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Lennox Lewis Vs Vitali Klitschko: Dispelling the Myths Of The Last Great Heavyweight Fight – MUST READ ARTICLE

LL vs VKBy Travis Fleming

With the emergence of Deontay Wilder as a new champion on the heavyweight scene, there finally appears to be hope for the heavyweight division in the form of a super fight that has eluded the division for 12 years. Both Wilder and Tyson Fury are itching to get in the ring with kingpin Wladimir Klitschko, and each other. For the first time in years, fans are excited about the division with hopes that the power punching Wilder can end the long boring reign of Wladimir that has resulted in turning away more fans than gaining them.

Wladimir is a very good champion and his longevity needs to be respected but the lack of great opposition in his era, coupled with a frustrating style that includes jabbing, grabbing and keeping his distance until a slight wind could knock over his exhausted opponent, has left fans looking for a man who can bring excitement back to boxing’s glamour division. Once Wlad has used his amazingly stiff jab, and used his weight in the clinches, to wear out an opponent over many boring rounds, he unleashes his harpoon right cross that ranks among the hardest of all time and sends them crashing to the canvass. This is frustrating to watch because with the type of opposition he has faced, it’s clear as day that if he showed a little more risk and let his hands go early, he could take out most opponents in 1 round instead of carrying them late into a fight until they have trouble standing. Wladimir has suffered 3 brutal knockouts, he doesn’t have a solid chin, so it’s understandable why he fights in a safety first approach. He makes sure not to get close enough to an opponent to get hit until they have nothing left on their punches. The great Emmanuel Steward taught him how to win fights without risking his weak chin and Wlad deserves all the credit in the world for turning his career around and coming back to be one of the most dominant champs in history after being brutally KO’d, but it sure isn’t fun to watch.

In Deontay Wilder, fans have the type of heavyweight they love to see, one that carries massive power and killer instinct. They’re hoping that his quick, heavy hands will be enough to land a good night hayemaker on Wlads chin. Hopefully boxing fans get this super fight soon and it doesn’t just turn into another jab and grab fest, we have waited far too long for a great heavyweight championship fight.

The last truly great heavyweight championship fight would happen on June 21, 2003 between the great Lennox Lewis and Wlad’s older brother Vitali Klitschko who would go on to become the heir to Lewis’ throne. Vitali had a much more entertaining style than his younger brother. There is a lot of unnecessary controversy that surrounds this epic war of attrition and I’m here to set the record straight.

This wasn’t expected to turn out to be the fight it ended up being as Vitali hadn’t yet established himself as the great fighter he would prove to be and people questioned his heart after quitting and losing his title to the much smaller Chris Byrd. He would go on to show incredible heart and become the next heavyweight kingpin, making this fight much more important in retrospect.

Lennox Lewis was nearing the end of a long career and the last truly great heavyweight reign. He was no longer the fighter he once was but still had enough left in him to get him past most. He was either not training as hard as he once did, or was simply aging as evidenced by the extra weight he carried in his mid-section and weighing in at the heaviest he had weighed in his entire career.

The original plan was for Lewis to face Canadian slugger Kirk Johnson while Vitali fought on the undercard to hype up a meeting between Lewis and Klitschko in December, provided they both emerged victorious. Kirk Johnson had to pull out of the Lewis fight with a chest injury and with only 2 weeks to go before the fight, Vitali stepped in as Lewis’ opponent.

Both Lewis and Vitali deserve credit for taking on such a dangerous task with only 2 weeks’ notice. Lewis had already been training for Kirk Johnson who at 6’2 was much smaller than Lewis and fought nothing like Vitali. With only 2 weeks to go, Lewis had to train for a completely opposite fighter who was taller than himself. Not even close to enough time to prepare for such an opponent. Vitali was also burdened with only having 2 weeks to train for the great Lennox Lewis, but being the warrior he would prove to be, he welcomed the opportunity to be crowned king.

The fight was an all-out slugfest, one for the ages, and there’s a lot of debate about it. Many claim the stoppage warranted a rematch, others claim Vitali was on his way to winning and Lewis chickened out of a rematch. I’m here to give a round by round account of the fight and to help give some insight to those that missed it and those that romanticize it incorrectly.

Vitali Klitschko vs Lennox Lewis Round by Round.

Round 1:

They meet at the centre. Pawing jabs from both. Lewis being aggressive. Lewis with an overhand right then a left hook that knocks Vitali off balance. They both pull some rough stuff in the clinch. More clinching. Vitali with a powerful straight right partially blocked by Lewis. Vitali with jab to the body. Vitali with a decent jab. Lewis with 2 power jabs.Lewis misses a big looping right. They trade right hands. Lewis with a right. Vitali throwing more but hitting Lewis’ guard. Lewis with a jab.

Close round. Vitali with more volume, Lewis with the cleaner blows. Could have gone either way depending on if a judge favors clean punching or volume punching.

