WelshDevilRob Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Lennox Lewis states why he didn't give Vitali Klitschko a rematch. "So, when it came time for me to see if I should fight Klitschko again, I thought - at my worst, at my worst! I beat Klitschko and look what I did to his face! I was at my worst - just think [what would’ve happened] if I’d trained just a little bit harder. I didn’t need to fight him again." Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooreman Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Klitschko was younger and improving. Lewis is being a dick here. Klit would have beat him but for that freak cut. Lewis had gassed out, the fear factor would have left Vitali in a rematch and he would have had a better gameplan and Lewis would hae been even older and to be honest Klit would have beat hi in a rematch. I dont expect a great Canadian champ like Lewis to admit this but its what I reckon would have happened! Lewis did the right thing and went out on top like a true great should. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McBride Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 You have to give him the benefit of the doubt, based on previous. He was training for Kirk Johnson who in all honesty wasn't even a Rahman ( and that is the previous when he was more interested in Oceans 11 than going to R.S.A. and acclimatising ) so you have to figure if he had Known it was going to be Klitch from the off, he'd have put a lot more effort in. The " freak " cut was caused by Lewis's fists, and a kid born and raised in East Ham, ain't Canadian. Taking out citizenship doesn't alter your nationality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabandmove Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 It always amuses me when this fight is discussed, that Vitali would have won if it wasn't for the cut. As McBride quite rightly said, that cut was caused by punches, no head clash or elbow, punches - from LL to VK's face! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavpowell Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Is this you on a fishing expedition, Rob, or has he only just said this in a recent interview somewhere? He realised he came far too close to losing his titles than he would have liked and saw the writing on the wall - it's got nothing to do with what he did to Vitali's face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grapevine241 Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 it was a good fight to retire on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skav Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 There'll be question marks forever over the Klitschko fight. This is evidential from the fan debates ever since it took place. Lewis should have given him the rematch to leave no doubts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshDevilRob Posted March 3, 2011 Author Share Posted March 3, 2011 I think Lennox had had enough of the fight game and recognised his own lack of hunger. I don't think he wanted to go through the motions of a Kirk Johnson fight and then Vitali Klitschko for a 2nd time. Johnson was on a par with Ruiz and Byrd fights interms of lack of interest both by the public and Lennox. Lewis was at the stage where only fights that interested him he was going to make, as happens with many fighters who reign for a long time. Fighters put in the years and do the mandatory defences but near the end just want defining fights or to get out of the sport. Lewis at his worst had beaten VK so simply didn't need to prove anything to himself or drag his ageing body threw the rigours of a training camp again. Normally fighters find deluded reasons to keep on fighting way past their prime - much to the horror of the fans, in this case Lewis recognised the time was right and had secured his legacy and made a fortune - with health intact. He took the wise choice and a win is a win and it looks good on the resume beating a near peak Vitali. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davemurphy Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 I think it was a combination of the complete 180 that the change in opponents produced and LL's growing tired of the game. I recall being at HOF that year and sitting at the Manfredy-John Bailey fight with Chris Byrd who was hoping to get the Call but didn't, and that fight took place a mere 15 days before LL-Vitali. At that late date there was no chance of Lennox getting a Tall sparring Partner to work with, whereas Vitali has one readily available 24/7. Also he was carrying some extra weight that I think he was going to use to muscle Kirk Johnson around the Ring and which proved costly against VK. Lennox should've cancelled the HBO date rather than take VK on short notice, but I think he really was looking to wrap things up. What kills me is that in most cases when the final opponent of ones career goes on to do great things, there's usually a post career benefit from it (think Salvador Sanchez-Azumah Nelson, one of many examples) but nobody seems to give Lennox any extra credit as Vitali has remained otherwise undefeated the last eight years (even though I know 3 were spent on hiatus). