Prime Vitali went toe-to-toe with OLD Lennox and got his a@$# kicked

Lennox may not have sparked him clean out, but definitely it was looking like what it would have happened- a STOPPAGE, either by Vitali's corner due to those cuts OR Vitali wouldn't have answered the bell in the later rounds. Basically, quit on his stool.

The punishment he was taking after the cut- which he couldn't see the punches coming anymore, at all- was enough to show me that Lennox was the better man that night.

For a fat, out of shape Lennox to come in against a guy that was preparing for him for, at least, two years, and then for that guy to get a shot on a replacement situation, where Lennox barely had him on his radar, was proof to how a bad-ass mofo Lennox was and could be once his back was against the wall.

Shame Lennox needed two fights to dispatch Hasim Rahman. But, Rahman is a more stiffer puncher and finisher.

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Originally Posted by imp

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Originally Posted by IamInuit

Sorry I cant buy the Lennox was not in his prime. I used to argue that also but it is simply not the case. I'm a fan of Lennox and I've noticed that other fans seem to pick and choose which fights signify his prime. Almost seems to rest on whether he struggled or not. The fight was on short notice but that was still a pretty close to prime Lewis. Just because he was a little lazy and was thinking about retirement does not mean he was not still in his prime. I just don't see "prime" as being that finite with respect to this fight. Was he the best he has ever been? Was Vitali? His issues were always based on motivation. He probably picked up that trait in Canada, the procrastination capital of the planet. Personally, I don't have the time to procrastinate.

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Im not looking to clash with you but surely you would agree lewis at this stage of the vitali fight was not the same stage as vitali in his career.

That was lewis last fight and no one knows when a fighters pure prime is but im sure it he was a better fighter 4-5 years ago.

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No reason to clash.

Well I suppose that could be true physically and I know you mean 5 years prior to 2003 but the 2003 Lewis that fought Vitali does not get knocked out like the 2001 Lewis did against Rahman. Its a fine line this prime and less then. Purely physically speaking I would have to say his prime was between 96 and 99 but that does not necessarily mean prime as a fighter. That would discount all that he had learned in his trials and errors. Just look at Hopkins. He probably reached his physical prime by the time he was finished at middleweight. His prime as a fighter seemed to follow that today notwithstanding.

I get what you are saying and part of me agrees but prime is a tricky word in this sport. Some show an obvious decline like Martinez imo and others not so much. I mean look at Floyd. His legs are not quite what they used to be but I think he's a better fighter now then he has ever been.

Vitali was no spring chicken either. He turned pro as a kick boxer and had about 35 pro bouts before turning to boxing. I'm guessing there was probably some wear and tear present for most of his boxing career.

I just think that aspect of the fight is overplayed.

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Originally Posted by El Kabong

IF :rolleyes:

Vitali didn't fight a PRIME Lewis, Lewis didn't fight a Vitali prepared for Lewis and vice versa.

Questions would have been answered IF there was a rematch...but there wasn't so just enjoy what happened and leave it at that

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:rolleyes: now he's a bloody priest

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Originally Posted by ykdadamaja

Lennox may not have sparked him clean out, but definitely it was looking like what it would have happened- a STOPPAGE, either by Vitali's corner due to those cuts OR Vitali wouldn't have answered the bell in the later rounds. Basically, quit on his stool.

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Based on what? The Byrd fight? Vitali took soo much shit for that but when he tears his shoulder ligaments again vs Chisora and finishes out the fight what does he get? Does he get a pat on the back and an "atta boy" for gutting out a win? Nope people probably don't even know he fought with 1 arm that fight.

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

:rolleyes: now he's a bloody priest

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What in the blue blazes are you talking about?

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Originally Posted by El Kabong

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Originally Posted by ykdadamaja

Lennox may not have sparked him clean out, but definitely it was looking like what it would have happened- a STOPPAGE, either by Vitali's corner due to those cuts OR Vitali wouldn't have answered the bell in the later rounds. Basically, quit on his stool.

