Was there anything all that controversial about Lewis Vs Vitali?

Lewis won.

However, Lewis and Steward knew he would have lost a rematch. So he wisely retired.

 

I get the feeling that if Lewis was more charismatic, especially if he was an American super star, more people would take his side on this issue. I could easily see people throwing Vitali under the bus for failing to stop a chunky, old, out of shape legend in his last fight when he had the chance and telling him to stop whining about a rematch and let the legend retire.

Swap Lewis in for someone like Ali or Louis and it would probably play out completely differently. You would of course have the die hard Vitali supporters and contrarians, but the narrative would be that the legend did all they had to do and deserve a break.

As for the fight itself, there have been dozens of high caliber fights that end in a cut and it's a completely legitimate way to both win or defend your belt regardless of whose up at the time of the stoppage. It usually happens when you consistently fail to defend yourself and protect the cut (the announcers make sure to remind the audience of this without fail every time). Outside of a nasty clash of heads, cuts that ugly usually don't just pop up out of nowhere from one hit. It means that Lewis was consistently able to land the same punch multiple times and Vitali did not make adjustments. That's Vitali's own fault. People appreciated that he was attempting to silence the critics who were teasing him with names like Quitschko, but a loss is a loss. Lewis honestly didn't owe him or the fans jack.

 

Not to beat a dead horse but a thirty nine year old Lewis because that's how old he would have been for a rematch had everything to lose and nothing to win should he have agreed to one. His boxing career ended with a W not an L.

 

Charismatic or not Lennox Lewis conducted himself with dignity. He's a great ambassador for the sport. I'm glad he retired on his terms.

 

Vitali was ahead in the scoring but the cut was bad and the fight had to be stopped. It was a legitimate win for Lewis but unfortunate that it had to end on a cut. It would have been interesting to see how the fight would have unfolded had it went the limit.

 

Arguably, the greatest final fight of any World Heavyweight Champion.

Lewis battered and stopped the Hall of Famer who would succeed him as WBC/Ring champion.

Tunney's last fight was a title win against Tom Heeney. Marciano's last fight was a title win against Archie Moore, a light heavyweight, who didn't succeed Rocky. Vitali's final fight was a title win against Charr.

Not many go out as World Heavyweight champ and as winners. If they do, it's not against a future Hall of Famer who succeeds them as champ.

 

No.

Unless you count Larry Merchant bizarrely claiming that Vitali won the event.

 

The controversy was that Lewis ditched the rematch that everyone wanted to see.

 

It would have lasted another thirty seconds before Vitali gave birth from his eye cut

 

The cuts were opened by right hand punches.Any other postulations are BS.

 

Illegal right hand punches.

 

I think it possible he would have come in ,in much better shape for the rematch and that this might have made the difference.It's not like he lost every round in their actual fight.

 

That was his prerogative .

 

Vitali had very little left in the sixth and Lewis was nailing him with some hard, clean shots. Vitali was however taking them well, but the momentum had swung in Lewis' favor big time and no matter how tough you are, you cant keep getting hit Like that for too long.

 

Lewis messed his face up to the point the doctors had to stop it, doesn't matter if you are losing on the scorecards that's a legit win. Also Vitali looked much worse physically than Lewis in the last round.