What was the line come bell time for Lennox/Vitali?

I haven't seen this fight in ages but I don't recall Atlas saying anything at that fight. I thought it was lampley who said that.

Nor do I think that Lewis was ready to fold. He had about 100 pro and amateur fights under his belt and I can't imagine he's simply collapse in exhaustion on his last fight. This to me is almost a myth as both fighters were about equally tired, either that or Vitali was very hurt since it was he who was drapped all over Lewis near the end of round 6, not the other way around. In fact Lewis was deperately trying to get space from Vitali near the end of the round, in an attempt to finish him off.

Don't know the betting line, but I suspect Lewis would have been a fairly heavy favourite. But if I recall correctly, Tyson was a betting favourite going into his fight with Lewis too, so that doesn't mean all that much.

 

Well Vitali was brought in at e few weeks notice right so that measn lewis was probably the heavy favourite

 

Well they both received the same amount of notice because they were scheduled to fight different fighters. Lewis was suppose to fight Kirk (I'm a whale) Johnson, but he was injured.

 

I've had long discussions on this very issue. The conclussion is that this must have been some kind of an act and/or over reaction on his part, because the corner would have made it crystal clear to Vitali, through each and every round after the third, that the fight could be stopped at any moment. So undoubtedly he would have been told to go out there and KO Lewis, because the fight could end at any time. There's no way he wasn't made aware of how bad the cut was. He simply wasn't able to get the job done. No shame in that, he fought a good fight against an over the hill ATG.

 

I am of the opinion that, if cuts never ended a fight, Lewis was at best going to lose the fight by clear unanimous decision. No one can deny the 58-56 scorecards for Vitali, with the rounds being very decisive.

 

I'd argue that at that point in the fight, the momentum was with Lewis who had decisively won the 6th round and was timing his right well. Vitali could have roared back but I feel Lewis was starting to get the better of him and judging from the amount of holding vitali was doing in the 6th, might have stopped him in the next few rounds. On other hand lennox might have gassed completely and been stopped himself. If he didn't gas though, I think the fight was swinging lewis's way IMHO :good

 

While a decision isn't out of the question, I very much doubt that this fight was ever going to go to the cards. And as far as a decision goes, it's hard to say, Lewis won the last round on all 3 cards, so he clearly was starting to take over the fight. Whether or not he would have gassed, or Vitali would have withstood the punishment and started delivering his own power punches, is all speculation. As for the cuts, that's even something else that can be speculated on because Vitali had at least 3 cuts, one above the eye, one below the same eye, and his lip was split open, as as such he was swallowing blood, so any of those factors could also have played into a stoppage later in the fight.

 

Not all of the rounds were that decisive. While each judge had the fight 4 rounds to two, they differed on who got what rounds.

 

I believe that Lennox closed a tick under -250. Also, Lennox opened that cut with a punch. It required plastic surgery repair. Textbook stoppage.

Lennox hit Vitali with one of the best uppercuts I've ever seen in that fight. Lennox won the fight early, but would have won anyways.

 

He actually handled the news that they were stoppiong the fight very well until some dude went and whispered something in his ear and then he jumped up and started screaming. Presumably his promoter or someone linked to him.

 

Lewis was coming into the fight more and more.. the fight was turning in his favour anyway so even if the stoppage didnt come, he would have soon taken over on the scorecards with out a doubt in my mind.

 

Vitali would've been a huge underdog. He was seen as a just a big dopey robot back then.

 

Lennox Lewis Tko6 Vitali.