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Based on what? The Byrd fight? Vitali took soo much shit for that but when he tears his shoulder ligaments again vs Chisora and finishes out the fight what does he get? Does he get a pat on the back and an "atta boy" for gutting out a win? Nope people probably don't even know he fought with 1 arm that fight.

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

:rolleyes: now he's a bloody priest

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What in the blue blazes are you talking about?

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Quit from the stiff right hands he was getting to his face. With Lennox's power, it was only a matter of time. Plus, Vitali was more than tiring... he was a spent fighter and Lennox was pouring it on as the rounds progressed.

Lennox controlled the second half of that fight... dominated, actually.

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Originally Posted by ykdadamaja

Quit from the stiff right hands he was getting to his face. With Lennox's power, it was only a matter of time. Plus, Vitali was more than tiring... he was a spent fighter and Lennox was pouring it on as the rounds progressed.

Lennox controlled the second half of that fight... dominated, actually.

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Oh would he have? Well that's quite the interesting take because I recall that all the Lennox Lewis fans were commenting about how out of shape Lennox was and if I remember correctly Lennox threw everything at Vitali to try and KO him/get the doctor to step in and stop the fight and Vitali was still there ready to go. Lennox was fading which is the exact reason he gunned for the KO/stoppage.


As for "controlling the second half of the fight" here are some numbers you may want to look at

58-56 VITALI on all 3 scorecards
156-102 total punches landed in favor of VITALI
79-50 power punches in favor of VITALI

Lennox knew he had to take it to Vitali and make it a fight against him. He knew Vitali would not live with him when he stepped it up. He caused maximum damage. Vitali was brave and shows what a great chin he has but Lewis is on another level when he has to be and he did for this fight.

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Originally Posted by Master

Lennox knew he had to take it to Vitali and make it a fight against him. He knew Vitali would not live with him when he stepped it up. He caused maximum damage. Vitali was brave and shows what a great chin he has but Lewis is on another level when he has to be and he did for this fight.

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:rolleyes:


Vitali's style of defense allowed for the cut to start. Lewis attacked it, but again Vitali wasn't going anywhere. He held and hit Vitali as hard as he could with those uppercuts and what? NOTHING HAPPENED. 1 more round and who knows what happens. Could Vitali have lost his eye? Yeah. Could Lennox have gassed out? Yup. Could they have put on tutus and rode around on tricycles? Anything COULD have happened.

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Originally Posted by El Kabong

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Originally Posted by ykdadamaja

Quit from the stiff right hands he was getting to his face. With Lennox's power, it was only a matter of time. Plus, Vitali was more than tiring... he was a spent fighter and Lennox was pouring it on as the rounds progressed.

Lennox controlled the second half of that fight... dominated, actually.

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Oh would he have? Well that's quite the interesting take because I recall that all the Lennox Lewis fans were commenting about how out of shape Lennox was and if I remember correctly Lennox threw everything at Vitali to try and KO him/get the doctor to step in and stop the fight and Vitali was still there ready to go. Lennox was fading which is the exact reason he gunned for the KO/stoppage.


As for "controlling the second half of the fight" here are some numbers you may want to look at

58-56 VITALI on all 3 scorecards
156-102 total punches landed in favor of VITALI
79-50 power punches in favor of VITALI

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For the first point: It was more of a disgrace for Vitali fans that Lennox was so out of shape and was still hanging in there and tearing up Vitali to that extent. At the second half of the fight, notice I said second half of the fight, particularly after the fourth round- Lennox was pouring it on, muscle memory kicked in and he started to tear Vitali apart.

Total scorecards meant nothing at that point, even the point what we are making- Lennox was on the way to stopping Vitali by the way the fight was progressing. He was "dominating and controlling" the second half of the fight- from about the mid 4th straight up to the stoppage. My second point!

Could Vitali have eaked out on points? Maybe, but I doubt he would have lasted, with all of the punches he was taking and the damage he received, that he would have won the majority of the rounds after the 4th.

