Lennox Lewis v. Vitali Klitschko - does anyone think this was a good fight ?

[Unforgiven]

My personal opinion, one of the worst displays of heavyweight championship boxing I've ever seen.

But to a large number of the generation of boxing fans who populate these forums it seems to be seen as something so great that even now some are calling for a repeat ! :shock:

I dont want to denigrate the fighters, they showed heart and they traded heavy blows.
But that's it. Skill, stamina, sustained action, footwork, cleverness, defense - forget about it. Awful.

And I think Lennox Lewis would agree. That was his worst. I respect the guy for walking away from the rematch. He's remembered as a good fighter, but a two or three fight series at that level would have been done him no good. Even another win, why risk looking like shit again ?
By trying to always go out on an impressive win aging fighters often did themselves into a hole where they just end up fighting several bad fights or losing several at the end of their careers. Like Holyfield, who's been trying to get it back for about 10 years now.

[McGrain]

It's a really enjoyable fight with some good punching, but I agree with you that it's nothing special

[PowerPuncher]

Its a fun exciting action fight to watch, technically not great, but 2 giants going hammer and tongs is a site to behold. It was good to watch Lewis tee off on him and Vitali fight back. Enjoyed it

[DamonD]

It's a good brawl, but my enjoyment of it has really got hurt by all the fierce debates about it over the years. Sometimes that can really add to a fight, in this case it detracted from it. Part of that is from it being held up as awesome, which just isn't true. Another part is the sometimes vicious slanging matches, especially at the time. Attempts at analysis and appreciation get snowed under.

Lewis clearly isn't in the shape and ability to box Vitali and he realises this after the first two rounds, so does the only thing he can - turn it into a rough slugging match, grappling with Vitali and firing big single shots. Bowe did the same thing when he suddenly found himself in trouble against Golota, expect there it went so much worse for him.

[McGrain]

It's a good brawl, but my enjoyment of it has really got hurt by all the fierce debates about it over the years.

Yeah, we could have done with that one being fought in around 1970, at least there is some chance of getting some sense out of people on Classic.

[Unforgiven]

Fair enough.
I'm not going to argue with you guys over whether you enjoy it. I didn't.
All I can do is explain why I think it was awful.

If you have time, checked out these two videos.

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XqWX-rRhLRY&feature=related

1990 Cooney-Foreman was a fight between two big, big-punching guys. And at the time it was rightfully considered a bit of a sideshow big fight event, a novelty. Cooney was no longer a contender, and coming off a layoff on top off layoffs and losses. Foreman was serious about his comeback, but had been fighting mostly no-hopers. These guys were over-the-hill, Foreman about 41, and unranked in the heavyweight picture, certainly not ranked highly anyway. And neither guys has ever been famed for his skill.

Yet if I compare the videos of the opening round between Foreman and Cooney and the opening round of Lewis-klitschko, it's Foreman and Cooney who show more sharp punching and clean blocking, dont get tangled up at every opportunity, dont lean on each other in a clinch waiting for referee to seperate, and simply put on a more tidy and more presentable fight WITH PLENTY OF HARD PUNCHING.
Klitschko and Lewis in comparison come across as the old guys only fit for hugging and puffing, loving the clinch, flailing away and getting tangled up all the time. I find that messy nonsense frustrating to watch and cannot enjoy it.

Foreman-Cooney was just a random example plucked from the air. To illustrate how two big strong-punching heavyweights can go at each other without looking like a couple of stumble bums.
But that's just my personal taste, and personal opinion. I guess I'm missing the nuances of Lewis and Klitschko.

[RUSKULL]

Some people will never be happy regardless of what type of fight they're watching.

I agree that fight was no technical spectacle, it was more of a bar room brawl. Both fighters gave & took heavy shots & many here are critical of HW boxing matches that showcase skill instead of toe to toe slug fests.

For instance Wladimir's recent matches have been picked apart for his lack of wanting to go slugging away like Vitali & Lennox did back in that match.

Seems to me that some people just can't be pleased probably due to the fact they are biased to the fighter or fighters mentioned.

[mr. magoo]

1990 Cooney-Foreman was a fight between two big, big-punching guys. And at the time it was rightfully considered a bit of a sideshow big fight event, a novelty. Cooney was no longer a contender, and coming off a layoff on top off layoffs and losses. Foreman was serious about his comeback, but had been fighting mostly no-hopers. These guys were over-the-hill, Foreman about 41, and unranked in the heavyweight picture, certainly not ranked highly anyway. And neither guys has ever been famed for his skill.

