Winding The Clock Back To 1995
With Lennox Lewis
By Chris Curry
04.01
- Lennox Lewis has been a force in Heavyweight Boxing
from the days of the 1988 Olympic games. Lennox
on his third reign as Heavyweight Champion is now
looking for the final pieces of his Boxing puzzle,
with Mike Tyson the largest. We're not going to
dwell on what might happen between Lewis and Tyson
for now, but instead we're going through the time
tunnel of Boxing, winding the clock back to 1995.
Lennox Lewis was on the comeback
trail for the first time, his fourth defence of
his WBC Championship on September 24th 1994, ended
in disaster. Oliver McCall relieved him of his crown,
with a smashing second round knock out. Emmanuel
Steward was the mastermind behind McCall's savage
right hand attack and Lennox then employed the service's
of the man who plotted his fate.
May 13th 1995, Lennox was back in
the ring. This time Emmanuel Steward was in his
corner, the new team was in place. Lennox finished
Lionell Butler with a fifth round KO. Two months
later, Lewis was in Dublin, Ireland to fight the
stocky Australian, Justin Fortune. With Mike Tyson's
return to the Heavyweight scene, Lewis had to win
to cement his claims for another shot at the richest
prize in boxing, The Heavyweight Championship of
the World. Justin's "Fortune" went down
under when the Australian swung for the jackpot
with a booming overhand right. Lennox uncorked three
lethal right uppercuts sending him crashing across
the ring for the finish.
Three months later, October 7th
and Lennox Lewis was back in America to face the
star of Rocky Five. Lewis had to impress. The Americans
never accepted him as a rightful owner of the Heavyweight
title and Lennox was left to prove he could regain
the Championship. The man who wanted to abort his
mission, was former WBO Heavyweight Champion, Tommy
Morrison. He wanted what Lewis wanted, the chance
to fight for the title.
The Venue was Atlantic City in front
of a hostile crowd where Morrison had massive support.
The two former Champions of the WBC and WBO met
in the centre of the ring, Mills Lane ripped out
"Lets get it on!" the contest was ready
to launch. The bell rang and Lewis's dangerous,
high risk assignment was off. Round one, Morrison
is crouched low, his hands high. Lennox stands tall
pawing his lead jab. Lewis throws a jab, turned
left hook, back to the jab, Tommy deflects off the
gloves. The two circle the ring. Lennox throws his
first right hand with Morrison quick to defend.
Lennox is feinting his shots and Morrison ducks
a left. Lewis backs Tommy to the ropes, Morrison
then comes forward with three fast jabs, ripping
no more than the air, tapping only with the last.
Lewis opens with a cracking left hook and fast right
as the two former title holders take centre ring.
Morrison bounces it off and Lennox circles his prey
and try's it again. Half way through the round and
Lewis tees off with a one, two, Morrison hunts after
him, lines up with a light jab and ichnites a rocketing
right. The two trade jabs, then take a look at one
another. Morrison try's a left hook, right uppercut,
Lennox covers up and fires back a stiff jab and
hard right, hitting the gloves again. He succeeds
when Tommy drops his right hand and is made pay
with a razor sharp left. The round ends with Morrison
launching himself at Lewis with a right, Lennox
moves and fires a left, right, then leans on Tommy
bringing him to the floor.
With some fast trades in round two,
Morrison backs Lennox to the ropes. He then lets
loose at around 1 min 10 in the round to body and
head, right and lefts, bringing the right from body
to head with high velocity. Lennox leans back, while
doing so cracks Morrison with a beautiful left hook
dropping him to his knees. Tommy is up, Mills Lane
is counting. Lennox is landing with excellence,
nearly at will and shakes him with a fast right.
Morrison throws more jabs and the round ends with
an exchange, then clinch. Lennox throws a right
uppercut and the two are split. Bell rings, end
of round.
Round four, Tommy throws jabs in
two's and three's, Lennox throws a thrilling left
uppercut, straight right and left uppercut with
dazzling speed. Lewis backs Tommy to a corner piercing
at him and using his size to position him, keeping
him trapped. Morrison circles out, holds out a jab
and
Lennox seizes the opening landing a commanding double
jab. Morrison keeps pressing forward, tucked low
down and backs Lewis to the corner. Lennox pays
for keeping his hands low as Tommy sends the crowd
cheering with a smashing right hand, his best so
far. Lennox moves after him and throws back and
Tommy opens up into another flurry to body and head.
Lennox extends out a right and they both trade lead
hands. Tommy is trying to slip the jab with lateral
movement but is still
getting caught. Lewis opens the fight up again with
a hurtful left uppercut and straight rights, Tommy
try's for the open body with a left hook, but miss's.
Lennox is fast back and hits home a left hook to
the head. Emmanuel Steward is sharpening Lennox
Lewis up with some fine tuning, Lewis is showing
it during this fight with impressive hand speed.The
round ends with Lennox very confident, dropping
his hands and shaking at Tommy. Morrison responds,
launching with a right hand and goes after him landing
just before the bell. Lewis is enjoying it,looking
very arrogant and won the round again.
Morrison is looking banged up and
in distress entering round six. Lennox is putting
on a impressive display and the warrior within Tommy
Morrison keeps coming. Tommy is off with quick jabs
in flows, Lennox is off with jabs to line up his
firing right and stings in a big left hook. These
are sickening punches and have got to be hurting
Morrison. Both trade again with Lewis fast to avoid
a over hand right. Lewis moves to centre ring and
explodes with grit on his face with a left hook,
right, left uppercut, clearly hurting Tommy. Morrison
try's again, but is jolted back with a left and
dropped with a right. Another knock down and Lennox
wants it over. Tommy's eyes are closing and Lewis
is jolting his arms down, showboating, jerking forward
at his beaten fighter. Then Lewis rocks Tommy's
head back two and three times with fast, hard jabs
and brings in a right uppercut, Tommy is finding
it hard to see in the storm Lennox is bringing to
the ring. In a clinch Morrison is hurt by a hard
left jab, left hook, right hook combination then
rocks Lewis back with a big left hook. The crowd
is in a frenzy, Tommy attacks again, Lewis bears
down on him and comes off with a booming, hard right
hand over the top and smacks yet another left uppercut
and right. Morrison is floored by a power shot left
hook and gets to his feet. He is clearly a beaten
fighter who should receive no more and Mills Lane
rightfully calls a halt to the contest. Lennox produced
a punch perfect performance, with great variety
and had Tommy Morrison down a total of five times
in the contest, Lewis at this stage looked set on
regaining the Heavyweight Championship.
This is a look back on some of the
archives of World Heavyweight Champion, Lennox Lewis
when we wound the clock back to 1995.
Happy New Year to all the fight
fans on Eastside Boxing.
By Chris Curry, Belfast, Northern
Ireland. - chris_esboxing@hotmail.com