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Originally Posted by El Kabong

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Originally Posted by Master

Lennox knew he had to take it to Vitali and make it a fight against him. He knew Vitali would not live with him when he stepped it up. He caused maximum damage. Vitali was brave and shows what a great chin he has but Lewis is on another level when he has to be and he did for this fight.

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:rolleyes:


Vitali's style of defense allowed for the cut to start. Lewis attacked it, but again Vitali wasn't going anywhere. He held and hit Vitali as hard as he could with those uppercuts and what? NOTHING HAPPENED. 1 more round and who knows what happens. Could Vitali have lost his eye? Yeah. Could Lennox have gassed out? Yup. Could they have put on tutus and rode around on tricycles? Anything COULD have happened.

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That first statement is very accurate; Vitali actually used his shoulder to deflect that punch, and then the thumb portion of the glove caught him and opened the cut.

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Originally Posted by greynotsoold

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Originally Posted by El Kabong

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Originally Posted by Master

Lennox knew he had to take it to Vitali and make it a fight against him. He knew Vitali would not live with him when he stepped it up. He caused maximum damage. Vitali was brave and shows what a great chin he has but Lewis is on another level when he has to be and he did for this fight.

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:rolleyes:


Vitali's style of defense allowed for the cut to start. Lewis attacked it, but again Vitali wasn't going anywhere. He held and hit Vitali as hard as he could with those uppercuts and what? NOTHING HAPPENED. 1 more round and who knows what happens. Could Vitali have lost his eye? Yeah. Could Lennox have gassed out? Yup. Could they have put on tutus and rode around on tricycles? Anything COULD have happened.

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That first statement is very accurate; Vitali actually used his shoulder to deflect that punch, and then the thumb portion of the glove caught him and opened the cut.

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Yes the rest was nonsense. :)

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Originally Posted by ykdadamaja

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Originally Posted by El Kabong

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Originally Posted by ykdadamaja

Quit from the stiff right hands he was getting to his face. With Lennox's power, it was only a matter of time. Plus, Vitali was more than tiring... he was a spent fighter and Lennox was pouring it on as the rounds progressed.

Lennox controlled the second half of that fight... dominated, actually.

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Oh would he have? Well that's quite the interesting take because I recall that all the Lennox Lewis fans were commenting about how out of shape Lennox was and if I remember correctly Lennox threw everything at Vitali to try and KO him/get the doctor to step in and stop the fight and Vitali was still there ready to go. Lennox was fading which is the exact reason he gunned for the KO/stoppage.


As for "controlling the second half of the fight" here are some numbers you may want to look at

58-56 VITALI on all 3 scorecards
156-102 total punches landed in favor of VITALI
79-50 power punches in favor of VITALI

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For the first point: It was more of a disgrace for Vitali fans that Lennox was so out of shape and was still hanging in there and tearing up Vitali to that extent. At the second half of the fight, notice I said second half of the fight, particularly after the fourth round- Lennox was pouring it on, muscle memory kicked in and he started to tear Vitali apart.

Total scorecards meant nothing at that point, even the point what we are making- Lennox was on the way to stopping Vitali by the way the fight was progressing. He was "dominating and controlling" the second half of the fight- from about the mid 4th straight up to the stoppage. My second point!

Could Vitali have eaked out on points? Maybe, but I doubt he would have lasted, with all of the punches he was taking and the damage he received, that he would have won the majority of the rounds after the 4th.

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Exactly!

Anything could have happened in the later rounds BUT it didnt because vitali suffered injuries from lennox power shots to his face.

Lennox threw the harder shots and destroyed vitalis face.

Thats why the fight was stopped and thats why vitali could not continue.

Just accept it and stop picking on everyone and bringing up lennox old fights.

Vitali lost and it is still his greatest fight to this day.

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Originally Posted by ykdadamaja

[Total scorecards meant nothing at that point.

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Says the guy who said "Lennox controlled the second half of the fight"

58-56 is 4 rounds to 2 mathmagician

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Originally Posted by El Kabong

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Originally Posted by ykdadamaja

[Total scorecards meant nothing at that point.

