You do have a right to retire from boxing at age 38 you know, going by your brainless method of thinking you are never allowed to retire as there is always someone else to fight. You're acting like Vitali, screaming for rematches crying like a little ***** its time to look long hard and accept the facts. Old Lennox untrained with breasts TKO 6 in shape Vitali in the prime of his career.
Scottish is ignorant. Lewis actually was in very good shape for that fihgt, he said he learned from being complacent vs. Rahman and McCall and didn't let that happen. He also said he was aging like fine wine and that he wanted three more fights before retiring. Vitali's fists made him revise those plans though.
Then why did he make promises that he couldn't keep? Fact is he was scurred to fight Vitali again because deep down he knew that he would lose. He knew it and you know it. You mad? If he said look I'm too old for this **** I can't do it anymore everyone would leave it at that. Instead he tried to pull some bull**** and said he had nothing to prove.
Weighed a career high 256, was 38, hadn't fought in over a year, was preparing for Kirk Johnson not Vitali. Come again?
He wasn't in fine shape at all, he was old and shot, this was like a 20% version of prime Lewis, the guy was blowing after a couple of rounds cause he hadn't even trained seriously, he knew he was just fighting some bum he could bust up after a couple of days of sparring.
It is true that the Lewis fight was a turning point for Vitali. It´s still stupid to ignore the fact that Vitali legitimately worked himself up into the #1 spot in the WBC to get his shot and he did well after the Lewis fight as well. Vitali has an extremely high KO percentage and he´s beaten a great number of some pretty good or at least quite decent fighters like Corrie Sanders, Danny Williams, Kirk Johnson, Herbie Hide, Samuel Peter, Juan Carlos Gomez, Kevin Johnson, Chris Arreola, Albert Sosnowski, Larry Donald, Vaughn Bean, Orlin Norris and Timo Hoffman. That has to account for something. What Vitali is mostly missing is a win over a really good or great heavyweight, but then again the only great heavyweight he ever fought was Lewis.
So basically Scottish, your thread title is complete BS, because you say "entire career". If Vitali had quit boxing just before the Lewis fight, he would still have had a good career, with an extremely good KO percentage, having been WBO champion, wins over Larry Donald, Vaughn Bean, Orlin Norris, Timo Hoffman and Herbie Hide and having his only loss come due to a shoulder injury in a fight he otherwise dominated. That would certainly have been a pretty damn good career in boxing even if it falls far short of an ATG career or anything like that.
Lewis at 38 was at the same level Vitali is at 38. Lucky for Vitali is he doesn't have a Lewis out there to challenge him with a brutally tough fight like he did to Lewis. there is no one out there now to threaten Vitali, except father time. and maybe Solis.
Look at the list of fighters you just listed Herbie Hide is the best of them and he was never a genuine heavyweight, that list is so bad it makes Larry Donald look good and you call that a good career, Vaughn Bean :rofl Thats like crediting Joe Calzaghe for beating Tucker Pudwill
Adamek had no business fighting in that weight class. Get over yourself. Look at who Haye fought. atsch Face it, the heavyweight division is dominated by white guys, because everything and everyone you praise is black. Get over yourself.
Lennox did the right thing by retireing because a rematch would have ended his career in a LOSS. Enough excuses.