"All of Lewis language was vague." "I've build a legacy, why put it all at risk in a rematch?" is as clear as day. "He was weighing up his options." The plan was to fight Vitali, Tyson 2 and Wlad at the end of 2003. There were also plans to fight Jones in 2004. The risk-reward calculation went against continuing after his controversial life and death win against Vitali. "How you go from that to him being “retired” after a fight that he won" It's possible to draw or win a fight and die in the aftermath. It's even easier to win a fight controversially and be discouraged from continuing by the experience.
Fearless? The rematch was penciled in for Dec 03 until your guy cried off and went into hiding. He went 'right back' at Rahman because he had a rematch clause. Not sure what is so brave about that. He quit with unfinished business and has dined out on a cut since. Lewis agreed to fight VK only as a late replacement for Kirk Johnson. You claim he wasn't in shape but he'd had a full camp for Johnson. VK had two weeks to get himself ready. Not sure 32 y/o Vitali was prime. I'd put his prime a couple years earlier before the knee and shoulder issues, 98-00, was more an arm puncher after that and during the comeback years 08-12.
Yes I was speculating......do you admit all your talk about what was in Lewis' head when he decided to retire is also speculation? Lewis rematched both Rahman & McCall in timely fashion - that was a weak attempt man you're really reaching. Vitali was prime. How he was regarded has nothing to do with it. Man, you guys must either dislike Lewis, or you're the biggest Vitali fans in the world. Everything you're saying is biased assumption. Again, there is zero proof for what is being said, it's just opinion - can you at least admit that?
You're really sounding desperate here - ok, so the McCall rematch wasn't immediate, so what? Now you're insinuating Lewis was scared of McCall? Insanity. You guys just aren't being reasonable at all.
Theargument for Vitali is one based on white supremacy. Vitali didn't do anything special before the Lewis fight, during that fight or after it. Could have, would have, should have and didn't.
"do you admit all your talk about what was in Lewis' head when he decided to retire is also speculation?" No, he told us why. He didn't want to risk his legacy in a rematch, having been up for fighting at least three more times prior to the fight with Vitali. "in timely fashion" So didn't jump "right back in" with crackhead McCall as you claimed. Like Wlad with Brewster, it came after McCall had lost the title and Lewis had been given several rehabilitation fights. "Vitali was prime" "Prime" is a highly subjective concept. I don't think a contender who'd never been in a war and was a rare B-side, has the advantage over a 5/1 favourite A-side champion coming off a strong performance. What isn't subjective is that Lewis won an objectively controversial fight and retired after rather than rematch, with mega money on the line and massive interest. "or you're the biggest Vitali fans in the world" Read the first post in this thread.
There was no talk of retirement prior to the fight, only talk of 3+ more fights. He won the fight controversially (when a fighter is stopped against their will while they're still fighting and ahead on points it's always controversial) and retired, with huge money on the table and massive public demand. If it were easy work then there would have been no retirement.
Judging other people's motives is something impossible to do. If you however look at how badly whooped Vitali got then it wouldn't have been humane at all for Lennox to step into the ring with him again. Skipping the Vitali rematch was also the best thing for boxing. You have to be putting in work for the race to see Vitali as ahead on points at the time of the stoppage. Vitali was done at the time of the stoppage, an easy ko waiting to happen in the next 2 rounds. And all bloody. Huge money on the table.... if you have your 100 million dollars, is the next 50 million dollars really going to change anything? You are looking at this from the perspective of a poor man. Fact is that when you have enough then you don't really care. You can't be working this white supremacy angle and saying retirement this and that without addressing the fact that your hero Vitali ducked Tyson Fury and chose to have his retirement fight against Manuel Charr instead.... maybe Manuel also retired Vitali the same way that Vitali is alleged to have retired Lewis?
Vitali was on the same bill as Lennox & Kirk , I cannot remember who it was he was scheduled to meet but the idea was for the two winners to meet. Kirk pulled out. To say Vitali had only 2 weeks to prepare for Lennox I asinine. What other champ put his world titles on the line against his #1 contender with just two weeks notice ???.... I'll wait. Lennox was barely 80 %
The name you are looking for is Cedric Boswell, maybe a C class guy of the era, was stopped by McCline in next outing. Not sure Vitali would have had much of a serious camp on that guy but you obviously think he did. Yes, they were scheduled to meet in Dec if Lewis looked after Johnson. The same date was supposed to be the rematch date but one party cried off and ran away. Later demanded Vitali fight Johnson and cried off again after Vitali demolished him. Maybe Lewis was down to 70% by then, eh? A definite 100% PAB.
Vitali Klitschko and Lennox Lewis are two legends of the Heavyweight Division. Anyone who thinks otherwise should buy the Joshua v Whyte Box Office