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Says the guy who said "Lennox controlled the second half of the fight"

58-56 is 4 rounds to 2 mathmagician

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It doesn't mean the four rounds were the last 2 and a half to 3 rounds. But I'll give you that. You should participate in the thread I have on punch output and winning the fight. I started it based on the point you raised about this fight and had some reflection from other fights I saw...

Talk compubox numbers all you want the numbers are on vitalis face.

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Originally Posted by El Kabong

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Originally Posted by ykdadamaja

[Total scorecards meant nothing at that point.

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Says the guy who said "Lennox controlled the second half of the fight"

58-56 is 4 rounds to 2 mathmagician

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I was there, Lennox appeared lethargic and Vitali was definitely the more active, scorecards were really rather acedemic after the cut, and realistically the fight should have been stopped earlier. We were releived to walk away with Lewis (and dear Frank) the winners, but Vitali had bad luck, he had chances of a knockout but didn't manage it, thats boxing.

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Originally Posted by El Kabong

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Originally Posted by ykdadamaja

Quit from the stiff right hands he was getting to his face. With Lennox's power, it was only a matter of time. Plus, Vitali was more than tiring... he was a spent fighter and Lennox was pouring it on as the rounds progressed.

Lennox controlled the second half of that fight... dominated, actually.

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Oh would he have? Well that's quite the interesting take because I recall that all the Lennox Lewis fans were commenting about how out of shape Lennox was and if I remember correctly Lennox threw everything at Vitali to try and KO him/get the doctor to step in and stop the fight and Vitali was still there ready to go. Lennox was fading which is the exact reason he gunned for the KO/stoppage.


As for "controlling the second half of the fight" here are some numbers you may want to look at

58-56 VITALI on all 3 scorecards
156-102 total punches landed in favor of VITALI
79-50 power punches in favor of VITALI

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you say that like he did something wrong

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Originally Posted by El Kabong

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Originally Posted by Master

Lennox knew he had to take it to Vitali and make it a fight against him. He knew Vitali would not live with him when he stepped it up. He caused maximum damage. Vitali was brave and shows what a great chin he has but Lewis is on another level when he has to be and he did for this fight.

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:rolleyes:


Vitali's style of defense allowed for the cut to start. Lewis attacked it, but again Vitali wasn't going anywhere. He held and hit Vitali as hard as he could with those uppercuts and what? NOTHING HAPPENED. 1 more round and who knows what happens. Could Vitali have lost his eye? Yeah. Could Lennox have gassed out? Yup. Could they have put on tutus and rode around on tricycles? Anything COULD have happened.

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Right, and Fan Man could have returned too. But in the end only one thing DID happen and that was that Klit got knocked out, its ruled a TKO isnt then. TKO is an abbreviation for technical knockout, when the referee, official ring physician, the fighter, or the fighter's cornermen decide that a fighter cannot safely continue the match.

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

he woulda been KTFO after another 2 rounds, he was fading fast, Lennox was starting to find the mark with big shots and Vitali woulda been KTF OUT by the 8th/9th round tops.

There's proof of my point that the only reason the 2 klits are any "good" is that they are 6 ft 7 inches, have long ass orangutan arms in addition to their height, or shall we say in combination with their height. and backpeddle across the ring and run like sissies the minute anyone gets close.

They cannot go toe to toe with anybody their own size. Wussy trash. You give some guys a few more inches and same length arms and the klitschkos wouldnt even be in the Top 100.

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Amen to that. I have no doubt in my mind that vitali would have got knocked out in the next round had the fight resumed...

Just by looking at the flow and the momentum of the fight, it was obvious that vitali was severely hurt, fatigued, and ready to be taken out at any moment..

Funny part is, lennox was old and out of shape yet he still beat the shit out of a prime vitali.. that shows volumes of the man.

Everytime I watch that fight, I appreciate lennox more and more.. Lennox Lewis was truly the last great HW of this generation..

