Lewis v Klitschko: the Cut

Lewis hints at return for second shot at KlitschkoBy Paul Hayward in Los Angeles

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Lennox Lewis is on his way out of retirement for a rematch with Vitali Klitschko. This was the inescapable conclusion when Lewis strode out of the arena and straight to the new champion's dressing room after Klitschko had battered Corrie Sanders to claim the World Boxing Council title in Los Angeles on Saturday. Before he called on the new heavyweight king, Lewis conceded: "The temptation is always there."

Klitschko, the first universally recognised white champion since Ingemar Johansson 45 years ago, said: "I will talk to Lennox Lewis very shortly about the possibility of us fighting again. There were so many questions in my mind when Lennox retired. I've thought about it a lot. I was upset with his decision and many other people were, too. I just hope Lennox makes a comeback."

Like Klitschko's in the Lewis fight here 10 months ago, Sanders's face was a riot of lacerations and bloody eruptions. His courage was depicted in splashes and squirts of red.


In the moment of release, he fell into the compassionate embrace of the referee, Jon Schorle, who sensibly stopped the onslaught two minutes and 46 seconds into the eighth round of a crude but stormy and gripping bout.
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Lewis watched the conflagration, thinking a $US20 million ($27.3m) payday against a flawed successor was a good incentive to get back in the gym.
Realists will wonder whether Lewis's retirement was choreographed to add greater value to the reprise. Lewis-Klitschko II is worth far more financially now the younger man is in possession of the belt. Lewis would be bidding to become a four-time leader of the heavyweight pack. Having recovered the WBC's waistband from Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman (both of whom knocked him out), Lewis can add melodrama to a comeback by claiming that he wants to surpass Muhammad Ali in the number of times he has reclaimed his belt.

Lewis-Klitschko is unfinished business: anathema to boxing promoters and spectators. The dramatic tension arises from the fact Klitschko was ahead on all three judges' cards when gashes round his left eye compelled the referee to stop the first fight.

The economics are simple. In the first WBC title fight post-Lewis's retirement, Klitschko and Sanders fought for less than Ali and Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden more than 30 years ago. These days, nobody wants to watch the legion of obscure big men doing the rounds. The rematch with Lewis starts to look like a financial imperative

[url]http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/26/1082831502148.html?from=storyrhs[/url]


>>>Don't act stupid fighting weight. The fight was out there for Lewis to take. It was 15+ million for him. Lewis said he fight but in the end, could not man up to a re-match. Many offers were out there in 2004, and 2005.

END.

 

To be fair a Star Treck movie would be a more reliable source than the Sun tabloid, and anyone quoting The Sun deserves to be laughed off the forum

 

Umm LEnnox is said to be worth at least £100million, learn to read, his purse for the Tyson fight is said to be worth around 45million alone

 

Um...not to mention Lewis was 43. I think he is taking the ****.

 

Incredible how such a non issue can create the longest, dumbest threads years after the event.

 

I'm not acting stupid....when did it become a rule that a champion had to beat a contender twice to prove he was better? Lewis TKO6, as I said this will always be the result and no matter how much bull**** spin you try to put on a mythical rematch, Lennox Lewis will ALWAYS be remembered as VITLAY Klitschkos superior. Hurts eh? Shame.

I suggest you don't talk about Lewis 'manning up' either, because that cowardly ****** that you adore so much quit rather than face Chris Byrds monstrous power for a few more rounds to secure a win. A Klitschko fan, talking about Lewis 'manning up', words fail me atsch

Incidentally I notice VITLAY even now still hasn't 'manned up' to a Byrd rematch, why is that? I suspect it's all Byrds fault, right? :nut

 

Amazing isn't it?

 

It does get annoying to hear Klitschko fans just take this fight completely out of reality. Its almost like it was a win for Klitschko. To me Lewis was the better man, but Klitschko did something not many fighters were able to do against Lewis for some time and that was to be competitive in a boxing match.
Klitschko fought well and showed heart, something that was a question in the past. Take the loss and move on. Its just unfortunate there is no real challenges out there for Vitali so his entire legacy will be hung on a loss to Lewis who was old to begin with, so this wont be the last of these threads.

 

Stop lying. Vitaly tried to get Byrd in a re-match, but Byrd who was promoted by Don King would not let that happen. Instead King matches guys like Golota, TOS, Byrd, and Ruiz vs. each other.

Speaking of Lewis, he not only dropped a belt to Byrd, he also dropped one to Ruiz who was calling Lewis a girl.

Re-matches for Lewis( who was KO by one punch twice ) were essential for his career. Could you imagine how Lewis career would look if McCall and Rhaman ducked him in the re-match, just like Lewis ducked Vitali in the re-match? Ponder that one.

 

Stop dramatising, Rahman and McCall fought/fight on forever after beating Lewis, Lewis has never ever fought again.

It's not rocket science.

 

atsch

So because Ruiz called Lewis a girl he had to fight him, right? If name-calling is all you have to do then surely James Toney should have been given a shot at both the Klits by now :huh

As I said, I knew the no rematch thing would be all Byrds fault, predictable as ever. Funny how he had no problems stepping in the ring with WALDO again.....

I see you're still having problems with active fighters fighting each other and 38 year olds retiring too, I'll remember all this when VITLAY retires :hi:

 

I have no doubt that Lewis could have had a re-match if he wanted one. I also think Vitali would have had a good chance of winning the rematch, but that doesn't negate the fact Lewis won the first fight. You seem to think that just because Lewis never rematched Vitali that he somehow lost the first fight, or it somehow diminished his win, neither is true.

 

Funny, but I think your exactly right. I think this is the way alot of people actually perceive the fight.

 

No Ruiz was a mandatory for Lewis, and far better than a hyped Mike Grant or a fringe contender in Botha. :deal

The insult to Lewis, who was then living with his mother and owned a pet poodle is fighting words on any gym corner. To call the heavyweight champion a girl, and to make fun of his high protective cup in the 2nd Holyfield fight is embarrassing.

I have no problem with fighters retiring. None. I do have a problem with guys who were always in denial as Lewis when the truth was not on his side.

I do have a problem with fighters saying he'd take a re-match multiple times....getting multiple offers for 15+ million dollars... sitting on title, then promptly retiring.

As they say actions speak louder than words, so you have to live with that.

PS: You need to brush up on your history if your going to attempt to match wits with me. I'm not one of your target fan of the month thread. Toney was offered a title shot vs. Wlad when Toney had no belt or an offer to fight for one. He refused, because he'd get the stuffing beat out of him, then fought a no-name for less.

 

Yes, actions do speak louder than words - Lewis TKO6, no matter how much garbage you spout :deal

You seem to have missed the point about Toney, I guess I used a bad example seeing as the Klits offer shots to pretty much anyone thats old and has a name atsch You think Ruiz was more deserving of a title shot than Grant at the time Lewis fought him? Fair enough, I suspect you're the one that needs to brush up your history, same goes for your ridiculous comments about Byrd too. Incidentally as I recall Botha was given a shot because he put up a good show against Tyson...everyone knew it would be an easy defence, a bit like old WALDO taking on the shell of Rahman? Oh and I seem to remember VITLAY making a joke defence against Danny Williams on the strength of him beating shot Tyson too - double standards, surely not?