Lennox Lewis: Courtroom
Saga Continues
By Ed Ludwig
11.12
- It was reported last week that Lennox Lewis wanted
Mike Tyson to lose his number one ranking should he
go through with his fight with Ray Mercer in January
2002. Lewis' concern was that if Tyson was cut or
if he lost, Lewis would lose a very big payday so
he went to court to have this bout cancelled. I do
agree with Lewis' cause for concern but I do not agree
with his tactics and I believe he should have let
them fight.
Mike Tyson has been very inactive
and I think Lennox Lewis sees Iron Mike as easy pickings
and wants the opportunity to beat him before someone
else does. Had Lewis kept his feelings to himself
and not made it public the backlash towards him would
not be that bad. Keep in mind that Tyson took step-aside
money so Lewis could get the rematch with Hasim Rahman.
Lewis is contemplating dropping the
IBF title instead of facing the mandatory contender
Chris Byrd. A champion possessing more than one belt
is another cause for concern because each sanctioning
body has their own number one contender and more often
than not you will see fighters drop one of the belts
rather than trying to fulfill the obligations and
meet the mandatory. Lennox Lewis is the champ but
he needs Mike Tyson, Mike Tyson does not need Lennox
Lewis.
Mike Tyson and Oscar De La Hoya are
the two marquee names in boxing today and regardless
if they have belts or not they should be able to have
a say in what goes on without any interference from
another fighter or promoter. Bottom line is that for
the last ten years or so they have put people in the
seats and the pay per view buy rates are consistently
in the top five each time out.
When and if Lewis vs. Tyson comes
to fruition then it will be Tyson's opportunity to
join Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield as the only
men to win the Heavyweight championship on three different
occasions. I do not put Lewis in that group because
he never actually won his first title in the ring.
It was handed to him after Riddick Bowe relinquished
the WBC belt and dropped it into a garbage can.
People can say he is a three- time
champ but the fact is that a fighter has to win the
title in the ring to be declared a champion in my
opinion. This also applies to Oscar De La Hoya as
he was handed the WBC title after Felix Trinidad vacated
it to move up in weight and challenge David Reid.
I have always been a big fan of Lennox
Lewis but now my opinion of him has changed with what
has transpired in the last week. He always talks about
"enough respect". We have been hearing that line for
years now and I wish he would show some himself and
wait his turn and stop running to court every time
something does not go his way. When Hasim Rahman wanted
to face David Izon before giving Lewis a rematch that
did not bother me too much although David Izon has
never been more than a journeyman at best.
I felt he had the right to stop that
fight from happening but with what he is doing now,
being the champion and preventing Tyson from meeting
Mercer is inexcusable. All he is thinking about is
the millions of dollars that he will make. Today he
announced that after the Tyson bout he is going to
retire. Okay, what if you lose Lennox, will you still
retire? I doubt it.
Even if he beats Tyson it will not
do much to enhance his career or image. Yes, he might
beat the biggest name out there but this would have
meant much more years ago. With the talent pool not
being very deep in the Heavyweight division, I see
both guys competing for years to come. With the money
to be made I can't see Lennox Lewis hanging up the
gloves, win or lose. One thing to keep in mind is
that Mike Tyson has to clear his latest legal hurdle
before he can sign the contract. He has been accused
of rape but he has yet to be formally charged. The
storylines will continue.
