Was Lennox Lewis in his PRIME when he got humiliated & retired by Vitali Klitschko?

Getting outlanded by a 3:2 ratio and almost KO'd several times = beating the **** out of someone.

Astute observation, brittard.

 

how can you be almost KOed several times within 5 round? SUrely you'd be flat out after several KO punches? and you certainly wouldnt tear apart your opponents face.

HWs dont wobble around for 5 rounds being nearly KOed. The go down quick within a round or two. Lennox didnt look remotely like he was going down.

 

:good. Came mighty close to being KO'd and was hanging on desperately. And he was close to prime. Brittards that say he wasn't prime are really giving out a coded excuse for his boo'd out the house display.

 

Are you denying that Lewis vs Jones Jr, Ruiz, Byrd, and Vitali were all being discussed for after Johnson?:rofl:rofl:rofl

Several of those had actual contracts drawn up. Lewis was trying to make the Jones fight when the whole rematch became unavoidable.:tired

Lewis had every intention of fighting on, that is, unless it meant rematching Vitalidealdeal

 

so you are claiming that Lewis is practically the only HW champion in history who wanted to fight on as a champ after the age of 37? Doing what noone else wanted to do when they got fat and began losing their lung power (a biologically irrefutable fact, not an opinion). Even reality is against you, Lewis didnt fight for another alternative title versus Ruiz or RJJ after having his main title 'relinquished'? He didnt keep going.

Why would you make a claim against all the odds, against the whole of HW history, against biology, the laws of physics, and the whole of reality? Surely you'd recognise that all the evidence is against you? What exactly is eating you up so much that makes you make such a mad statement? Its as if you are trying to claim that the World is still flat.

 

i remember LL beating the **** out out of vitali and beating the face OFF him.

go ahead rewrite history how u want it to be. thats what u clowns do daily

 

Lewis was very near prime (had slipped a tiny bit).

Lewis was exactly the weight he wanted to be at facing the bigger man. (He left the extra weight there on purpose.)

The fight was very close, and Lewis did not believe he would win a rematch having been somewhat lucky in the original. (If you want to call that Vitali retiring Lewis, that's a legit POV).

This was Lewis' best win.

Prime for prime, each man at his best with no unforced ****-ups, Lennox would be the favourite to win.

 

You added the little (brittard opinion) next to the poll option that actually makes the most sense. I don't give a **** what Lennox said himself. But I also wouldn't use the word "humiliated" since he won the fight by TKO6.

Quit making threads about this fight that happened 2 eras ago.

 

LewTards voting their man was a tired old man at 37. Hilarious. ****ing carrots.

 

Umm.....Vitali is 41. Wlad is 37. Foreman was 44. Holmes had several great wins past 40. How old is Evander Holyfield? How old was he when he beat Valuev?

Your post makes perfect sense, except Lewis wanted those fights. The world over knew he was trying to make those fights prior to the Vitali fight, and Manny in as much indicted Lewis for ducking the Vitali rematch so he could fight Jones Jr.
Mad statement. I got no agenda except that Lewis, H2H at 37 is still a top 10 ATG, probably a top 5.
He defied the odds, and yeah he had 5 extra pounds on him, but he put it on to move a monster Kirk Johnson and kept it on to do the same vs Vitali. Lewis and Manny themselves said as much. He wasnt out of shape. He just put on a few extra for a bigger fighter.
Had Jones Jr been inked after Vitali, Manny said Lewis would have gotten down less than 240. He's a pro.....he can do it. :rofl

 

The exceptions make no difference to my statement, since I said practically the entire HW champ history, so Foreman and Vitali are the two exceptions to practical the entire HW history. Holmes and Holyfied werent real champs at that age.


Lewis could have stayed on to fight RJJ even IF he had ducked Vitali, he'd simply arrange to fight him for another version of the title. But he didnt arrange it,so he didnt get in the ring with RJJ et all so it means he wasnt interested in them in the twilight of his career. He DIDNT do it because he didnt want to, but it was perfectly possible to do with or without a rematch with Klit.

 

If Lennox had every intention of fighting on, why was he absent from the ring for over a year before he even fought Vitali? Are these the actions of a man who wanted to continue in the sport?

The only reason he crawled out of bed in June 2003 was because his last remaining belt was going to be stripped. Dude was Semi-retired before the 1st bell.

 

there you go, you heard it from the horses mouth.

Quite what you were doing in Lennox's bed in June 2003, I wont ask.

Getingg saam meean Jamaaaican waceybacey, maaaaan....