Th clits are bitches and pedestrians compared to lennox.. lennox was actually a big man with real skills to go along with his killer instinct..

Vitali may have killer instinct but he's too clumsy ahd robotic, watching him box mkaes me laugh sometimes.. fuck him

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Originally Posted by FinitoElDinamita

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

he woulda been KTFO after another 2 rounds, he was fading fast, Lennox was starting to find the mark with big shots and Vitali woulda been KTF OUT by the 8th/9th round tops.

There's proof of my point that the only reason the 2 klits are any "good" is that they are 6 ft 7 inches, have long ass orangutan arms in addition to their height, or shall we say in combination with their height. and backpeddle across the ring and run like sissies the minute anyone gets close.

They cannot go toe to toe with anybody their own size. Wussy trash. You give some guys a few more inches and same length arms and the klitschkos wouldnt even be in the Top 100.

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Amen to that. I have no doubt in my mind that vitali would have got knocked out in the next round had the fight resumed...

Just by looking at the flow and the momentum of the fight, it was obvious that vitali was severely hurt, fatigued, and ready to be taken out at any moment..

Funny part is, lennox was old and out of shape yet he still beat the shit out of a prime vitali.. that shows volumes of the man.

Everytime I watch that fight, I appreciate lennox more and more.. Lennox Lewis was truly the last great HW of this generation..

Th clits are bitches and pedestrians compared to lennox.. lennox was actually a big man with real skills to go along with his killer instinct..

Vitali may have killer instinct but he's too clumsy ahd robotic, watching him box mkaes me laugh sometimes.. fuck him

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I wish I had written this ;)

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Originally Posted by FinitoElDinamita

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

he woulda been KTFO after another 2 rounds, he was fading fast, Lennox was starting to find the mark with big shots and Vitali woulda been KTF OUT by the 8th/9th round tops.

There's proof of my point that the only reason the 2 klits are any "good" is that they are 6 ft 7 inches, have long ass orangutan arms in addition to their height, or shall we say in combination with their height. and backpeddle across the ring and run like sissies the minute anyone gets close.

They cannot go toe to toe with anybody their own size. Wussy trash. You give some guys a few more inches and same length arms and the klitschkos wouldnt even be in the Top 100.

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Amen to that. I have no doubt in my mind that vitali would have got knocked out in the next round had the fight resumed...

Just by looking at the flow and the momentum of the fight, it was obvious that vitali was severely hurt, fatigued, and ready to be taken out at any moment..

Funny part is, lennox was old and out of shape yet he still beat the shit out of a prime vitali.. that shows volumes of the man.

Everytime I watch that fight, I appreciate lennox more and more.. Lennox Lewis was truly the last great HW of this generation..

Th clits are bitches and pedestrians compared to lennox.. lennox was actually a big man with real skills to go along with his killer instinct..

Vitali may have killer instinct but he's too clumsy ahd robotic, watching him box mkaes me laugh sometimes.. fuck him

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So true

I don't want to give the excuse of taller and longer arms to the Klits. It would be too easy. Considering that boxing was, and still is, a smaller man's sport.

I also don't want to give a defeatist frame of mindset to young and shorter/smaller guys like Andy Ruiz and Bryant Jennings- guys who have major talent, but lack on size compared to the gargantuan heavyweights we have become accustomed to.

What did Tyson have to do? What did Shavers? Frazier? Guys like that- not really "big" guys, but guys that fought with what they had and crushed bigger guys.

With every puzzle there is a solution- Brewster, Bryd, Purity, Sanders and to some extent Peter, found out the puzzle.

Ok this is just ridiculous.

Lennox Lewis and Vitali Klitschko are about as good as each other and neither deserves disrespect for their encounter or the after math.

Let's look at some facts...

Sure Lewis was older, been off for over a year and out of shape for the fight, had only 2 weeks to prepare for Vitali etc. But Lewis was still more focussed and in better standing in this fight imo than in for instance the 1st fight with Hasim Rahman for example in which he got KO'd. He was also only 5 lbs over his usual fit weight and at 37 was not really old for a modern HW boxer.

