Lennox Lewis v. Tim Witherspoon

Part 2 of that interview:

Question: What challenges will Klitschko’s awkward style present to you?

Lewis: It definitely will take some adjusting to adjust to his style. This is what I mean when I say styles make fights, and I believe I can adjust and adapt to what he brings. I am ready for anything.

Question: Do you think Klitschko’s lack of tough competition will affect him in this fight?

Lewis: I think it will affect him. In my mind, he has bit off more than he can chew. He has been asking for this fight for such a long time and here it is. He is going to get it full force.

Question: Being that this fight could have been on pay-per-view if it was made earlier, do you have any resentment toward Klitschko, and will you take it out on him in the ring?

Lewis: There is definitely some resentment. Like I said, he has bitten off more than can chew. He wanted this so much. Like they say, be careful what you wish for. He wished for this fight, and this is what he is going to get.

Question: Were you surprised when Roy Jones, Jr. said he wanted to fight you?

Lewis: I was a bit surprised, but Jones is a remarkable boxer with tremendous talent. He believes he is the best heavyweight on the planet right now. When he went through a little rating system, he put me third, himself first and Holyfield second.
If he wants to be a true heavyweight, forget about Holyfield. Ruiz beat Holyfield and then Jones beat Ruiz easily. Why waste time and go with Holyfield? If he wants to be a true heavyweight, come to me. I am the king.

Question: Emanuel, is there something you see in Klitschko that makes you confident?

Steward: There will be so many things that will be solved with this fight. There are the lawsuits and all the emotions. As soon as the fight with Johnson was over, we would have had to go back into negotiations for the Klitschko fight. It was hard to get excited about the Johnson fight because of all of the problems with Klitschko. Even though Johnson has had a tremendous amount of fights on television, people do not seem to remember him. The interest was not there.

People really want to see Lewis fight Klitschko. It was hard to stay focused on a fight where there was a no-win situation. Now, we have a fight we are excited about because Klitschko is a big guy who said he is going to knock Lewis out. Even though Klitschko may not have the experience of a lot of other fighters, when you get hit on the chin by a 250-pound-man, especially a guy 6’8”, experience does not mean anything. I am more excited about fighting this guy then I was fighting Johnson.

Question: Does the fact that Klitschko will be right in your face add to your confidence?

Lewis: Like I said, Klitschko has not been what I have been through. I am a true professional. I am a seasoned professional, and the fact that I am in great shape adds to that. I know what to do under certain conditions. Once again, Klitschko has not seen a boxer like Lennox Lewis. Who out there can he box against that has my style, my power and my ability?

Question: How important is it that you had a significant layoff before this fight?

Lewis: This fight really came about at the right time. Before the Tyson fight, I had two fights with Hasim Rahman. One I lost in Africa, and then I had a good training camp and busted him over here. I had a good training camp and took care of Tyson. I earned a well-needed rest. After a year layoff, I still came back feeling good, and it felt natural.

Question: Emanuel, by getting this fight over with, does it bring about a fight with Jones Jr. more quickly?

Steward: If Jones stands up to the plate and does what he has indicated, it looks very realistic for Nov. 15. If not, there always is going to be someone out there for Lewis to fight. I think Jones is a very good possibility, but I want to get Klitschko out of the way.

Question: Are either Tyson or Sanders possible opponents for you down the road?

Lewis: (Silence)…. I think you have your answer.

Steward: Tyson does not want to fight, so how can you fight someone that does not want to fight? We have gone to court to force Tyson to fight. Sanders is not really established as a fighter. His only claim to fame is beating (Wladimir) Klitschko. If the public demands it, maybe we will fight Sanders, but right now, Lewis is focused on fighting only top notch, quality opponents. I do not think Sanders is exciting right now.

Question: Has Johnson lost his opportunity to fight you?

Lewis: Yes.

Question: Do you feel Henry Akinwande gave you any preparation for Klitschko?

Lewis: When I boxed him, he taught me how to do the waltz. I do not think people want to watch me learn that dance step.