 

Lewis still had a lot left. He could have stayed champ a few more years if he would have wanted to. I think after he beat Tyson he just was not motivated to box anymore. He wanted a rematch with Tyson if I remember correct. I guess he wanted one more big pay day and also to prove he was the best of his Era. I don't think Lewis was in the best shape that night but he still put up a hell of a fight. This fight would have been like the Grant fight for Lewis but Vitali surprised a lot of people as he was able to take Lewis's best shots. Vitali proved unlike his brother he had a chin. I think when Wlad got exposed everyone just thought Vitali had a weak chin as well. Yes Vitali was giving Lewis a good fight but Lewis was able to stand his ground and land hards shots. I think that says something about Lewis being I've never seen Vitali get hit like that again. Yes Vitali was ahead but the fight was only half over. Its to bad Vitali got cut because it was a fun fight to watch. But Lewis won fair. Lewis beat Vitali that night. Lewis had been in wars like this before where Vitali had not been. Yes Lewis looked tired but so did Vitali. I think Lewis had the edge the longer the fight went on. But for some people to say it was a bad stoppage in crazy. That is the worst cut I've ever seen and it should have been stopped faster. The DR was more than fair. You know you don't hear the people that said it was a bad stoppage bitching about Wlad's fight with TOS being stopped do to the cut Wlad had on his head. Not that cut was not near as bad as the one Vitali had. Wlad had already been on his ass in that fight and could have lost that fight but the DR saved him. He should have gave TOS a rematch by the way. I think Lennox Lewis could have beat any of the all time greats. Vitali is a great fighter but I just think Lewis was better.

 

The exception? And Holyfield was less of a titlist at 37 than Foreman was at 44?:huh

Holmes was 36 when he beat undefeated challenger Carl Williams. He was 37 when he was robbed vs Spinks for the second straight fight.
If your saying your typical ATG HW champ, hangs em up around that age, then Wlad should, Holmes would have after the Spinks robberies. Holyfield would have after his career defining win over Tyson. Ali would not have fought Holmes or Berbick. Tyson would not have fought Lewis.
Basically every great HW of the past 30 yrs would have hung em up.......except out of the top 15 ATGs, those who've fought since 1970, only Lewis retired at 37Your argument is useless.

My ranking of the top HWs since 1970 is
#1 Lewis retired at 37
#2 Ali.... recaptured his title at 37 and fought both Holmes and Berbick but was forced to retire due to brain disease.
#3 Wlad.....fighting Wach at the age of 37. Fully intends on fighting Potvetkin and Mitchell, Arreola, Price, and Fury. (obviously we'll see.)
#4 Foreman.....retired because he lost it mentally, but came back as strong and maybe better than ever at age 36.
#5 Holmes......fought on after 37 when he was robbed of his crown vs Spinks X2. Got brutally beaten by Undipsuted Champ, Mike Tyson at 39. Came back strong and finished his career with almost 20 more wins after his KO loss. Fought hard until he was like 52 or some ****, giving Champions, contenders, and journeymen all they could handle for anther 13 yrs.
#6 Holyfield......still vyying to get a title shot:think Should have take the title from Valuev when he was 44. Fought his career defining wins at 36 and 37 and gave Lewis fits in 2 fights thereafter.
#7 Mike Tyson......at 37 he came back from his latest hard loss in an attempt at another title shot. He KOd the Black Rhino in brutal fashion. Followed it with back to back losses at 38 and 39 y/o vs hopefuls, who he was handling before he caved.
#8 Vitali Klitschko......returned from injury retirement to recapture his emiritus title at 36 years old. The rest, well, it's history. 10 fights, 10 wins, 7 title defenses and he's looking at #8 next month, that is, past his 37th birthday.
#9 Joe Frazier....retired at 32, came back at 37, but wasnt nearly the same fighter that Foreman manhandled into retirement.
#10 Chris Byrd....at 35 he was utterly destroyed and humiliated by Wladimir Klitschko for the second time. At 37 he was fighting Alexander Potvetkin for no other reason than to get back in there at 38 against the best HW of this generation. Of course he lost that fight, and went into a depression that saw him return at LHW at 38 y/o. Obviously, we know Chris wanted redemption, even at 40 when he gave it one last go as a CW.

Your assertion that fighters hunger and ability is gone at such an age is highly WRONG. You list the exceptions being Vitali and Foreman. IMO, it was Frazier only who was the exception in the last 40 yrs. Your knowledge of the sport is either nostalgia flawed or you simply DKSAB:thumbsup