Yet if I compare the videos of the opening round between Foreman and Cooney and the opening round of Lewis-klitschko, it's Foreman and Cooney who show more sharp punching and clean blocking, dont get tangled up at every opportunity, dont lean on each other in a clinch waiting for referee to seperate, and simply put on a more tidy and more presentable fight WITH PLENTY OF HARD PUNCHING.
Klitschko and Lewis in comparison come across as the old guys only fit for hugging and puffing, loving the clinch, flailing away and getting tangled up all the time. I find that messy nonsense frustrating to watch and cannot enjoy it.

Foreman-Cooney was just a random example plucked from the air. To illustrate how two big strong-punching heavyweights can go at each other without looking like a couple of stumble bums.
But that's just my personal taste, and personal opinion. I guess I'm missing the nuances of Lewis and Klitschko.


I agree with every bit of this. Cooney, particularly looked good in the first round by firing the left jab and hook to the body. There was actually some respectable footwork ( from Cooney )in that fight as well.

[Unforgiven]

Some people will never be happy regardless of what type of fight they're watching.

I agree that fight was no technical spectacle, it was more of a bar room brawl. Both fighters gave & took heavy shots & many here are critical of HW boxing matches that showcase skill instead of toe to toe slug fests.

For instance Wladimir's recent matches have been picked apart for his lack of wanting to go slugging away like Vitali & Lennox did back in that match.

Seems to me that some people just can't be pleased probably due to the fact they are biased to the fighter or fighters mentioned.

Some fights are better than others.
Some fights are great.
Some fights are crap.
Without these distinctions we wouldn't be able to appreciate the sport.
And if we all had the same tastes and opinions we'd have nothing to discuss.

As I explained, I dont think Lewis-Klitschko was even a good slugging match.

If you tell me "I enjoy every fight and am always pleased, and never disappointed" I'd say you were lying. All boxing fans have fights they like and dont like.

I asked the question "does anyone think this was a good fight?" and lots of people told me they enjoyed it. That's good. I have no problem with that. It's not my type of fight. As I said, without apology, that was one of the worst heavyweight championship fights I watched.

[RUSKULL]

Some fights are better than others.
Some fights are great.
Some fights are crap.
Without these distinctions we wouldn't be able to appreciate the sport.
And if we all had the same tastes and opinions we'd have nothing to discuss.

As I explained, I dont think Lewis-Klitschko was even a good slugging match.

If you tell me "I enjoy every fight and am always pleased, and never disappointed" I'd say you were lying. All boxing fans have fights they like and dont like.

I asked the question "does anyone think this was a good fight?" and lots of people told me they enjoyed it. That's good. I have no problem with that. It's not my type of fight. As I said, without apology, that was one of the worst heavyweight championship fights I watched.

Well, I would counter that Byrd vs. TOS was by far a worse fight to watch, as was Ruiz vs. Oquendo.

What did you think of Vitali vs. Williams then? How about Vitali vs. Peter? What about Wladimir vs. Sultan or Thompson? What about Wladimir vs. Austin?

[Unforgiven]

I agree with every bit of this. Cooney, particularly looked good in the first round by firing the left jab and hook to the body. There was actually some respectable footwork ( from Cooney )in that fight as well.

Yeah, for a couple of "over-the-hill" "unskilled sluggers" they did okay. I read Cooney interview where he reckons he was in better shape for this one than the Mike Spinks fight.
Against this modest standard of two fringe-ranked has-been sluggers, I think Lewis and Klitschko look a bit clumsy and amateurish in their fight. Of course it's due to how styles mesh together, that's what makes fights, so I'm not here telling people Lewis and Klitschko were inferior to Foreman and Cooney. But their fight was messier and looked crapper, IMO.

[mrbassie]

Some people will never be happy regardless of what type of fight they're watching.

I agree that fight was no technical spectacle, it was more of a bar room brawl. Both fighters gave & took heavy shots & many here are critical of HW boxing matches that showcase skill instead of toe to toe slug fests.

For instance Wladimir's recent matches have been picked apart for his lack of wanting to go slugging away like Vitali & Lennox did back in that match.

Seems to me that some people just can't be pleased probably due to the fact they are biased to the fighter or fighters mentioned.

On that bolded bit, you're wrong. I thought he was woeful against Iggy, not because I wanted to see a brawl but because he just wasn't throwing any punches. Against Thompson he wasn't as bad, meaning as timid but he let Thompson stay in the fight for far too long as well. Not everybody who wants to talk boxing on forums are teenagers who want Ward-Gatti 1 every time they watch a fight but in those two fights in particular he just wasn't positive enough. It's the fact that we all know he's a much, much better fighter than guys like that and could and should have done a much better job on them that draws the criticism. Some fans of his go on about Steward "ruining him" or how much better they think his style was earlier in his career but the simple fact is, before Sanders and Brewster he had more confidence in himself.