Question: How you considered fighting Chris Byrd?

Lewis: You cannot put a lion in there with a bird.

Question: Have you ever taken a fight on this short notice?

Lewis: In my younger days, I took fights on this short of notice. I cannot remember which fights. Because I had an extensive amateur career, it happened that opponents showed up at the last minute. I have to go in there and adapt. This is a different situation. I am a great professional now, and I have learned to adapt and do the things to make fights happen.

Question: Emanuel, how do you tailor your sparring partners to prepare for Klitschko?

Steward: We are going to go with what we have. Lewis has natural talent and experience, and is more effective with taller guys than shorter guys. He has been facing class “A” fighters all of his life. Lennox is a class above what Klitschko is used to. Everything has been favoring Lewis. Emotionally, Klitschko is not going to be as confident as Lewis. I think if Lewiscomes out and makes it a tough, physical fight, the fight will not go over five rounds.

Question: Did you learn anything from watching Klitschko in the Byrd fight?

Lewis: Yes, when the tough get going, Klitschko will not be able to take my kind of pressure.

Question: Is Klitschko going to be another bum of the month?

Lewis: No, he is not really a bum of the month. Guys like that are mandatory fights, or guys the public wants me to fight. That is the situation.

Question: What is your opinion of the heavyweight division right now?

Lewis: I could be around for a long time if I choose.

Question: Do you have any fear of looking past this fight?

Lewis: No. I am focused on the fight at hand, just like I was focused on the Johnson fight.

Question: Emanuel, how do you view Klitschko?

Steward: Klitschko is a technical fighter. He has a good jab and fights well for a fighter his size. A lot of guys who are tall bend down to fight, but he stands straight up. He has a good overhand right and is a good fundamental fighter. He is also used to having tall sparring partners, since he sparred with his brother.

Question: How do you feel about fighting in Los Angeles?

Steward: This is a fantastic opportunity. We are excited about it. We have been in Los Angeles on many different occasions and really enjoy it. Being there is different than being in Las Vegas or somewhere else. Celebrities will come out to see the fight, and there is international interest. It is a true heavyweight championship fight and people can come out to see one of the last fights of Lewis’ career.

Question: Both you and Vitali thought you were going to fight in November. Is there a psychological advantage in fighting now for either fighter?

Lewis: I think it is an advantage for me because I am always ready to fight. This came all of a sudden, and he did not expect to fight me.

Question: How much longer would you like to fight?

Lewis: Let me get over this one. I could probably get a Roy Jones fight after this year. Jones said he is a heavyweight. Let him prove it. I think it would be intriguing to the fans and to Jones because he believes he can beat me.

Question: Emanuel, do you think this is going to be a quick fight?

Steward: When Lewis fights physically big guys, who he is threatened by, he is a very aggressive predator. He changes completely like he did against Akinwande, (Andrew) Golota and (Michael) Grant. When Lewis comes out and throwing big punches early, somebody goes down. Lewis is a very accurate puncher, especially for a big man. I do not think Klitschko is a fast enough boxer to dance around the ring, so he is going to have to get involved. I think the fight is going to be over early.

Question: Are you positive Johnson suffered an injury?

Steward: I 100 percent believe Johnson has an injury. Opportunities like this come along very rarely. By him forfeiting this opportunity, he may have forfeited his opportunity to ever fight for the heavyweight championship. I am quite sure he is injured.

 

Who mentioned retirement? I didn't.

As for your pointless posting of an overly-long interview/article (which is essentially a PR piece and does not reflect what was really going on behind the scenes), anyone who knows the actual story, also knows that the June 21st date was originally part of a plan towards a Tyson rematch. That date was supposed to be a Lewis/Tyson double-header.

Tyson pulled out...

..And... Oh... Yeah... Lewis was promoting the event and stood to lose money, if things didn't go according to plan. He had to plough ahead, regardless.

Then Johnson pulled out...

