Was Lennox Lewis anywhere near prime when he fought Vitali ?

No. His prime was after he fired his old trainer and hired a new one who maximized his potential. The years we're looking at are probably 1995-1999. Not 1993 and certainly not 2003.

 

Bernard Hopkins wasn't viewed as prime at 28 either. Sometimes its a flaw in a fighter's style or training habits or something that's as you say " amiss". In Lewis's case there was.

 

Walcott lost his title at 37 - the very same age that Lewis was when he defeated a very formidable opponent in Vitali.. Of course Joe had ONE fight several months later at 38 in which he was dispatched in one round. I don't think his longevity necessarily trumps Lewis's, although he did have more pro fights.

 

Lewis was positively past it when he fought Vitali.. If this were a discussion about any other 38 year old heavyweight who had fought only once in 19 months, was at a career high weight and who was recently KO'd by a fringe contender he'd be labeled as "totally shot." You don't hear anyone claiming that Ali was prime against Holmes or that Holmes was prime against Tyson or that Louis was prime against Marciano... The whole argument that Lewis was anything but washed up against Vitali is one of the worst ones ever put forth.

 

Find me a fight where he got his **** kicked for four strait rounds and was gassing by the fifth the way he was against Vitali... You won't.