Side note: Judges are supposed to favor clean punching as that is the number 1 scoring criteria. As a judge, you are only supposed take into account the other criteria if both fighters are even on clean punches. Only then do you go to next criteria which are effective aggression, followed by ring generalship, followed by defense. If tied in clean punching you go to effective aggression, if still tied you go to ring generalship, if still tied you go to defense. If there is 1 fighter who clearly landed more clean effective shots, the other criteria is not even supposed to come into play, although many judges ignore this rule and give points to the man making the fight.

Round 2:

Lewis with a jab. Vitali misses a big right. Lewis with a thudding jab. Lewis with a counter side looping right. Vitali clinches. Vitali with a looping right around Lewis’ guard to the temple.Vitali with a nice upjab followed by a straight right. Lewis with a jab. Vitali lands a huge lead right, biggest punch of the fight and stuns Lewis momentarily. Lewis clinches. Vitali with a looping right in the clinch. Lewis misses a 1-2. Vitali straight right through the guard. Vitali with a powerful upjab. Lewis with a powerful jab of his own that pushes Vitali back. Vitali with a straight right that pushes Lewis back followed by a jab. Lewis counters the jab with a looping right. Vitali counters the looping right with a powerful 1-2. A left hook by Lewis gets part way through Vitali’s guard. Vitali with a left hook that does the same thing. Vitali more active in the round. Lewis with a big counter right followed by left hook. Overhand right by Vitali. Left hook by Vitali. Lead left hook by Lewis.

Pretty close in clean punches but Vitali landed the hardest punch and was more active. Vitali clearly deserves round 2.

Round 3:

Lewis starts out aggressive. Lewis with a jab, feints another jab then lands a big right hand to Vitali’s left eye. Vitali clinches. Lewis with a short right to Vitali’s eye in the clinch. Vitali is now cut above his left eye from a Lewis right hand. A power jab from Lewis knocks Vitali off balance. 3 straight jabs from Vitali. Lewis with a jab. Vitali with a power jab that snaps Lewis’ head back. Lewis answers with a big right that snaps Vitali’s head back. Lewis with a double power jab. Vitali throwing but hitting Lewis’ guard or air. 2 left hooks by Lewis. Power jab by Lewis. Vitali’s cut looking bad. Big right hand by Vitali. Vitali lands a jab. Lewis targets Vitali’s cut with a couple of looping rights in the clinch. Several pawing jabs land for Vitali. Lewis with a power jab that pushes Vitali back. Vitali with a jab. Looping right by Lewis to Vitali’s cut. They exchange jabs to close the round.

Clear round for Lewis. No debating this one.

Between rounds 3 and 4 they show Vitali’s cut. It looks very bad, it is wide gash above left eye.

Round 4:

Lewis comes out aggressive again. Power jab by Lewis. Lewis misses big left hook and falls into Vitali, knocking Vitali over and falling on top of him. Lewis helps Vitali get up. Vitali with a jab. 2 rights from Lewis, the 2nd connects to Vitali’s cut. Another right by Lewis to Vitali’s cut. Jab by Lewis. Vitali throwing but hitting the guard of Lewis. Lewis with a stiff jab to Vitali’s cut. They clinch and both men look tired. Vitali with a decent 1-2. Vitali with a jab. Overhand right by Lewis. Vitali answers with an overhand right of his own. Lewis lands a right in the clinch to Vitali’s cut. Lewis with a jab.

Competitive round but edge to Lewis on clean punching. Vitali throws more but doesn’t land many clean blows.

In between rounds, the doctor gets a good look at Vitali’s eye, which is still looking bad and bleeding. Besides the cut, Vitali also now has mouse under his left eye.

Round 5:

Lewis comes out aggressive again. Lewis misses a left hook. Lewis lands a right to Vitali’s cut. Straight right by Vitali. Lewis with a nice uppercut inside. Big left hook by Lewis. Vitali with a straight right. A looping right hand by Lewis sends Vitali off balance. They clinch and Lewis throws several rights to Vitali’s ribs. Nice lead right by Vitali. Double jab by Vitali. Vitali, showing desperation, throws a flurry and lands a jab, a left hook and a right that pushes Lewis back. Vitali is pushing his punches rather than snapping. Both men look tired. Lewis with a right to Vitali’s cut. Vitali clinches. Uppercut by Lewis in the clinch. Vitali with a jab then short right. Lewis with 2 rights and a jab to Vitali’s cut. Vitali hitting Lewis’ guard. Lewis ends round with a jab.

Competitive round but edge to Vitali. Lewis landed bigger shots but Vitali landed more scoring blows.

The doctor looks at Vitali’s eye in between rounds. The cut is bad enough to stop the fight and the mouse under the same eye has swollen much larger with a significant cut on it now as well. The doctor allows Vitali to fight another round.

Round 6:

Lewis misses a jab and Vitali counters with a solid right over the top. Vitali giving everything he has left, fighting like he knows he only has a short time before the fight is stopped. Lewis is patient. Vitali with a right. Vitali with a 1-2. Lewis with a couple of jabs. Lewis with a straight right. Overhand right by Vitali. Lead right by Vitali. Huge uppercut by Lewis that makes Vitali stumble into a clinch. Lead uppercut for Vitali. They exchange jabs but Lewis’ is stiffer. Big leaping left hook by Lewis. Lewis with a jab to Vitali’s cut. Vitali pushes Lewis off in the clinch and follows with a right hand. Lewis with a short right to Vitali’s cut. Lewis with another short right to the cut in the clinch. Vitali just hitting Lewis’ guard. Lewis with an uppercut on the inside.

