I'd say it's being stopped by an out of shape shot Lennox Lewis. That is what he will be remembered for.
Hopefully he can get something else done in the next couple of years, but yeah, "winning the event" against Lewis is what he is going to be remembered for. It would have helped had he matched more good fighters.
I think fat and shot are used wrongly here, as you went on to say in a post "out of shape" is a better word. Shot? More so faded than shot. He was definatley not at his best and didnt even train , still beat Vit Klit.
Just shows you how good Lennox Lewis was. No doubt he was out of shape and unmotivated for that fight and he still won the fight albeit Vitali was beating him up in the first few rounds. However, Lennox was definetly taking control of the fight and was looking like he was going to stop him IMO.
Like it or not, the Lewis fight is his career defining moment. Maybe he could have made something else of himself if his brother wasn't around, unfortunately for him he is just a belt-holder while his brother is the champion taking on all the best contenders.
Vitali's cut loss against over the hill Lennox is indeed his career defining moment. Shame there hasn't been one HW after Lewis retired who could even come close to give him a mayor challenge to change that, besides his brother.
'safetypin' put up more of a fight in the weigh-in as in the actual bout. But at least he got the guts to get into the ring with him.
how about Lewis retiring the day AFTER Vitali was made his mandatory? not to mention Lewis was trying to sue Tyson into a 2nd fight. Vitali was winning the fight and being cut dosent mean the other guys "stronger" or "better" it just mean vasiline wasn't applied correctly or a bad angle punch. if anything lewis beat him on more so luck then anything and he couldnt and would not have ever been able to repeat the win and he knew this so he retired.
Lewis was shot, passed his best and he knew it so he retired and the fact is Vitali STILL COULDN'T BEAT HIM. He didn't deserve a rematch, he couldn't be an old out of shape half trained Lewis, Lennox was like who is this big bum, i don't even need to train to bust this fool up, go get me a Big mac.
Haha, Vitali Klitschko is a bad man. He will be remembered for the Lewis fight, for scaring Lennox into retirement.
I remember a bloated and trembling morbidly obese Lennox Lewis stepping out his wheel chair, staggering into the ring one weary step at a time, collapsing and having seizure, being helped back to his feet and propped up in his corner. Vitali stormed this helpless old man with everything he had, but Lewis responded with a punch so hard that it caved his face in and knocked his eye out of the socket. The ref was wise to stop it, Vitali would have been killed had the fight been allowed to continue. Shortly after the fight, Lewis died of old age. RIP
What's Lewis career defining moment? Beating a shot Tyson while hugging him 90 times? Rematching a drug addicted McCall where Lennox couldn't knock down a guy who stood in front of him with no guard? Or maybe it was the 24 rounds of bore and hugfest against a steroid abusing ex-cruiserweight Holyfield? The more I think about it the more it becomes obvious that beating Vitali was Lewis' most exciting fight and his best altogether win. Never has Lewis beaten a man who after losing to Lewis went on to be a universally recognized belt holder. Never has Lewis shown more will, heart and determination in a fight.
He was beating him 4 rounds to 2 on all of the judges' cards. The cut, caused by a thumb to the eye, cost him the fight. He definately deserved a rematch. Lewis sat on his title another 8 months after the fight. It's not like he retired immediately. He could have got into shape for a rematch if he thought he could kick Vitali's ass. But he didn't want no more and quit once Vitali was ready to fight again.