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavpowell Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Igive Lewis great cresdit for what he acieved and for getting out and staying out, but I won;t give him credit for the years since because he hs spent every moment since the end of the fight acting like a 12-year-old. First he promises a rematch and stalls, saying Vitali's face won;t heal. Then Vitali says his doctor has said it's all fixed, no reason to delay a ring return now, so Lennox apparently says "you have to go see my doctor", who says the same thing. So then Lennos stalls some more, drops a few belts and retires. He proceeds to take every chance he can to publicly spite the Klitschkos - backing the opponent in almost every fight, telphoning the opponents amd offering tips on how to beat the brothers, making comments like "look what I did to his face - I wish the ref had let it go longer so I could tear the rest of his face to shreds" Then the ultimate arrives- Vitali vs Peter. Lewis is naturally backing Sam Peter pre-fight. Then fight night arrives and Lewis appears like a black Obiwan Kenobi on the ring entrance show, saying "Go on Vitali - I know you can do it." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donlevy Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Lewis said this in his interview with Ringside just after the Haye-Harrison fight. Lewis is deluding himself to give such an excuse for a rematch never happening.If Lewis was so confident in handling Vitali in a rematch if he was in better shape he would have done so.I don't know how much money was offered,but it surely would have been alot for a rematch.It was a great fight,an even fight and an unsatisfactory ending(the stoppage was justified,I'm just saying it was dissapointing such a great fight just ended like that) Everyone wanted a rematch and deep down I'm sure Lewis wanted to erase what happened in the Staples centre and look for a more decisive victory.His well-earned victory was overshadowed by the courage and determination of the underdog that night. And I'm not criticizing Lewis for not rematching Vitali by the way.He was more than entitled to retire at that time.He had his win over Vital - a win that has grown in credibility over the years - and had made his money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McBride Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Is this you on a fishing expedition, Rob, or has he only just said this in a recent interview somewhere? He realised he came far too close to losing his titles than he would have liked and saw the writing on the wall - it's got nothing to do with what he did to Vitali's face. Hahahaha, its got everything to do with what he did to vitali's face. Thats what won him the fight. People can speculate all they like about what might have happened had the fight been allowed to continue. The fact remains that a rapidly declining Lewis beat an almost prime Klitch on merit. He had his chance and blew it. Why dont people get over it? Perhaps they would only ever be happy seeing a once great fighter getting beaten up by some bum like Berbeck, did to Ali. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshDevilRob Posted March 3, 2011 Author Share Posted March 3, 2011 He didn't drop any belts Gav as he only had WBC and IBO in the 1st Vitali fight. Also Lennox usually says "can win" when talking about a fight - Audley vs Haye is a good example of him doing that and I'm sure he didn't give Audley much hope. Lennox hardly talked about the VK rematch - it was Vitalis constant whining about getting a rematch in recent years that started things off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavpowell Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Hahahaha, its got everything to do with what he did to vitali's face. Thats what won him the fight. That's not why he didn't give him the rematch though, so it has bnothing to do with the face thing - if it were that easy Lewis would have taken the fight and proved a point and made a whole kload more money into the bargain. He went through hell that night - they both did, and Lewis realised his time was nearing its end. Perhaps they would only ever be happy seeing a once great fighter getting beaten up by some bum like Berbeck, did to Ali. Nobiody has said anything to suggest that - I freely admit to hating Lewis but I give him credit for a fair win. If there's a closely contested fierce battle in the ring that ends as a result of a medical decision or something like that, fans are always going to want a rematch for a more satisfyingly definite outcome. Rob - fair play then, my memory's playing tricks on me - I seemed to remember LEwis vacating the WBA and one of the others before he continued to sit out the WBC's deadline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davemurphy Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 He didn't drop any belts Gav as he only had WBC and IBO in the 1st Vitali fight. Also Lennox usually says "can win" when talking about a fight - Audley vs Haye is a good example of him doing that and I'm sure he didn't give Audley much hope. Lennox hardly talked about the VK rematch - it was Vitalis constant whining about getting a rematch in recent years that started things off. Rob- I think Gav was right in one thing though, Lennox put off announcing his actual retirement for several months after that, the fight was in June and he didn't announce it until the next Spring and the whole time the speculation was about a rematch and Lennox did nothing to quiet the talk that there would be one. It wasn't Vitali whining about the rematch AFTER LL's Retirement, he was doing it from the second he left the Ring to the time of LL's announcement as well. That being said, LL had earned the right to walk, and I never bought that he "feared VK 2"........but just thought I'd defend VK in this instance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McBride Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Why the fuck do people listen to fighters pathetic excuses in general, and in particular when it suits their own even more pathetic opinions? How often do you hear a fighter say " He was far too good for me, and he always will be, and you can shove any