Vitali also had only 2 weeks to prepare properly to fight Lewis who represented a far higher rise in competition than he'd ever faced. Whether Lewis had been his goal beforehand or not that must have been a very daunting prospect for Vitali.

Vitali beat the living shit out of Lewis in that fight and had he not been cut, Vitali would have probably stopped LEnnox or atleast won a UD. Lewis was almost completely out of breath at the end of the 6th and the only reason Vitali had somewhat faded was a result of his injury.

Lewis was lucky Vitali was cut, obviously the way it was though it had to be stopped or eventually it would have been KO win for Lennox like that.

I would tip a prime Lewis to beat a prime Vitali myself but only marginally, all bets off and would not be surprised if it went the other way.

Lennox won legit but after promising the rematch, witnessed Vitali destroy Johnson in 2 rounds and thought "fuck that shit" and threw in the towel. He knew better than to hang around. His time had come and he wisely retired!

Both fighters deserve their accolades!

vit wouldve bitched out like wl;ad did against brewster. There is no doubt that in another 3 rounds TOPS vit wouldve been crawlin' 'cross the flo' on his hands and knees like his blowjob brother wlad-i-queer. vit was starting to fold by that 6th round, he was all shot up and spent, gasping for air like wlad with teh vasoleeeen excuse against brewster.

Of course he'd faded a bit. He was gashed open like a tin of soup. Those cuts were unfortunate though, they were not caused by smooth leather against flesh. I know Vitali could not have won the fight like that that's why I'm not claiming this.

But I think Lewis thanks his lucky stars for what happened because in a rematch, Lewis would be fitter and better prepared but Vitali would be as well and hungry and confident and Lewis knew he would not be lucky enough to get him on a cut again. Vitali was Lewis's best opponent by far!

Vitali's thing with Byrd was weak but against Lewis he displayed the opposite, he showed great heart and determination and redeemed his image greatly! As for Wlad, he has some more embarrassing incidences to account for. Stamina issues, chin issues, and possible PED's issues.

You really don't like the Klits do you Brockton.. I think Wlad is boring and a bit cowardly and has had some embarrassing losses and Vitali's quit was ridiculous but I really respect there skills and I think they are 2 of the most formidable boxers of all time. I would not bet against them in many match ups!

If Lennox was motivated and agreed the rematch Vitali would have been stopped by punches and not cuts. Vitali is lucky Lennox retired because there would not be much left after Lewis finished with him.

Just like Lennox stopped Zelijko Mavrovic, Croatia's favourite grocer?

I can certainly buy the notion a better prepared and fitter Lewis in the rematch could have beaten Vitali the 2nd time round but it would have been an immense battle, no "one-sided destruction" to be spoken of.

Vitali Klitschko is definitely the best opponent Lewis faced!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Master

If Lennox was motivated and agreed the rematch Vitali would have been stopped by punches and not cuts. Vitali is lucky Lennox retired because there would not be much left after Lewis finished with him.

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On what basis do you see vitali being stopped by punches? Lewis landed an upcercut on vitali in the fifth that hurt me just lookin at it, if that shit didn't stop him nothing would. Dudes been down once from a kick straight to the face when he was 18, he ain't getting finished by punches.

Lewis is the best opponent vitali has ever faced.

Lewis beat vitali so bad it had to be stopped.

That version of lewis could have done the rematch and came back and probably ko vitali even quicker.

No one will ever know.

Vitali has that oliver mccall, danny glover, liam neeson type structure that is very hard to break.

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Originally Posted by imp

Lewis is the best opponent vitali has ever faced.

Lewis beat vitali so bad it had to be stopped.

That version of lewis could have done the rematch and came back and probably ko vitali even quicker.

No one will ever know.

Vitali has that oliver mccall, danny glover, liam neeson type structure that is very hard to break.

