apparently Lewis was in shape for the Vitali fight according to Steward

[Thread Stealer]

I think its great the Klichkos are still fighting and champions today, but you need new fighters to hope and beat them. I think Haye is your new hope ?

Wlad is still fighting. ****ali still needs to be make it through training camp. He's 0 for his last 5.

Haye is nothing special really. I expect him to get flattened by Wlad if he gets the chance at him.

I guess I want him to do well since it'd be good to have a more charismatic HW champ whom the public can get behind (or hate), but I don't expect too much of him at HW really.

[squealpiggy]

well that makes it sound like Lewis tried to open the cut up so he could get himself out of a tight spot which is worse

No, he worked on the cut to get a stoppage win, which is part of boxing. By what you're suggesting if a guy gets hit on the chin, is up at the count of nine, then it would be somehow cheating for the opponent to hit him on the chin again?

Then what is the fight that has made Lennox Lewis great, if they both were not in their prime ?

The difference between good and great is that good fighters have a career defining fight, great fighters have fights which define their career.

LOL at the Lewis fans making excuses

Vitali proved he is a better, tougher fighter than Lewis

Which he proved by losing by TKO then retiring rather than face Hasim Rahman?

[joseph5620]

Vitali, not Lewis, took the fight on short notice.

True, but they were both training for other fights. It was an equal deal in that regard.

[ferocity]

imo, theres no doubt lewis didn't train properly, steward willl tell you he trained of course he trained but not like a defending champion should, he looked fat, and there no doubt in my mind if the fight went on lewis would of stopped klitchko and in a rematch stopped him too thats not to say vitali isn't a good heavyweight cause he is

[beez721]

Lewis was past his prime and Vitali gave him a hard fight in his prime and lost and his fans talk about it like it something good. Vitali best win was a defeat

no,,,his best wins were one sided destructions of kirk johnson,,herbie hide,,larry donald and corrie sanders. he looked much better in those fights than the lewis fight despite giving lewis all he could handle

[T-97]

They were hardly going to say "Lewis is unmotivated and hasn't bothered to train properly for this. Tune in anyway though", were they?

[Derranged]

These threads suck. Every month or so a thread like this gets made. Lewis was not in the best shape, he was old and inactive and unmotivated. He wasnt in terrible shape but he certainly was not his best.

[BattlingNelson]

I cannot be bothered to read through this tread, but has anyone mentioned that Vitali actually took the Lewis fight on less than 2 weeks notice?

And why? Because otherwise Vitali would never have fought Lewis.

[Bad-Wlad]

lewis was inshape and losing to a superior fighter

[-PedoBear-]

anyone know where i can get some footage to rewatch this fight?!?!?!