Too many fighters don't know when to call it a day and they get **** for it. Lennox gets out at the right time and still gets **** for it. I think he got out of the game at exactly the right time. He was clearly not in top form regardless of who he was originally going to be facing, that alone shows a lack of motivation.
lets see..... 1) controversial end of the fight 2) lewis looked like **** 3) wasnt a clean win 4) vitali was going after him after the fight was over saying lets do it again 5) lewis indeed looked like **** in most of fight and was heavy 6) ton of money for a rematch 7) sat around for nearly a year before declining the fight was Lewis winning and on way to a legit TKO where he drops the guy? probably...a win is a win...Lewis won, make no mistake, vitalis face was ripped apart.....but it was sloppy, and just not a good clear win...which in most cases points to a rematch because both guys had something to prove. if anything it would have shut up all the people who question him not taking a rematch because he would have been KOd for the 3rd time in his career. but lewis is smart...he got away with one and while winning, can always spew the bull**** that there was nothing left to prove...because EVERYONE on the planet wanted to see this rematch...especially HBO
Even though you are an idiot because of your Solis-Klitschko post fight comments, your post here is spot on. It would have required too much of Lennox's health to come back and fight a prime Vitali.
I'm not the only one who thinks that punch didn't do ****. It is called "difference of opinion," get over it. Like I said, I do not even like Solis, think he is a fat piece of ****, but that punch didn't do any significant damage. Vitali's reaction says it all. He thought the guy took a dive because he knew the punch barely landed. But please, let's not bring it up again... everybody has their opinion and nobody is going to change it no matter how much we talk about it.
Athletes can retire whenever they want, I'll always support them. However, when it comes to boxing and its' fans their legacy is purely subjective, rapidly debated, everything hypothetical... lets just say the Vitali win takes away from the legacy whereas victory of any kind in a re-match would tremendously enhance his legacy. Lewis would be in EVERYONE's top 10 heavies.
Maybe because he didn't need the money, and had already securred his legacy and knew his skills were declining, and both his girlfriend and mother wanted him to retire and because he had nothing left to prove. Enough reasons for you?
Lennox won the fight, but if he was really that confident, he should have granted Vitali the rematch like he said he would. The thing I will always remember regarding a possible rematch fight was that Manny Steward publicly told Lennox he would not train him for a rematch with Vitali because he wanted no part of it. What does that tell you?
This post is the difference between a boxing fan and a klitschko fan. Most Klitschko fans couldn't give a **** about the health of any boxer..even their own..otherwise they'd know that stopping that fight when they did was the right decision from a health perspective. And make no mistake, it's Vitali's health that need preserving.
Were you even around just after the Vitali - Lewis fight? It was more talked of than PBF - Pac. Lewis - Vitali II was the biggest matter on this forum, ever. Lewis promised him a rematch, didn't grant him one and instead held the title for many months before retiring, it was a slap in the face to everyone. EVERYONE wanted a rematch.
Lewis won the fight - the cuts were a result of his punches. He was behind on points but was taking control and beginning to win rounds (I admit the damage to Vitali's face was a big factor in that) He had no way of knowing Vitali (and his brother) would go on to dominate the division for years to come. I think if Lewis had known the Klitschko's would dominate like they have he would have taken the rematch, because I think he would have won (again) even at the tail end of his career. At the time it looked like a good decision to retire on Lewis's part. He left as champion He'd beaten the best in his era - a far better era than the current one. He had lost the taste for training and getting into shape At the time another victory over (the then largely unknown) Vitali did not mean a lot for his legacy (a legacy that continues to grow) He has appeared to have finished without any lasting damage to his health Vitali dominance is the only thing that brings the decision into question and that dominance could not be predicted and has come in a decidedly dodgy era (for many reasons) - proof of which is no unification. He had to retire at some point and there was always going to be an up and coming fighter that people would claim Lewis was a ducking by retiring - had he taken the rematch and won you would probably be claiming he ducked Wlad instead. I think it was and still remains the correct decision.
:rofl:rofl:rofl Thanks for making me laugh. He waited until the best fighters were shot, and then fought them when they were fat and/or addicted to cocaine (see Tyson, Tucker, Tua). He never fought Wlad, because he knew he would get knocked out.