...Rather than lose money, Lewis went on to try and rescue the show.


The Tyson rematch was the only fight Lewis had been interested in. The plan to do so went off the rails, from the outset.

But, all of the above is besides the point, because anyone with eyes can see how far off his prime Lewis was in 2003. Period.

 

Interesting the mindset of Lewis and Steward going into the Klitschko fight, particularly in hindsight.

They seemed to think he was some kind of Michael Grant like hypejob, who Lewis would overwhelm and expose with power and aggression.

Vitali obviously was a completely different proposition, which a solid chin and physical strength to match Lewis.

 

Holyfield looked much worse against Beane than Lewis looked against Tyson. Holyfield was far more removed from his prime when he faced Lewis than Lewis was when he faced Vitali. Anybody who saw Holyfield's fights against Vaugn Beane and his trilogy with John Ruiz would agree with this unless he is completely dumb.

 

Yes, but don't tell that to @Man_Machine because he thinks Lennox Lewis is second coming of Jesus Christ.

 

I wouldn't consider that genuine interest from Lewis. I think he was pretty sure RJJ wasn't up for it and was just calling Jones Jr's bluff.

It worked. Thankfully.

 

Lewis should never have lost to McCall & i can't predict the outcome of this fight based on that one night, it's close & could go either way & while i could definitely see a scenario whereby Witherspoon wins, Lewis was the more consistent performer throughout his career & based on that i feel he beats Witherspoon more often than not, decent fighter though Witherspoon was.

 

Witherspoon IS a better version of Oliver McCall.
But if we compare Peak Vs. Peak (2000 when Grant, Botha, and Tua "crashed") Lennox Lewis wins.
Even if you suggest peaking Witherspoon, Lennox wins two fights out of three.

 

Witherspoon has a dangerous overhand right and has a good defense for parrying jabs not to mention having a good jab himself all those attributes Lewis did have issues with.

Lewis would have to be in top form to beat Tim Witherspoon at his best.

On a side note I thought an old Witherspoon did better against the same version of Mercer who Lewis fought but Witherspoon lost a controversial decision that I thought he clearly won.

It would've been interesting had Witherspoon got the decision and fought Lewis around that time.

 

wooow, interesting match. Seemingly, Lewis is in a higher league, but this is an illusion. Lennox has greater achievements, but his career was also much better managed. Additionally, Tim was uneven, sometimes unprepared, and often the B-side. But if we're talking about the best Tim and the best Lennox, I'm going with Spoon. Lewis had huge problems with players weaker than Tim - Bruno, McCall, Briggs, Mercer. Additionally, the style did not favor Lennox. Philadelphia defense, pressure, overhand right, Chin tells me Tim would knock out Lennox. Nevertheless, concentrated, the best in his career, Lewis would have a good chance for SD, MD with prime Tim but he could also be knocked out

 

How do you not think much of Lewis? He didn't have any truly standout trait, but he had so many good traits that it added up to a standout boxer.

Big guy with a long reach? Meh, there were others too.
Hard hitter? Meh, there were others too.
Solid fundamentals and skils? Meh, there were others too.
Able to stay in shape? Meh, there were others too.
Mentally stable? Meh, there were others too.
Avoids self-destructive habits? Meh, there were others too.

Yeah but all of that in one dude? That's not meh.

 

Witherspoon would win like 4 rounds. I think Tuckers better than Tim but Tim would do better against Lewis then Tucker did if that makes sense?


These hypotheticals really reinforce how narrowly removed from the top Witherspoon was and how few chances he got to prove it.

 

I tend to be on the side of the more consistent guy than the guy who runs hot and cold. But god help a guy with a questionable chin and susceptibility to overhand rights, who has had issues with awkward and pressure, going up against the very best version of Witherspoon.

 

Tucker was not in his prime against Lewis to be fair he was 35 years old and his best days were in the 80s.

Still a good win for Lewis though.

 

If Witherspoon fought Lennox realistically the same would be true. It'd be sometime in the early 90s.