning handily enough. The eyebrow (not eye) cut was a stroke of luck for Lewis, who was certainly on his way out, probably in another
2 rounds at most. It is easily seen that he was exahusted. he was still trembling in the sit-down interview afterwards. it was shown on TV.

Those who say that Klitschko was tired and finished etc. just are being partisan; they have no real knowledge of the ring. Klitschko was in his physical prime, 32 years old, has never been tired, always trained to a fine edge, and has finished a fast 12 rounds with ease-always. Even at 41 he could do 12 rounds. What is more telling, he's had less than a handful of 12 rounders, which shows how well he's always prepared. He never shows any wearyness and often fights with his mouth open from rd 1. Just a habit which people have twiseted into a show of tiredness.

Being momentarily out of breath is not tiredness. Most dont know the difference.

Assuming that Lewis and Klitschko were equally tired, I'd back Klitschko to recover between rounds much better than Lewis.

So waht the heck are you guys talking about?

[A.K.A]

He was doing twice as good as Lewis, 4-2.