So how did you have the fight scored at the time of the stoppage? Sure, Vitali had a harder-than-expected time landing significant punches, but that was to be expected when dealing with a much smaller, lighter runner that relies on evasiveness and movement more than actual fighting to secure decisions.
There was more money for Bowe fighting George Foreman than there was for the matchup against Lewis. He was simply underpaid.
He could have made the fight last year but instead wasted away the whole time fighting east touches to avoid that work. Again there have been far more blatant ducks in boxing history and Lewis was not avoiding an absolute killer (unlike Bowe who ducked him). Lewis beat so many top guys in his career, I think he can forgiven for not fighting Byrd.
5-4 Vitali. Three rounds clear to Byrd with two swings. Vitali quit before the last three rounds and judging how the previous three had gone, he was on course for a dubious hometown decision at best. I think he was worried about getting stopped so he found a way out and hammed up his alleged injury.
That's ridiculous. Vitali won all but a single round, maybe two if you're being generous to Byrd. At the time of the stoppage the judges scorecards read (88-83, 88-83, & 89-82)
The American judges had Lewis-Holyfield 1 a draw. Do you agree with that? Byrd was a clear B-side in Germany against undefeated superman Klitschko, of course the judges only gave him 2 rounds.
On that long ago evening in Germany, when the backpedalling Byrd was given a fluke victory by virtue of injury, even the honourable and unofficial HBO American judge, Harold Lederman had the fight 88-83 at the time of the stoppage.
Some had Byrd winning 2 rounds, I had him winning 4, most others 3 on average. But unfortunately Vitali quit in 9 rather than be punched to a stoppage loss and never sought a rematch against a blown-up LHW who he failed to hurt once, letting Wlad take care of it for him.
I was quoting Steward's opinion and Holyfield was well-known for making excuses after losses. It just exposes Vitali's quitjob even more if true as Holyfield didn't quit. And makes it look less fluky as they both allegedly got injured in similar fashion.
"which would have made Lewis $8 million rather than $1+ million; on net approximately what he made for Rahman 1, enabled him to retain/regain the IBF title if he won, added a highly ranked, quality name to his record who had beaten several mutual opponents and dispelled accusations of ducking Byrd, which were inflamed when Lewis vacated the title for a derisory fee rather than fight him" There was reward but clearly too much risk for that reward.
It was the least exciting fight, against the peskiest opponent of Vitali's career, and no one was clamouring to see the rematch since their first match was such a one-sided affair, besides, Wladimir was able to dominate Byrd a month before Big Brother Vitali returned to the ring from his surgically repaired rotator cuff, making a rematch between them an even less attractive option.
"no one was clamouring to see the rematch" Least of all Vitali, hence he ducked it after quitting against the man he couldn't hurt over 9 rounds.