Boxing News

By Josh Dubin (adapted by Kojo Amoafo)
July 23, 2003, New York
Â… “And still the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world”, rang out as the hand of Lennox ‘The LionÂ’ Lewis was held aloft. The belts were going home back to England and TEAM LEWIS was relieved. It wasnÂ’t one of LewisÂ’ better fights but he had won and thatÂ’s what matters

.
Vitali Klitschko, after a career best performance, sat on the dais fielding questions. It was almost an hour after a plastic surgeon had done his best to piece his face back together, blood continued to ooze from the frightening gashes above, around, and beside his left eye.
Even after sixty-seven stitches (that’s right, sixty-seven), ice, and a shower, the left side of Klitschko’s face looked like something out of a horror movie. 

 He claimed that the swollen, bloody mess was caused by a Lennox head butt. 

 But the tapes have been reviewed and re-reviewed, and one thing is clear:  there was no head butt.  Only a series of pulverizing overhand rights and stiff left jabs. 
Lennox Lewis should be given proper credit for causing such a devastating splatter of slashes and shiners that the fight had to be called to a halt. After all a fight is judged over 12 rounds not 6 and should that be the case then it is entirely in the referees prerogative to enact such a decision.
Instead, the American press is too busy doing to Lennox Lewis what they have done to him his entire career:  leapt at the opportunity to raise questions about him.  Questions about his legs, his conditioning, and perhaps most ludicrous of all, his legacy.  And the scary thing is, the American public seems to be buying it to some degree.  Which shouldn’t be too surprising. 
If the American media can sell our governmentÂ’s bogus rationale for an unnecessary war, selling the idea that based on six rounds of boxing, six rounds out of an illustrious career that spans more than a decade, we should question Lennox LewisÂ’s commitment, abilities, and place in history should be a cake walk.
Well, here’s a newsflash:  Lennox Lewis is the reason that fight was stopped.  Lennox Lewis’s fists were the sole cause of the destruction that will adorn Klitschko’s face for months and possibly life.  Lennox Lewis landed a vicious uppercut that reverberated throughout the Staples Center in the fifth and toward the end of the sixth round, shuddering Klitschko’s entire body to the point that he was hanging on to Lewis for dear life as the final fifteen seconds ticked away. 
So let’s put this fight into perspective, folks. There is no disputing that Vitali Klitschko fought well for, arguably, three rounds. There is no doubt that he landed punches. 

 There is also no doubt that Lennox Lewis has looked better, has weighed less (though only slightly), and may have been behind on the judge’s scorecards. 
But what about the other side of the story?  What about the fact that Lennox Lewis was hit with some legitimate punches throughout the first two rounds and never showed any signs of being hurt and never wobbled, putting to rest long-standing speculation that he has a questionable chin?  What about the fact that he fought through Klitschko’s early barrage and began landing bigger and bigger punches as the fight pressed on?
What about the fact that Lennox Lewis was bringing the fight to Klitschko, as he was clearly being the aggressor throughout the fight?  What about the fact that Lennox Lewis agreed to the opponent switch just 10 days prior to the bout, which is an unprecedented move for a heavyweight champion?
What about the fact that the new opponent was nearly seven inches taller than the anticipated opponent, and Lennox Lewis had been sparring much smaller boxers throughout his training camp and still managed to adjust to Klitschko’s size and win the fight?  How about the fact that Lewis had to uproot his training camp from the Poconos and move it to L.A., while Klitschko was able to stay in his backyard throughout?       
There has been much ado about the fact that Lennox was behind on the scorecards when the fight was stopped.  So what?  That only comes into play if the fight goes the distance.

  When George Foreman beat Michael Moorer several years ago to become the oldest heavyweight ever to capture the title, he was getting soundly beat for nine rounds.  Then he unleashed a right hand that sent Michael Moorer into oblivion. 
Yet there is no asterisk next to Foreman’s victory, no talk about him really losing the fight, if not for that one punch.  And you can go on and on down the list of championship bouts throughout the ages where one punch turned a lopsided loser into a title holder.  And that wasn’t even the case here.  This fight was far from lopsided.  It was pretty much even until Lewis had Klitschko looking like Chuck Wepner, the Bayonne Bleeder himself.  And it’s not like Lennox Lewis asked for the bout to be stopped.  He wanted that fight to go on as much as the crowd at the Staples Center did.
Yet there are all of these questions surrounding Lennox Lewis’s victory.  A big deal was made out of the fact that he was breathing heavy and looked tired.  Another newsflash:  this was a heavyweight fight featuring two of the biggest athletes to ever step into the ring together.  It was a slugfest.  Long-accused of being a ‘boring’ boxer, Lennox Lewis finally decided to get into a street fight and now that is being thrown in his face as well.
Perhaps he spoiled us a year ago with his domination of Mike Tyson. Or maybe itÂ’s that we have grown so accustomed to seeing him avoid punches altogether that it was shocking to see him get hit at all.  But not every fight is going to be like the Tyson fight, and he wonÂ’t be able to avoid being hit every fight.  Lennox Lewis has been quoted as saying before, “you cannot walk in the rain without getting wet.” And he, just like everyone else wandering this earth, is allowed to have an off night. That doesnÂ’t mean that his career is over or that he was out of shape but rather that he has more heart than he is given credit for. It also simply means that he is human. 
But this is nothing new for Lennox Lewis.  His entire career, it has been an uphill battle for respect with the public and press because he was never who they wanted him to be. 

 He isnt the car accident that is Mike Tyson.  He isn’t the trash talker that was Riddick Bowe.  He isn’t the religious zealot that is Evander Holyfield.  And though he has done nothing but carry himself with dignity and class, the media, and to some extent, the public, have always made him jump through hoops to earn their respect. 
But he has constantly silenced the critics and won over the hearts of many with his performance in the ring.

  After both of his defeats, he came back and quickly dispensed of his opponents.  And even though he won this fight, and should be treated as such, the press and hence the public has decided to run the other way with it. 

 

 But there is little doubt that Lennox Lewis, should he choose, will come back, just as he did with McCall and Rahman, and quiet the skeptics with a convincing defeat in a rematch with Klitschko.  
Lennox Lewis allowed his acceptance into our collective consciousness as one of the best heavyweight champions of all time to develop over time and victories.  It is simply not fair to take that away from him after six rounds in which he bludgeoned his opponent’s face like he did.  Lennox simply deserves better.
Lennox Lewis commended Vitali Klitschko on his gallant fight, but if he couldnÂ’t capitalise on this opportunity, then it proves The Lion grows from strength to strength.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 1st, 2006 at 6:02 pm and is filed under Fighters News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.