rematch up your ass " Vitali Klitchko wasn't the one huffing and puffing out of condition, yet he still got fucked. Grow up you Ukrainian prick and get a life, Lewis is and was, and in terms of comparison, always will be a better fighter than you. Whinging in the press wont ever alter that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshDevilRob Posted March 4, 2011 Author Share Posted March 4, 2011 He didn't drop any belts Gav as he only had WBC and IBO in the 1st Vitali fight. Also Lennox usually says "can win" when talking about a fight - Audley vs Haye is a good example of him doing that and I'm sure he didn't give Audley much hope. Lennox hardly talked about the VK rematch - it was Vitalis constant whining about getting a rematch in recent years that started things off. Rob- I think Gav was right in one thing though, Lennox put off announcing his actual retirement for several months after that, the fight was in June and he didn't announce it until the next Spring and the whole time the speculation was about a rematch and Lennox did nothing to quiet the talk that there would be one. It wasn't Vitali whining about the rematch AFTER LL's Retirement, he was doing it from the second he left the Ring to the time of LL's announcement as well. That being said, LL had earned the right to walk, and I never bought that he "feared VK 2"........but just thought I'd defend VK in this instance. Hi Dave, Lennox did indeed stall over his retirement and maybe it was a case of not wanting to let go of a title and status that delayed his announcement. I have never been at the top making millions but I'd imagine its hard to let go, I've never been in the position to turn down millions but LL has and did. He walked away and thats a mighty hard thing to do - who cares about losing when you get paid a minimum of $10 million for doing that? I personally think he no longer had the desire or dedication to train anymore plus a young family, he had the millions in the bank and a legacy that sees him in the top 10 heavyweights of all-time as a minimum. Also he won the last fight. I don't blame Vitali for wanting a rematch - of course he'll call for one and be entitled but when he himself came back he was keeping on about fighting Lennox and the Banter posters on here will remember the criticism he received for calling out a guy who'd been retired 6 years. Watch the dignified images of Cooper when cut and by Clay and then Vitali's response when getting stopped. One shows dignity and one is acting like a thug on steroids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavpowell Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Yeah, the Klitschkos have a cynical side - we've seen that with the choice of Chisora and Vitali's desperate attempts to lure Lewis back into the ring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamasadlittleboy Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 The dignified Cooper who's 6 seconds delay has turned into a 5 minute saga that gets progressively longer ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshDevilRob Posted March 4, 2011 Author Share Posted March 4, 2011 The dignified Cooper who's 6 seconds delay has turned into a 5 minute saga that gets progressively longer ;-) He wasn't running around the ring like a quim at the time. And he actually put his opponent down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamasadlittleboy Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 He's still not particularly dignified, a lying tit imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MANGLER Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Re: Lennox Lewis states why he didn't give Vitali a rematch Lennox Lewis states why he didn't give Vitali Klitschko a rematch. "So, when it came time for me to see if I should fight Klitschko again, I thought - at my worst, at my worst! I beat Klitschko and look what I did to his face! I was at my worst - just think [what would’ve happened] if I’d trained just a little bit harder. I didn’t need to fight him again." Thoughts? LL retired, so I won't call it a duck. Had he stuck around and fought anybody other than VK, it woulda looked soft. The fight came together at short notice, so neither guy was at their best that nite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davemurphy Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Rob and Gav- Yeah, I thought it was low class move on VK's part to continue calling out Lennox when he'd openly stated his retirement. This wasn't a Mayweather type Retirement where you KNEW the little SOB was coming back, this was a guy who had been on top and fighting the best available for quite some time and was quite obviously winding down. You got one shot and didn't capitalize on it, there's no law on the books that that grants you a second shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londoner Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I used to think Lennox Lewis didn't give Vitali Klitschko because he feared he may have lost the rematch. But, now i agree with those who say that Lewis busted up Vitali good and proper through punches (rather than through a headbutt or whatever) and more importantly he hadn't trained properly for Klitschko either. I think Lewis has a point by saying he hadn't trained properly and still won. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavpowell Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Which would be fine if he hadn't said he would give hima rematch and then broken his promise. But then Lewis is consistently shitty when it comes to the Klitschkos, as I am when it comes to Lennox Lewis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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