[jc]

Lennox being overweight and ill prepared made it a good competitive ruck, plenty of things to like about this fight imo. Terrible performance by Lennox though, but looking back a very good scalp. :deal

[Unforgiven]

Well, I would counter that Byrd vs. TOS was by far a worse fight to watch, as was Ruiz vs. Oquendo.

What did you think of Vitali vs. Williams then? How about Vitali vs. Peter? What about Wladimir vs. Sultan or Thompson? What about Wladimir vs. Austin?

None of them were classics.

But it is the fact that people go on about Lewis-Klitschko and still talk about it and want a return match that started me off on this thread. And all the controversy often clouds any talk about whether or not people really thought it was a good fight. That's why I asked. I'd heard a lot about all the other crap but didn't really know whether people thought these guys put up a good fight. And it turns most of you say you enjoyed it, so mine is only a minority opinion.
Which is fine by me.
:good

[bizzer07]

enjoy watching this fight, no chance Vitali would have won this imo, agree with Lennox after the fight, he was wearing him down. Lennox took some terrific shots, but dished some out too, the uppercut would have knocked any other heavyweight out cold

[mr. magoo]

Yeah, for a couple of "over-the-hill" "unskilled sluggers" they did okay. I read Cooney interview where he reckons he was in better shape for this one than the Mike Spinks fight.
Against this modest standard of two fringe-ranked has-been sluggers, I think Lewis and Klitschko look a bit clumsy and amateurish in their fight. Of course it's due to how styles mesh together, that's what makes fights, so I'm not here telling people Lewis and Klitschko were inferior to Foreman and Cooney. But their fight was messier and looked crapper, IMO.

Cooney was definately in better shape for the Foreman match than he was for the Spinks affair. He was a horribly deconditioned 238 Lbs in 1987, and had been spending the last 5 years since the Holmes fight partying with his earnings. Against Foreman, he had been training diligently with Gil Clancy and showed up at least 10 Lbs lighter than the Spinks fight. Holmes was at ringside that evening and even said that Cooney looked far more focused than he had in previous fights.

[Unforgiven]

Cooney was definately in better shape for the Foreman match than he was for the Spinks affair. He was a horribly deconditioned 238 Lbs in 1987, and had been spending the last 5 years since the Holmes fight partying with his earnings. Against Foreman, he had been training diligently with Gil Clancy and showed up at least 10 Lbs lighter than the Spinks fight. Holmes was at ringside that evening and even said that Cooney looked far more focused than he had in previous fights.

People often talk about "wasted talent" in boxing, especially among heavyweights, and I think it's definitely an over-used term.
But with Gerry Cooney you really have to wonder what he could have been had he stayed focussed and active in boxing.

[mr. magoo]

People often talk about "wasted talent" in boxing, especially among heavyweights, and I think it's definitely an over-used term.
But with Gerry Cooney you really have to wonder what he could have been had he stayed focussed and active in boxing.

Agreed,

Although he was overhyped, I think the talent was truly there, and visibly. He had genuine power and not just the kind that wore fighters down, but the type that could really put a guy to sleep. He showed evidence both early and late in his career, that he had quality skills, ie. jab, footwork, body punching, left hook, ability to tie a man up,etc. Lastly, and most obviously, he was a giant for a man fighting back in the late 70's/early 80's. He had good management from a business standpoint, but poor guidance. Victor Valle once told someone that he just couldn't get Cooney to train enough. Then there was the drugs, alcohol, and self confidence problems..... All considering, its a miracle the man made it out of boxing with a record of 28-3-0-24. Its a shame he never went further. He's a nice guy from what I'm told who helps Larry Holmes with his FIST program for disabled fighters and is now considered in the boxing world as a respected elder statesman.

[fightfan]

The Klitschko/Lewis fight was exciting as far as I am concerned. The back and forth exchanges is what made it exciting. It was the doctors call to stop the fight and you cannot argue too much considering the severity of the cut, but Lennox owed Vitaly a rematch! I stand by that statement as much as I did just after the fight ended. They both took the fight at short notice, Vitaly was giving Lewis all he could handle and was very fortunate that the fight was stopped in my opinion? Vitaly's vision was impaired due to the cut which made him more cautious as the fight wore on. Whether anyone agree's with that bit of info is up to the individual, but the fact that Lewis was in a life and death battle with Vitaly until the fight was stopped due to a cut leaves questions in the minds of the fans!!!!! There is no other way to look at it IMO. Even if you think Lewis was starting to come back and wear Vitaly down, we will never know what the outcome would have actually been had Vitaly not had the vicious cut which impaired his vision and possibly slowed his pace down due to some caution? That fight required a rematch!