Competitive round but Lewis landed more clean punches. Edge Lewis.

The doctor examines Vitali’s grotesque looking eye and decides it’s too severe to allow him to continue after taking so many punches to an already nasty gash. The fight is stopped and Lewis is awarded the victory on a 6th round TKO.

Summary: There was only 1 clear round for Lewis and 1 clear round for Vitali. It was a competitive fight. At the time of the stoppage it could have been tied 3 rounds to 3 or you could have had either man up 4-2, depending on if you prefer clean punching or volume punching. There was no way you could make a claim of either man dominating or being on their way to winning had the cut not occurred.

A lot critics have claimed the way that Lewis won was cheap or that had Vitali not been cut he was on his way to winning. Vitali Klitschko’s cut was so nasty it looked like he got his skin ripped off around his eye to become a cyborg. The doctor gave him an extra round when he could have easily stopped the fight earlier, there is no question that the severity of the cut warranted a stoppage. Continuing to take punches to a gash that big from a power punching heavyweight with surgical precision could have resulted in a career ending injury. Like it or not, cutting an opponent with a punch and then repeatedly targeting the cut until it’s too dangerous for your opponent to continue is a legitimate tactic and it does nothing to cheapen a win. It takes an accurate puncher to continually hit the mark under fire and Lewis went to work like a surgeon once he opened the nasty gash and didn’t stop until Vitali’s eye could take no more.

As for the assertion that Vitali was on his way to winning if the cut didn’t happen, it’s irrelevant because it did happen! Cuts and TKO’s on cuts happen in boxing! Always have and always will, but let’s entertain the notion that Vitali would have won without getting cut. Lennox Lewis is a patient technician, he often takes a few rounds to adapt to an opponent and take over the fight. Many times he had given up early rounds only to find his timing and dominate the remainder of the fight. Being up 4-2, down 4-2 or tied 3-3 is hardly an indication that Vitali was on his way to winning.

Did an aging Lennox Lewis avoid a rematch rematch with Vitali Klitschko? Absolutely. Did he have right to retire when he did? Most definitely. By the time of the Klitschko fight, Lewis had fought and defeated a who’s who of the heavyweight division as a champion for over a decade. This, after claiming Olympic gold in a storied amateur career. He was old, was clearly declining and was well within his rights to bow out before suffering an injury that could affect his life after boxing. Lewis owed it to no one to keep fighting past his prime until he got beaten or hurt severely like so many greats before him. Today his mind is as sharp as ever largely due to him being responsible enough to get out before his expiration date. Lewis had nothing to left to prove. He achieved all the glory he could and he was set financially. Unlike many greats before him that blew through their incredible ring earnings and had no choice but to keep fighting well past their primes, taking beatings to replenish their bank accounts, Lewis could retire in comfort as a multi-millionaire with an all-time great career and he could go out on top with one last victory over the man who would go on to be the next champion. Many fans wanted a passing of the torch.

This is when a great champ loses his title to the man who is perceived to be his heir. It has always been a common segway between eras for as long as world champions have existed. Lewis retired with the torch still in his hands, a fat bank account and his brains intact. He did not owe it to anyone to put his life on the line against younger giants at the top of their game. In a sport where countless greats have suffered from brain damage due to taking too many punches when they no longer had the ability to avoid them, Lewis should be commended for being one of the only greats with enough sense to hang up his gloves before his skills greatly deteriorated. He should be given extra credit for ending an already proven career with one last big win where he had to rely on intangibles like heart and warrior spirit to make up for his decline in ability. Fighting guys like Vitali at the end of a career is dangerous. Lewis took a lot of big punches against Klitschko and probably decided he was too old to continue taking punches like that from younger men in their primes. Lewis likely felt his skills declining in training, also in the Vitali fight, and with nothing left to prove and his legacy in tact, he left the sport as an all time great at the top of the division.

Vitali Klitshcko deserves a lot of credit as well for his effort. With only 2 weeks’ notice, he took on an all-time great and fought through one of the worst cuts in recent history. He even protested the stoppage, proving his critics wrong. The man showed he was a warrior of the highest regard and showed his unbelievable ability to absorb monstrous blows that would become his trademark. He gave an all-time great all he could handle and forced him into retirement to avoid another unnecessary war. He showed he was more than just a giant, he rocked Lewis repeatedly and most watching already knew he would be the next champion. He would go on to fight for another 9 years and he would never lose again while cementing his status as one of the biggest punchers in heavyweight championship history.

Instead of trying to discredit this win let’s give Lennox Lewis his props. An aging Lewis with declining ability took on the next best heavyweight in the world and had to dig deep and show the kind of heart and toughness that he was often criticized for not having. I’m glad to see Lewis doing so well nowadays, he’s enjoying his well-earned fortune in retirement and seems to be a very healthy man. He got out on top and continues to show the class he showed throughout his all-time great career.

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