Lennox Lewis vs. Vitali Klitschko II.

Vitali was a great HW with a poor resume, due to injuries and bad luck.

He retired for 4 years due to injury.

He had numerous surgeries.

He was a formidable HW though, much more formidable than Wlad, who’d never have enjoyed the same level of success if not for Vitali’s 4 years omission from the sport.

Lennox will go down as the greater HW, with the superior resume. And rightly so. But Vitali was winning their fight and Lennox was fortunate that the cut stopped it. Vitali was on top and winning. Before they fought, Lennox was looking to the future and talking about the possibility of another 3 fights. Then after the fight, he was open to the rematch. Yet after the dust had settled, he then changed his mind. The whole boxing world demanded a rematch. It was a great fight. But Lennox didn’t give us one because he’d given his all and he knew it was time to let go.

All of the people assuming Lennox would have won again, need to be real and ask themselves why it didn’t happen.

Regarding your other points, why would Vitali have rematched Corrie Sanders?

The circumstances with Sanders and Lewis were completely different.

 

There’s no logic to your post.

Old man Lewis was training to fight Kirk Johnson.

He’d been in camp.

Old man Lewis then struggled against Vitali and was losing on the cards and fading, but he won by a TKO upon the doctors advice.

Yet you’re saying that that same old version of Lennox, who’d have been even older in the rematch, would have won a rematch easily without any controversy.

That’s nonsense.

He wasn’t just suddenly going to become fresher, younger and more motivated. And the fact that he retired instead of granting Vitali a rematch speaks volumes.

If he’d been as confident as what you claim, then we’d have seen it.

There’s a reason why we didn’t.

Lennox knew full well that it was time to let go at that stage.

 

Vitali was at that level. He was just unfortunate that he didn’t have the opponents or the longevity to cement a better legacy.

Lennox destroyed nobody.

Get real.

He was hanging on when the fight was stopped.

If the fight was so easy, he’d have rematched him like he initially said that he would.

 

There’s no logic in thinking that an even older version of Lennox would have been better. And you have to ask yourself why he agreed to a rematch before changing his mind.

 

A fantasy.

 

Vitali, Lewis knew he had no chance in the rematch, that’s why he ducked the fight.

Lewis saw he was being outboxed by the superior boxer in the first fight 4 rounds to 2, and did not like how well Vitali performed in his next fight, so he ducked the fight to say he went out on top.

By the way Lewis had no intention of quitting boxing until after he was outboxed by Vitali, which is very telling to say the least.

 

That isn't true though is it?
Lennox was getting the better of Vitali after a slow start and secondly Lewis had discussed retirement before the Vitali fight.
So two main points you make are just factually wrong and the rest is just your opinion. The fact is Lennox won by legitimate means and Vitali's best chance was that first fight and he couldn't get to the finish line. It was great competitive fight and clearly the best choice for Lewis to finish on top.

 

More a prediction than a fantasy.

 

He didn’t have the rematch.

Ask yourself why.

 

Well that’s a obvious lie.

Vitali was winning twice as many rounds as Lewis before the fight was stopped, outboxing Lewis 4 rounds to 2.

Lewis had no plans to retire until Vitali outboxed him, and even said he was in the best shape of his life. Lewis knew he could not win the rematch, so ducked the fight.

 

It doesn't matter how many rounds were won as it wasn't ever going the distance and Lennox was getting the better of the exchanges in the last two rounds which is when the damage to Vitali's face was done. Again you just talk complete bollocks Lennox came in at his career heaviest and was far from being the best shape of his life. I cannot take you seriously and again the rest is opinion based on nothing. Lewis left the sport on top and clowns are still bitter and crying nearly 20 years later it's pathetic. The only critique I have of Lewis is that he should have been straight with Vitali as soon as it was fixed in his mind that he was retiring. but as I can't read minds I give him the benefit of doubt. It's not like Vitali got robbed he got stopped due to punches to the face.

 

As previously stated, Lewis came into the first fight unmotivated, trained for a different fighter, different tactics and different style, he was about as unfit as anyone ever saw him on a fight night and was contemplating retirement anyway.

Had he committed to a rematch he would have been better on all counts and be even more motivated to end his career on a high with a great performance.

Vitali did not have the tools, skill or as it transpired the facial skin to mix it with the very worst version of Lennox Lewis so in reality there’s no logic in thinking he would beat a better version of him.

 

I've already explained several times in this thread why and I'm not repeating myself. It was his choice not yours or mine and he left on top.
Are you saying in his position that you would carry on until you get beat? The only people who still cry about it are people on a boxing forum everyone else has moved on.

 

He was a great fighter.

He didn’t have to prove anything. But the change of heart and how he crossed the finishing line tells you that he was at the end.

We’re not discussing a prime for prime fight.

Vitali would had to have been favoured in the rematch.

 

But it was the case.