BE HONEST. did you lose respect for Lennox after declining a Vitali rematch?

[big_AL]

He was a great fighter, but I lost a good bit of respect for him especially after he said he would give him a rematch.

I remember like it was yesterday. People were talking about that fight for months on end, saying that Lewis was in serious trouble and would have been ko'd in the very next round as he plopped down on his stool at the end of the 6th round completely out of energy. I've never heard so many people talk about a boxing match like lewis-vitali.

It's too bad Lewis didn't rematch and shut everyone up.

[Shad0wB0xer]

I did. Based on the fact that the first fight was very close and he was getting out boxed for most of the fight until it was stopped. It was rare that Lennox faced a talented fighter that matched him in size and stature. Part of me wanted to see if it was a fluke or bad performance on LL part but the fact that he declined the rematch tells me that it wasn't and Vitali was the real deal.

[Drunk Punch]

I'm not fussed about the rematch, but I would have loved to see what happened if Vitali was allowed one more round.

[Rich2123]

I don't loose respect for a guy when he retires. There's always going to someone coming up who people think can beat you, when a guy who risks his health for our entertainment decides he's had enough I can't blame him. So I never blamed LL.

Now, I do kind of think, say, JMM loses some respect if he keeps fighting and doesn't give Pac (who gave him 3 shots after a win) another fight. But if the guy decides he's done with fighting, I can't blame him at all.

[drakknoir]

no. i think lennox knew he was done though, Vitali had him. i cant believe Vitali was still standing after that uppercut. if he had given him a rematch there was a high chance he would lose, lennox knew it and didnt want to risk his legacy. we cant expect fighters to keep fighting forever!

[ADP02]

Lewis retired after that. So no problems there. If he came back and fought others and refused to fight Vitali then he certainly would be looked in another light.

[miamike]

Lewis was retired. He whipped Vitali anyways, why did you want him to do it again?

[Drunk Punch]

If there was a rematch, you can bet your life Lennox wouldn't have turned up fat and out of shape again. Lennox would have beaten him convincingly. For the record I thought Lennox was on his way to a stoppage any way. Vitali almost had his face punched off.

[pacmanis1]

The drunk fan in me says yes, the sober human says no. I do believe he realized the chances of him winning a rematch were slim though. I guess nothing wrong with pulling out on top when you know you'll fall.

[Jam Jars]

Lewis was going to get KO'd in the next round? He won the last round,Vitali was stumbling around eating uppercuts.