Lester Ellis vs Barry Michael will go ahead!

Newspaper reports have the Lester Ellis vs Barry Michael rematch a goer provided they pass medicals.

But the question is - Does anybody really care??

(That's from someone who attended the first one at the House of Stoush, all those years ago)

 

Amelia Harris
July 26, 2008 12:00am – Melbourne Herald Sun (Amelia Harris)

LESTER Ellis has been a boxer for more than half his life, but his biggest fight is just months away. Ellis, 43, will fight Barry Michael, 53, on December 6. The pair last fought at Festival Hall in 1985 when Michael walked away the winner.

"It's a fight I've always wanted and I've got it," Ellis said. "It's the biggest fight of my career." Ellis said a win against Michael "would mean that my boxing career wasn't a complete waste of time".

"When we fought ... I was a boy, he was a man. Now I'm a man, he's an old man. I believe I can hurt Barry this time. I want to get that revenge back. I'd be content."

The pair could earn $1 million each from the 10-round fight, which will be held at Hisense Arena.

Doctors must give the pair a medical clearance for the fight to go ahead.
Ellis, who has battled alcohol abuse and depression, has consulted doctors and is set to meet a psychiatrist. He said he was "100 per cent" mentally.

"I've been down on me luck before," he said.

"I've moved on. This chance has come and I'm rapt."

Michael said he wanted to be an example to older people. "The majority of 53-year-olds are walking around fat and slothly.

"I'm in a gym three nights a week at least. I just want to show middle-aged people that we can still do this. It will be a good fight and it will be fair dinkum."

 

Now it's FENECH to take on winner of ELLIS vs MICHAEL!!


According to Lester Ellis (former IBF JLW champion):

Jeff Fenech would have beaten Barry Michael if they met in their primes according to former world champ Lester Ellis.

He tells World of Boxing: Barry was not a hard puncher and would not have had the power to hold Jeff off for 15 rounds. Jeff would have been too busy and out-worked Barry.

Lester’s prediction comes as the magazine canvassed 15 of Australia’s top boxing experts for their predictions. nd while Lester, who lost to Barry in their 1985 world title fight, reckons Fenech would have emerged triumphant, Barry gained plenty of support from other experts.

For the full story get the August issue of Ray Wheatley’s World of Boxing in newsagents this week.

Ellis and Michael are negotiating a deal for a one-off fight 24 years after they first traded blows. The bout could earn each boxer as much as $1 million.
But the fight will only go ahead if doctors give the boxers a clean bill of health.

At the insistence of boxing authorities, Ellis will also have to submit to a psychiatric test - Anybody who is in their mid-40s will have to undergo a rigorous medical process. Lester hasn't been ruled out at this stage - said Peter Lewis, Ellis's doctor. There are worse things in life for him than boxing. But I'm more concerned for his and Barry's hearts, more so than their brains, with a greater risk of heart attack with their ages.

Ellis has been waiting a long time for a rematch, with Michael winning the first bout between the pair at Festival Hall in 1986 in a controversial decision.

It's taken 24 years for Barry to find the courage to get back in the ring with me - Ellis said. I would like the opportunity to show Australian boxing that the one gift God gave me is boxing, and I want to prove to myself and the world I can beat him.

Barry counterpunched with - I have great admiration for Lester, but I really want to fight (Jeff) Fenech. I think fighting Lester will be harder than fighting Fenech.

Fenech, who beat Azumah Nelson for the third time in a controversial bout at the Vodafone Arena in Melbourne last month, is earmarked to take on the winner.