The sign of a shot fighter? I've watched the fight a few times recently and the one thing which always stands out, is how poor Lewis' footwork was. At times, he was literally stumbling over himself and he seemed to have none of the balance he had in his prime. The sign of a boxer being "shot" is typically his legs going and I think, for most of the fight against Vitali, his legs just weren't there. Later on in the fight, when his stamina was depleted, he seemed to plod along which made his footwork a little bit better but, in the early rounds, his legs didn't look to be there. He had no spring in his step, he was slow on his feet and he had no balance, meaning the shots he did land, weren't as powerful as they once were in his prime. In fact, look at Lewis' best punch of the night: This content is protected His footwork for that shot is poor. He was falling backwards and only had one foot down when he landed the shot. After it landed, he stumbled backwards. Compare it to the uppercut Lewis landed against Tyson: This content is protected Obviously you can't see his legs but if you've seen the fight, you know what I mean. His legs are planted and the power comes from his feet. That wasn't possible against Vitali. Obviously it's a left uppercut but the basic point is simple. Was Lewis shot? I don't know. I think he was in very poor condition and his legs certainly betrayed him for 4 or 5 rounds. Whether he got beyond that, I'm not sure. I think it's beyond question though, that he was close to being a shot fighter. The evidence is clear to see.
he threw that uppercut at vitali backing up thats why he was off balance and its also alot easier to plant your feet again an old tyson thats standing in front of u when your that much bigger then a charging giant ukrainian
I noticed a similar thing when Bowe fought Golota. Whilst Bowe never had brilliant footwork he looked like he was wading through mud even as early as the first round. For me, he wasn't the same fighter that destroyed Rahman, but I have to admit that Vitali may have had something to do with it.
Lewis was most vulnerable when he believed he was going to have an easy night and the opponent had other plans. His footwork didn't look good in the first macth with Rahman and against Mercer either. Vitali surprised Lennox and hurt him badly in the second round, that most likely had a lot to with his poor footwork.
You ****ing hate the Klitschkos with a passion yet 80% of your post history deals with 'em. Why not concentrate on your favourite fighters then instead of badmouthing the Klits in virtually every post you contribute?
I get what your saying but its commen knowledge lewis was in terrible shape and past his best. Still got to credit vitali for taking that shot it was monstorous and the noise of it landing said it all. I think the lewis-vitali threads have all been done now and all they seem to do is breed annymosity :-( Lets just say it was a great scrap, lewis wasn't at his best but he bit hard on his gum sheild and ground out a victory. Vitali never quit considering the hideous damage to his face and shipping some massive shots he kept going. I actualy think this fight is credit to 2 battle hardened warriors and at the time the 2 stand out men in the division. Also both men should get a pat on the back for making the fight at 2 weeks notice when both scheduled to fight far inferiour opponents. Yes a rematch would of been nice but no matter what anyone says lewis was past it and he knew it. So what lennox retired with a fantastic resume and vitali even with a 4 year lay off is still a champ today. His resume may be weak but who is he supposed to fight :think hopefully haye-vitali for a swansong i don't know but im fed up with the constant **** about a fight from the start of the previous decade. Lewis is one of my fav fighters but i also respect klitschko its just a shame we have a **** division where he has to face the shell of shannon briggs. Come on maybe its time to stop the hate :good
Cheers bud it was the last legit recognised undisputed, lineal title fight we had and what a fight. :good