[ChrisPontius]

My personal opinion, one of the worst displays of heavyweight championship boxing I've ever seen.

But to a large number of the generation of boxing fans who populate these forums it seems to be seen as something so great that even now some are calling for a repeat ! :shock:

I dont want to denigrate the fighters, they showed heart and they traded heavy blows.
But that's it. Skill, stamina, sustained action, footwork, cleverness, defense - forget about it. Awful.

And I think Lennox Lewis would agree. That was his worst. I respect the guy for walking away from the rematch. He's remembered as a good fighter, but a two or three fight series at that level would have been done him no good. Even another win, why risk looking like shit again ?
By trying to always go out on an impressive win aging fighters often did themselves into a hole where they just end up fighting several bad fights or losing several at the end of their careers. Like Holyfield, who's been trying to get it back for about 10 years now.

I think it's a great fight to watch in terms of excitement and action. Indeed in terms of pure boxing skill it isn't - but then again, Ali vs Frazier III is just as God awful from a technical point of view, but that doesn't make the fight any less exciting!

On a sidenote, i don't think anyone has ever looked good fighting Vitali Klitschko.

[Arka]

It seemed to me ,then,one of Lewis' typical ugly efforts when he didn't come in 100%.
Personally I don't understand why people rave on about the power of Vitali.It was the lack of explosiveness in his right that lead Lewis back into the fight.
I would go far as to say,if it had been his brother in the ring doing the early running ,the title would have changed hands there and then.

[he grant]

The joke is that Vitali and Lewis would have easily defeated that Foreman and Cooney ...

I liked the fight ... it was dramatic .. I was impressed that Vitali took it as a last minute substitute .. it showed his confidence ... I like that Lennox , past his best, stood tough and slugged away ... it was a shame it ended on a cut as we really do not know how it would have ended up ...

An exciting fight ...

[Mendoza]

The Klitschko/Lewis fight was exciting as far as I am concerned. The back and forth exchanges is what made it exciting. It was the doctors call to stop the fight and you cannot argue too much considering the severity of the cut, but Lennox owed Vitaly a rematch! I stand by that statement as much as I did just after the fight ended. They both took the fight at short notice, Vitaly was giving Lewis all he could handle and was very fortunate that the fight was stopped in my opinion? Vitaly's vision was impaired due to the cut which made him more cautious as the fight wore on. Whether anyone agree's with that bit of info is up to the individual, but the fact that Lewis was in a life and death battle with Vitaly until the fight was stopped due to a cut leaves questions in the minds of the fans!!!!! There is no other way to look at it IMO. Even if you think Lewis was starting to come back and wear Vitaly down, we will never know what the outcome would have actually been had Vitaly not had the vicious cut which impaired his vision and possibly slowed his pace down due to some caution? That fight required a rematch!

Here are some seldom spoken facts. Vitlai was prepping for a 10 round match, and took the offer from Lewis on less than 2 weeks notice because Vitlai felt Lewis, who signed to fight Vitlai with Lion promotions would never fight him in the ring. Lewis was prepping for a 12 round match vs. Kirk Johnson.

Had Vitlai know it was Lewis all along, I think he would have prepared better & harder.

After the fight Lewis said he would give a re-match, and told the press, he would give a re-match a few times. What is not known is Lewis was considering a re-match vs the washed up Tyson first, and was also considering fighting Kirk Johnson in Canada if Johnson got past Klitschko. However, when Vitlai blew out Johnson, it was not to be. The WBC ordered a re-match or would strip Lewis of his belt.

Lewis had an offer of $18,000,000.00 to meet Vitlai in a re-match, but decided to retire. My personal opinion is Lewis knew he would likely lose the re-match, so he opted to retire. I also believe that if the ring doctor did not stop the fight, Vitali could have won late as Lewis punched himself out and crashed down hard on his stool at the end of round six, but such fights with bad cuts do not happen in this century.

I think the fight was exciting. A re-match would have been a huge night for boxing. Even a week after this fight, there was some water cooler talk among casual sports fans.

[elTerrible]

My personal opinion, one of the worst displays of heavyweight championship boxing I've ever seen.

But to a large number of the generation of boxing fans who populate these forums it seems to be seen as something so great that even now some are calling for a repeat ! :shock:

I dont want to denigrate the fighters, they showed heart and they traded heavy blows.
But that's it. Skill, stamina, sustained action, footwork, cleverness, defense - forget about it. Awful.

