So what is the OFFICIAL reason that Lennox Lewis decided to retire instead of Rematching Vitali?

He said he didn't want to fight anymore.

And he never did.

Simple as that.

 

He didn't owe anyone anything. Would be different if he kept fighting others.

Wish Roy Jones had called it after Tarver I. Same thing.

 

Lennox Lewis ... in basically every interview he's had for the last 20 years on why he retired.

Lennox Lewis is the source.

 

TKO 6

Every morning eating weetabix

Mr Lenny Smalls

 

This seems like such a basic question. He was almost 38 years old. He'd had 44 fights in 14 years including 18 world title fights. He was not in good shape for the Klitschko fight as Lampley, Foreman and Merchant mentioned numerous times during the bout. He could tell he no longer had the desire so he did the smart thing and retired. I wish more fighters would do that.

 

Retired healthy, wealthy and wise, retired on his own terms, oh if only more great boxers followed that example.

 

I remember the feeling (media reporting) vividly at the time. Lewis was under no pressure whatsoever to rematch Klitschko. He obviously retired because he wasn't sure he could beat Klitschko in a rematch. I think Klitschko was discriminated against by the media at the time. Lewis only fought Vitali in the first place because Johnson pulled out of the fight. Lewis didn't want it.

 

As a fan, I always preferred Tysons attitude "you win the title in the ring you lose the title in the ring". I'm not criticising Lewis or your post. I think Lewis retiring when he did actually enhanced his status but just my personal preference as a fan. Fighters have their safety and well being at stake, so retirement in Lewis situation was probably the correct call.

 

I understand what you're saying. Certainly, as a fan, I like when the fighter loses the title in the ring. It makes everything nice and clean and obvious. When a guy retires we end up with one of the boxing organizations just declaring that two guys of their choosing will be fighting for the vacant title. Rarely is that a satisfying outcome.

 

Eaxactly mate.

 

You are right though, Lewis made the right call. He had nothing to gain by fighting Klitschko in a rematch and like I said, there was very little push back for a rematch by the media at the time. It would have been interesting if it was a young american heavyweight who had given Lewis a scare and not Vitali. I reckon Lewis would have been pressured and compensated into a rematch. Just personally, it annoyed me at the time that there was no rematch.