Lennox vs Vitali, explain or just vote

I voted for the result is all that matters Lennox won, but yes he would have KO'ed Vitali if the fight would have been continued.

 

DURING the th round it was vitali who looked out on his feet, holding onto lewis`s waist to stay up, coming out of a clinch in the cornerat the end unable to punch back or raise his hands to defend himself. DURING the round Lewis was punching, right up to and on te bell, vitali was standing with a glazed over "where am i" kind of look! But hey, your more interested in what happened after the round ended! What about the slow weaving path taken by vitali to his corner after the bell then! You call the doctor stupid for saving the guys eye!
When did Lewis "promise" a rematch, he didnt! That came out of vitali`s bad english translation of lewis`s words of, "no problem" as vitali punched his arm screaming rematch in german then eventually english. He didnt even know where he was or what language Lewis speaks, what does that tell u about his condition.

 

It's difficult to say how this would have ended.
Lewis claims he was going for the knockout - which I can believe - and by the 6th Vitali was still there fighting, even after taking a monster uppercut in the 6th.

Who would have won depends on who had the superior conditioning in the fight after that point. I don't think this fight would have lasted the distance - someone would have gone down and stayed down before too long.

I just can't figure out who it would have been. Incidentally, I voted for option #4. You have to give Klitschko credit for giving Lewis a good, hard fight.

 

At this point in time, sadly I've become bored of it.
It used to be a favourite but there's been so many wars about it here it's totally turned me off to it...I just can't enjoy it any more.

 

Why do people think this fight was controversial ?

Vitali's cuts were very bad by the standards employed by modern boxing referees. Therefore the stoppage was legit, to be expected, nothing out of the ordinary.

This was 2003, not 1920.
In the 21st century fights tend to get stopped when one of the guys has facial injuries like he got chewed up by a Doberman.
I dont see the controversy.

Lennox Lewis should have retired a long time earlier, so I dont understand the resentment of him retiring. He may not have giving the rematch he promised but he RETIRED and VACATED the championship, giving every other fighter a chance to be champion. I'm no big fan of Lennox Lewis but I respect his human right to quit boxing. In fact I respect him more for actually genuinely retiring, it wasn't an empty statement.

Vitali's biggest supporters need to come to terms with the fact that he couldn't beat a rusty overweight and rapidly aging champion on that night. He lost fair and square.
I think Lewis knew that a 2nd win over Vitali would NOT have added much value to his legacy and reputation. No one thought that much of Vitali before he fought Lewis and no one would have thought much of him if Lewis beat him twice.
Lewis was in a lose-lose situation, only Vitali had the real status to gain from a rematch, losing the first one had done him more good that winning had done for Lewis !
Lewis's retirement was a wise move, esp. when you consider the fact that he was clearly sliding and probably wouldn't be more than 50-50 to win the rematch.

Lewis quit while he was still on top and not many boxers do. Smart move, Lennox.

 

I'm a fan of both fighters.

Lennox won and that's all that matters in THAT fight.

But he did retire Lennox who, IMO, would PROBABLY have lost the rematch. He was at the very end of his prime and he probably felt he could not repeat the win, so why risk his legacy, for any money.

That said, prime Lewis beats prime Vitali. Lewis is a top five alltime and Vitali isn't.

 

Both guys looked ****ed, so its hard to predict how the fight would have gone. If the fight had continued though, Vitali would have been seriously hindered by those cuts so he would have probably been KO'd.

But it will always say Lennox TKO6 Vitali, regardless.

 

lewis was dead tired after the 6th, vitali didn't realise it because he was pumped with adrenalin. vitali was motivated like never before, not sure that can be said about lennox. impossible to guess how the fight would have ended, but that's a rhetorical question since vitali's injurie was too bad to continue.
interesting how some people bring that discussion again after watching PARTS oft the fight on youtube and not knowing half of the facts. for example that vitali's first cut was caused by the stitch of lennox' inside glove. if you're really interested in a fight, download it and watch it fullscreen.

 

Lewis would have won anyway (either by KO or TKO) within the next couple of rounds, has the doc not stepped in. Vitali was badly shaken up. :yep

 

For four cuts to open nullifies your allegation the inside doing all the damage - that eye, nose and mouth on the left side got hit and cut repeatedly. That's a difference in ability - not a difference in equipment.

BTW both boxers gloves are inspected numerous times. The glove's stitch must have grown a protrusion that even Vitali never saw or complained about.

 

Yep - another two by my reckoning. That cut would have leaking meat by that time - Lewis would have been damm knackered but known for sure they were his last two rounds. And that he had just ended VK's career. Let that go two more rounds and he would never be the same again.

 

Vitali showed great heart and yes had Lennox hurt but in hurting Lennox he left himself open for punishing shots that may not have hurt his chin but the blood and cuts were very bad to say the least. Even if the fight had gone on eventually the cuts would have gotten even worse and in that possibility there could have been Vitali leaving on a stretcher it is the doctors job to prevent injury and he was un-questionably at risk of severe injury when the fight stopped. I understand the frustration of not seeing the re-match in what would have obviously been a great fight again but boxers do not have to subject themselves to these wars. We have to respect these guys for the times they do get into that ring and not crusify them for the times they dont. Lennox Lewis went out on top something most guys never do and I applaude him for that. Too many times you have to see guys get hurt and go out on losses but he avoided that. Lewis was the greatest of his era imo and gets my respect.