And I think Lennox Lewis would agree. That was his worst. I respect the guy for walking away from the rematch. He's remembered as a good fighter, but a two or three fight series at that level would have been done him no good. Even another win, why risk looking like shit again ?
By trying to always go out on an impressive win aging fighters often did themselves into a hole where they just end up fighting several bad fights or losing several at the end of their careers. Like Holyfield, who's been trying to get it back for about 10 years now.



Name me one heavyweight fight in the last 10 years that was better than Lewis-Vitali....

It was an entertaining fight at a time when the heavyweight division was shit.

[sauhund II]

Here are some seldom spoken facts. Vitlai was prepping for a 10 round match, and took the offer from Lewis on less than 2 weeks notice because Vitlai felt Lewis, who signed to fight Vitlai with Lion promotions would never fight him in the ring. Lewis was prepping for a 12 round match vs. Kirk Johnson.

Had Vitlai know it was Lewis all along, I think he would have prepared better & harder.

After the fight Lewis said he would give a re-match, and told the press, he would give a re-match a few times. What is not known is Lewis was considering a re-match vs the washed up Tyson first, and was also considering fighting Kirk Johnson in Canada if Johnson got past Klitschko. However, when Vitlai blew out Johnson, it was not to be. The WBC ordered a re-match or would strip Lewis of his belt.

Lewis had an offer of $18,000,000.00 to meet Vitlai in a re-match, but decided to retire. My personal opinion is Lewis knew he would likely lose the re-match, so he opted to retire. I also believe that if the ring doctor did not stop the fight, Vitali could have won late as Lewis punched himself out and crashed down hard on his stool at the end of round six, but such fights with bad cuts do not happen in this century.

I think the fight was exciting. A re-match would have been a huge night for boxing. Even a week after this fight, there was some water cooler talk among casual sports fans.
While I trained at Golds Gym in Venice in 03 I looked across the first room and there was VK all by himself working out with light barbells. Nobody knew who the f he was , except me of course. lol. I did not feel it was appropiate to approach him so I just chuckled and went on with my routine. Seeing celebreties or star athletes is not a big deal there and fairly common.

By pure accident I ran into him by the bathroom in the third room where the water fountain is. So I said hi and we struck up a conversation which lasted maybe ten minutes. He was not too fluent in English so most of it we spoke in my native tongue , German.

He was absolutly astonished that I knew who he was, especially here in the US where I have made my residence for the last 25 years. He was also equally impressed when I am told him its not just me but that most US boxing fans knew him and his brother pretty well and had high hopes for them how their career would work out fighting in the US.

He said he was in preperation to fight on the Lewis/Johnson undercard but really wanted Lewis. As a matter of fact . Lewis name came up several times and he repeated that he considered Lewis the best and was very anxious to get a go at him but mentioned that politics might throw a wrench in it. I can say he was almost fixated on Lemmie. Boswell's name never came up, I guess he saw it as a foregone conclusion . So it comes as no surprise that he jumped on the Lewis fight on very short notice.................

BTW, as far as his build is concerned, very tall and almost skinny, very lean, similar for one who does hard physical labor like digging manual ditches for a living or laying 19th century rail road ties.

He certainly was a class act with not one bit of arrogance ,a down to earth or "common" type of guy.

[elTerrible]

While I trained at Golds Gym in Venice in 03 I looked across the first room and there was VK all by himself working out with light barbells. Nobody knew who the f he was , except me of course. lol. I did not feel it was appropiate to approach him so I just chuckled and went on with my routine. Seeing celebreties or star athletes is not a big deal there and fairly common.

By pure accident I ran into him by the bathroom in the third room where the water fountain is. So I said hi and we struck up a conversation which lasted maybe ten minutes. He was not too fluent in English so most of it we spoke in my native tongue , German.

He was absolutly astonished that I knew who he was, especially here in the US where I have made my residence for the last 25 years. He was also equally impressed when I am told him its not just me but that most US boxing fans knew him and his brother pretty well and had high hopes for them how their career would work out fighting in the US.

He said he was in preperation to fight on the Lewis/Johnson undercard but really wanted Lewis. As a matter of fact . Lewis name came up several times and he repeated that he considered Lewis the best and was very anxious to get a go at him but mentioned that politics might throw a wrench in it. I can say he was almost fixated on Lemmie. Boswell's name never came up, I guess he saw it as a foregone conclusion . So it comes as no surprise that he jumped on the Lewis fight on very short notice.................

