There is absolutely no doubt in my mind Lewis would have gottem KO'd in the 7th

Lewis TKO6 Vitali

 

Lunny says Lewis TKO6 Vitali

:rasta

 

Boxrec says Lewis TKO6 Vitali

 

Lunny says boxrec says Lewis TKO6 Vitali

:deal

 

:dealThis

 

:dealThis

 

get over it......... Vitali is lucky he went on to fight another day/ lewis busted that fukin so badly that he needed plastic surgery/.......

 

VITALI DIDNT LIKE THOSE BODY SHOTS MUCH.....IMAGINE WHAT A PRIME TYSON WOULDA DONE TO THE ELDER KLIT BROS.:scaredas:

 

Tyson by murder

 

what this guy said

 

robbed of victory............. Did u see that ripped up face?????....... Robbed ???? Hes lucky to have the fight stopped ...he may have never fought again if they did not stop it.....:---(

 

his one hand was free and he used it like the true champ he was.................

 

Vitali preferred it keep going... ripped face is a risk you take in the sport of boxing... just like death.

 

You finally figured out the fight I was talking about. I knew you could do it if you Googled enough! As I mentioned, there were 2 reasons Lewis was exhausted in Rahman I:

1. Didn't train hard for the fight
2. Didn't take the time to adjust to the altitude of Johannesburg (5,700 ft; 1753m)

Both of these things, I believe, were tied to Lewis' goofing around and making a scene in the film "Ocean's Eleven" (with Wlad, by the way) when he should have been training for Rahman. That is, he didn't take Rahman or the fight seriously.

He was tired as hell, and got stopped.

Fast forward to the Vitali fight.

Out-of-shape Lewis didn't take "Quitter" Vitali seriously (though, to be fair, "Vitali" was supposed to be Kirk Johnson). Lewis may or may not have had a broken nose he suffered during the bout, which may have been further tiring him out. At least one expert at the fight (think it was Kellerman, but others communicated similar things) said Lewis plopped down on his stool after the 6th and was essentially done.

When Lewis gets tired, as Rahman showed, he is susceptible to being KO'd. He was getting mauled against Vitali, controlled and walked around the ring. He was fading. He was exhausted.

Compare Lewis' physical state in the fight and Lewis' history with that of Vitali, who has never seriously tired in any fight of his career. And he's never been knocked down in his career. He was ahead on the cards, and massively out-throwing a tiring Lewis in the bout.

You put all these things together, there is one conclusion: Lewis was going to be beaten, likely by KO/TKO. Probably within 1-2 rounds as he was physically spent as the 6th ended. His uppercut assault was like an alligator's death roll: Looks great but is a sign the end is near for the 'gator. That was a fading Lewis' last shot, and it didn't phase Vitali in the least. Vitali was soon thereafter walking Lewis around the ring in a clear demonstration of superior strength and energy at that point in the fight.

To further clarify: Lewis wasn't throwing and landing enough punches to continually win rounds (which is why he trailed on the cards; I would suggest going and examining the punchstats from the bout), and he was not going to KO/TKO a man who had never even been off of his feet and who had almost never been hurt in his career. Thus, Lewis had to get a TKO win as he did; that was his only chance at winning against Vitali.

One of Lewis' old professional foes came on here in the past and told me my take on Vitali-Lewis was spot-on. I'll take his word on that over yours and Van-whatever-his-name-is (you guys the same account?).

Larry Merchant understood what happened in the fight, which led to his classic post-fight interview with Lewis. Merchant knew, and Lewis knew Merchant knew. And Lewis knew the world had seen the truth, too. And he felt predictably punked-out in the Merchant interview with his escape via the "cut lottery."

The logic all points in one way, and that is not in Lewis' favor. He won the fight the only way he could have, which he almost certainly understood while the fight was going on would be his best or only chance to win. That is likely why he was rubbing his dreadlocks in the cut after he caused the cut. He could not compete, straight-up, with Vitali. Lewis retired early from boxing after the Vitali fight. That's not me saying that, this is based on what Lewis had said were his own plans for continuing his career before the Vitali fight.

Writing was, and is, on the wall. Most of us can read it. If you can't, that's ok. If it takes you a little longer to read it -- like it took you a bit longer to figure out the Rahman fight I was referencing previously -- that's ok. Just don't expect the rest of the possibly-more-boxing-educated forum to take you or what you say seriously.

I gotta run. Work calls. It was fun, even if I feel a bit bad for taking you down so easily. I usually am pretty tolerant, but sometimes my ability to suffer fools is low. Today was one such day.

 

The route wasn't lewis or sanders. Lewis took the choice away by retiring.

I'm saying the fact that lewis retired and vitali went on to stop the highest rated active heavyweight to become the next big champion, is far better than had he achieved it by fighting an old battleworn legend.

History might remember a victory over a legend better, but as a fan you should appreciate it is better to clear out the current competition. Which is why lewis gets so much credit.