Ah that old chestnut. lol Maybe in an alternative universe Lewis rematches Vitali like he promised to do but hey, it's all hypothetical.
Probably the same result, but with Lewis ahead on the cards. That eye would not have been fully healed, and Lewis would have come in a bit more motivated better shape. He'd target the eye and win by TKO again.
But he was so sure of his superiority. Why didn't he just say "I am old, I almost lost as a result of that"?
Well, history is sure of his superiority , as he's rated far higher than Vitali and with good reason.
Yeah due to that dubious win and also for beating the ghost of Mike Tyson who also lost to the likes of McBride and Williams at that point.
Lewis would be ready this time and he probably takes a cautious decision. I never got why people seem to think Vitali was dominant before the stoppage, it was a dogfight with Vitali slightly ahead but Lewis landing the much harder punches. The biased commentary and surprise about Vitali doing well seems to make people think he was winning handily.
By the way, this thread has been done quite a number of times, and only a few of us Lennox fans seem on the level. A lot of shouting Floyd "take da tess!" style with "TKO6", showing insecurity. Lennox was greater as Vitali, but that night he was the lesser man. I was happy at the time Lennox pulled it out of the fire, but eventually it screwed up the HW lineage (again) by retiring without giving his successor the rematch he deserved.
.....tell me of Vitali's greatest win? Corrie Sanders who wobbled him? Why didn't he get a rematch? oh that's right Vitali never fought one rematch. Was his best win Shannon Briggs, Samuel Peter? Arreola, Chisora? Here's the facts, he lost to the 2 best fighters he fought an old past it Lewis and Byrd and his resume is as thin as Wilders.
I wish Lewis had fought and beaten Wlad, making him the ONLY fighter to beat both Klitschko brothers.
I think Lewis would have won the rematch, but I also don't blame him a bit for retiring. He was old and his heart wasn't in it anymore.