BTW, as far as his build is concerned, very tall and almost skinny, very lean, similar for one who does hard physical labor like digging manual ditches for a living or laying 19th century rail road ties.

He certainly was a class act with not one bit of arrogance ,a down to earth or "common" type of guy.


That is an awesome story:thumbsup:thumbsup

[fists of fury]

Good thread this.

I mean yes, it was an exciting fight with two huge guys going at it, but the fight for many is seen as some epic battle and one of the best fights in recent heavyweight history. Even Lennox seems to feel it was a great fight, going on what he said during Vitali's entrance 'theme' against Peter.
I don't think it was great at all.


Technically it was a very sloppy fight and while it was exciting, it wasn't that exciting. There were no knockdowns and neither fighter was in serious trouble throughout. The ending was also very unsatisfactory, if technically the right one.

But I do enjoy watching it from time to time. There are certainly worse fights to watch, but better ones as well.

[fists of fury]

That is an awesome story:thumbsup:thumbsup

Yeah, great story. :good

[fists of fury]

Personally I don't understand why people rave on about the power of Vitali.It was the lack of explosiveness in his right that lead Lewis back into the fight.
I would go far as to say,if it had been his brother in the ring doing the early running ,the title would have changed hands there and then.

I tend to agree. Vitali is a big, strong, well-conditioned guy with a lot going for him, but his power is overrated. It was as clear as day Lewis was carrying the heavy artillery in the fight, despite being wobbled in the second by Vitali's right.

My impression of the fight is that Lewis went for an early KO but almost paid the price when Vitali wobbled him. He seemed to regain his composure when Vitali could not follow up on his advantage and allowed Lewis back into the fight, as you say.
I think Lewis was coming on in the 5th and 6th rounds as Vitali seemed to be pushing his punches and was not hurting Lewis anymore.
That monster uppercut in the 6th landed by Lewis was indeed that, but I think it disconcerted Lewis when Vitali not only took it, but actually came back.
It's impossible to say what would have happened. Lewis was looking the better fighter at that point but also more exhausted. Vitali to me had shot his bolt, but being younger and apparently able to take Lewis' punches, it could be that a long, drawn-out battle could have suited him. Maybe Lewis would have found increasing success with the uppercut, or maybe he would have been outlasted by Vitali who was younger.
We'll just never know.

[KobeIsGod]

some of you are crazy. that fight made me a fan of boxing and both fighters. it was a great war. when have two skilled big men ever thrown down like that? the fight was a back and forth brawl with intrigue and plenty of drama for the HW championship. Did u hear Staples Center? That place went crazy. Did u see the people react after the fight? The crowd cheering Vitali, booing Lennox. Vitali demanding a rematch and taunting Lewis' entourage. It was great. Then the post-fight interviews were fantastic...Merchant trying to irritate Lewis. Lennox giving Vitali no credit. :yep

Obviously, that fight impressed a lot of people in los angeles too cause the next time Vitali fought at Staples, he sold it out (more than 17K) against sanders.

I don't care what people say, imo, there is nothing like a hw gunfight. Yeah it became sloppy but they were fighting hard all the way.

I'll take that over a Wlad slapfest or seeing that slob Cooney get waxed by an old foreman or blown up lhw.

[fists of fury]

Merchant trying to irritate Lewis.



Merchant really went after Lewis in the post-fight interview. To be honest, I thought Merchant came across as a bit of an arsehole, not for the first time either.

[Mendoza]

Merchant really went after Lewis in the post-fight interview. To be honest, I thought Merchant came across as a bit of an arsehole, not for the first time either.

The both were arses. Lewis was in denial. Although he had technical won the fight on cuts, Vitlai won the crowd, and was up 4-2 on all score cards. Lewis also sported a cut and swollen eyes, which is something he was not used to on interviews. During the interview, Lewis actually grabbed the microphone that Merchant was holding to take control of the conversation! In the end, the interview was memorable. Merchant did his job when finally got Lennox to say he would give a re-match to a crowd pleasing fight.

[Unforgiven]

The both were arses. Lewis was in denial. Although he had technical won the fight on cuts, Vitlai won the crowd, and was up 4-2 on all score cards. Lewis also sported a cut and swollen eyes, which is something he was not used to on interviews. During the interview, Lewis actually grabbed the microphone that Merchant was holding to take control of the conversation! In the end, the interview was memorable. Merchant did his job when finally got Lennox to say he would give a re-match to a crowd pleasing fight.

Yeah, Merchant did his job. He's paid to be an asshole.

[fists of fury]

The both were arses. Lewis was in denial. Although he had technical won the fight on cuts, Vitlai won the crowd, and was up 4-2 on all score cards. Lewis also sported a cut and swollen eyes, which is something he was not used to on interviews. During the interview, Lewis actually grabbed the microphone that Merchant was holding to take control of the conversation! In the end, the interview was memorable. Merchant did his job when finally got Lennox to say he would give a re-match to a crowd pleasing fight.

The thing I remember most about the post-fight proceedings is Vitali coming up to Lewis and saying :"Rematch! Rematch!"
Lewis sort of looks at him, keeps quiet, and then buggers off. :lol:

[KobeIsGod]

Merchant really went after Lewis in the post-fight interview. To be honest, I thought Merchant came across as a bit of an arsehole, not for the first time either.

maybe the best postfight interview of all-time as McGrain can attest to :D

vWKROioRYfQ

[McGrain]

I will never, ever, ever get sick of watching this video.

"Look at the state of his face!"

[McGrain]

And hell yes it was a great fight; but one can only imagine had a proper Lewis showed up that night, that Klitschko would have had his ass handed to him.


Bottom line is an old Lewis stopped a prime Vitali.

Lewis's best win, probably.

[JohnThomas1]

Bottom line is an old Lewis stopped a prime Vitali.

Lewis's best win, probably.

And there you have it. Not exactly Lewis' best form either. No wonder he thought it was time.

[Marciano Frazier]

I enjoyed the fight. Certainly it was sloppy and ugly in places, far from the most high-quality boxing the division has seen, but it was dramatic and entertaining. It had twists and turns, ebb and flow, considerable suspence, and was one of the rare instances that two truly elite-level "super" heavyweights have fought each other for the linear world title- in fact, it may have been the only such instance- giving it substantial historical significance. I'm not trembling with excitement at the idea, but if Lewis made a serious comeback, eg. trained hard, fought at a reasonable weight, and took a warm-up fight or two first, then I would be interested in a rematch.

[DamonD]

I'm actually glad the Lewis-Kirk Johnson fight didn't happen...no offense to Johnson fans, but I really was quite unhappy it was going to happen. I was kinda neutral on Johnson, then he had that absolute abortion of a performance against Ruiz in mid 2002 and I soured on him. I thought the whole thing was going to be a big waste of time.

We got Lewis-Vitali instead. Which was not a good performance, but was a good win and gets better with every victory Vitali clocks up...

[Doppleganger]

It was an enjoyable and event packed fight with Vitali's awkwardness and Lewis's lack of timing contributing to the frequent clinching and holding. I think the OP is reading a little too much into any perceived nuances or subtleties because there were non - it was just two big guys going at each other. Enjoy it for what it was.

[PowerPuncher]

He said he was in preperation to fight on the Lewis/Johnson undercard but really wanted Lewis. As a matter of fact . Lewis name came up several times and he repeated that he considered Lewis the best and was very anxious to get a go at him but mentioned that politics might throw a wrench in it. I can say he was almost fixated on Lemmie. Boswell's name never came up, I guess he saw it as a foregone conclusion . So it comes as no surprise that he jumped on the Lewis fight on very short notice..................

The rumour was the Vitali's people paid Kirk Johnson step aside money

[PowerPuncher]

The both were arses. Lewis was in denial. Although he had technical won the fight on cuts, Vitlai won the crowd, and was up 4-2 on all score cards. .

Bruno was up on the scorecards too against Lewis and was also the fans favourate. The US crowds always disliked Lewis for beating on Americans and lets be honest most the people who show up to fights no little about boxing. Sadly Lewis is 1 of the less popular great fighters, hes even been boo'ed in England.

This fight could easily be scored 3-3 ofcourse, Old Lennox ripped Vitali's face to shreds and landed the bigger shots that had Vitali hanging on. The controversy is well over played.

[Brady]

I think a lot of people are interested in seeing the continuation of the linear heavyweight championship decided in the ring. I want to see a Vitali/ Lewis rematch. I think it will be short and sweet with a quick KO win for Vitali.

[ChrisPontius]

I think a lot of people are interested in seeing the continuation of the linear heavyweight championship decided in the ring. I want to see a Vitali/ Lewis rematch. I think it will be short and sweet with a quick KO win for Vitali.

I think the average boxing fan cares fuck all about the "linear" champion, especially when Wlad is the most proven fighter out there.

But based on the fact that their last fight was spectacular and that Lewis still is a big name, it would be a huge fight yes.

[mr. magoo]

I think the average boxing fan cares fuck all about the "linear" champion, especially when Wlad is the most proven fighter out there.

But based on the fact that their last fight was spectacular and that Lewis still is a big name, it would be a huge fight yes.


John Thomas made a candid point on this very thread a few pages back, about week ago. What is the linear title these days. If Lewis were to come out of retirement tomarrow and start off with a tunup against a 15-7 journeyman, and got his ass kicked, would that journeyman THEN be considered the lineal champion? I really don't think that we can link this title to anyone anymore. The fighter who is considered THE MAN, is generally the one who is the current concencus best in the division. That man right now, until proven otherwise , is Wladimir Klitshcko. The concept of "linear champion" is something that I think died years ago...

[Brady]

I think it is a worthwhile footnote- that the champ beat the guy who was the champ before, all the way back to Ali (well Patterson really, but Ali was better). I'd hate to see the chain broken.

[The Kurgan]

Based on that fight alone, you'd think that Lewis was an absolute Neanderthal who relied on size and strength alone; you'd be shocked to hear he outboxed Holyfield and demolished Razor Ruddock.

You'd think the same thing about Vitali, but you'd be right.

[sauhund II]

Bruno was up on the scorecards too against Lewis and was also the fans favourate. The US crowds always disliked Lewis for beating on Americans and lets be honest most the people who show up to fights no little about boxing. Sadly Lewis is 1 of the less popular great fighters, hes even been boo'ed in England.

This fight could easily be scored 3-3 ofcourse, Old Lennox ripped Vitali's face to shreds and landed the bigger shots that had Vitali hanging on. The controversy is well over played.
Well, Lewis fans, and you seem to be one, always bring out "he beat everybody in the Ring and avenged his losses "

Funny thing, when the shoe is on the other foot he all over sudden got old ,nothing to proof, was fat, had all the accomplishments, could not get motivated plus some other associated nonsense but was ready to jump on a total hasbeen Tyson or Glass Roy.............instead of facing VK.... I guess a man got's to know its limitations................this would have not been a re match with a hopeless sparring partner crackhead or a borderline Journeyman who micromanaged even the wristwraps before the actual fight, talking about being unfocused before the fight of your life...lol.

There would be endless crying if VK would have won and denied Lemmie a rematch......Lewis has my respect in what he accomplished over his career but in that case he simply punked out , no ifs or buts.

[boxexpert]

no,but spectacular

[fists of fury]

Well, Lewis fans, and you seem to be one, always bring out "he beat everybody in the Ring and avenged his losses "

Funny thing, when the shoe is on the other foot he all over sudden got old ,nothing to proof, was fat, had all the accomplishments, could not get motivated plus some other associated nonsense but was ready to jump on a total hasbeen Tyson or Glass Roy.............instead of facing VK.... I guess a man got's to know its limitations................this would have not been a re match with a hopeless sparring partner crackhead or a borderline Journeyman who micromanaged even the wristwraps before the actual fight, talking about being unfocused before the fight of your life...lol.

There would be endless crying if VK would have won and denied Lemmie a rematch......Lewis has my respect in what he accomplished over his career but in that case he simply punked out , no ifs or buts.

You make a good point, and there is definitely a case of a double standard at work.
Lewis only gave rematches when he could gain from one.

[JohnThomas1]

Based on that fight alone, you'd think that Lewis was an absolute Neanderthal who relied on size and strength alone; you'd be shocked to hear he outboxed Holyfield and demolished Razor Ruddock.

You'd think the same thing about Vitali, but you'd be right.

:lol:

[Mendoza]

John Thomas made a candid point on this very thread a few pages back, about week ago. What is the linear title these days. If Lewis were to come out of retirement tomarrow and start off with a tunup against a 15-7 journeyman, and got his ass kicked, would that journeyman THEN be considered the lineal champion? I really don't think that we can link this title to anyone anymore. The fighter who is considered THE MAN, is generally the one who is the current concencus best in the division. That man right now, until proven otherwise , is Wladimir Klitshcko. The concept of "linear champion" is something that I think died years ago...

If that happened, the 15-7 journeyman goes to 16-7, then quickly gets a title shot vs Vitlai, of coruse.

[fists of fury]

No offense, but talk of linearity is a bit absurd when one considers Marciano broke the link by retiring undefeated.

[Brady]

Marciano and Tunney both retired with the title and the line is broken following their reigns as champions. But the line that ended with Lewis goes all the way back to the Marciano retirement and that is pretty cool. When Marciano retired, there were not four seperate world championships floating around, so it is more difficult now to find the real champion. The Klitschkos will not fight each other and who knows when the WBA deal will get straightened out for a unification against one of the Kitschkos? We won't have a real heavyweight champ for quite some time, but if Lewis had given Vitali the rematch he promised, Vitali would be the real champ.