---

*lol... the fight was stopped...Vitali didn't get KO'ed. if anyone was wobbled,it was Lennox..more than once. the cuts on Vitali's eye were very close to being thumbs... not only that, Lennox got away with holding behind the head and holding and hitting. Vitali was winning the fight by 2 points... and Lennox looked out on his feet. when it was stopped,Vitali is pleading with the ref not to stop it... the only one that got lucky that night it Lennox... then he promptly retired before they made him give a rematch.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by imp

Lewis is the best opponent vitali has ever faced.

Lewis beat vitali so bad it had to be stopped.

That version of lewis could have done the rematch and came back and probably ko vitali even quicker.

No one will ever know.

Vitali has that oliver mccall, danny glover, liam neeson type structure that is very hard to break.

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Again no ko or knockdown happened, master was arguing that vitali would have gotten ruined due to punches and not cuts in the rematch, there is no evidence not even speculaive for that happening.

Look for all the Klitschko detractors sure, you are right. OF COURSE Vitali would have been stopped had the fight continued but that's only cause half his face was hanging off which was in no way due to clean punching. Obviously that would cause one to deteriorate and he couldn't finish the fight.

But as far as the fight goes, Vitali was beating the snot out of Lewis. And I am a Lennox Lewis fan! I hold Lennox as the GOAT myself but Lennox would have lost this fight were it not for good fortune!

Lewis got pulverised and by the time Merchant interviewed him he was still panting his head off. Vitali wanted more!

No no no... There is no denying that Lennox retired because he did not relish the thought of another gruelling battle with such a formidable opponent who's entire goal in life was to beat him.

A lot of bias on this thread!

If not for the cut, Lewis would have lost.

As far as I'm concerned when Lewis retired, his straps and the lineal title should have passed to Vitali after he beat his next top ranked opponent which would have been Corrie Sanders!!

To the fair observer this is in fact how the linear championship really went and after Vitali retired it was fairly contested between Wladimir and Samuel Peter and has been with Wladimir since.

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Originally Posted by bigstinkybug

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Originally Posted by imp

Lewis is the best opponent vitali has ever faced.

Lewis beat vitali so bad it had to be stopped.

That version of lewis could have done the rematch and came back and probably ko vitali even quicker.

No one will ever know.

Vitali has that oliver mccall, danny glover, liam neeson type structure that is very hard to break.

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*lol... the fight was stopped...Vitali didn't get KO'ed. if anyone was wobbled,it was Lennox..more than once. the cuts on Vitali's eye were very close to being thumbs... not only that, Lennox got away with holding behind the head and holding and hitting. Vitali was winning the fight by 2 points... and Lennox looked out on his feet. when it was stopped,Vitali is pleading with the ref not to stop it... the only one that got lucky that night it Lennox... then he promptly retired before they made him give a rematch.

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So Lennox would have to wait 6 months until Vialtali cut healed and then fight him? He had unified the division and fought Tyson. He had achieved everything he wanted. There was always going to be another young lion challenging. He retired at the right time.

The toughest fighter Lewis fought was probably Holyfield in their second fight.

For crying out loud we all know there wasnt a ko you know what I mean.

Shall we bring up every single fight in history that was close and then stopped on cuts?

Google vitalis face and you bloody tell me who was taking the most punishment!!!

Lennox was never dropped and the rematch would have been worse for vitali.

Simple

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So Lennox would have to wait 6 months until Vialtali cut healed and then fight him? He had unified the division and fought Tyson. He had achieved everything he wanted. There was always going to be another young lion challenging. He retired at the right time.

The toughest fighter Lewis fought was probably Holyfield in their second fight.

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Master I agree his retirement then should detract nothing from Lennox's achievements, he had nothing left to prove and you are quite right there will always be a young lion. He wisely retired with his faculties and did not retire a middle aged punch bag with slurred speech like so many other great champs sadly.

But I just watched Holfield/Lewis 1 and 2 last night again and although the 2nd meeting was a more competitive affair from Holyfield to say it was Lewis's toughest fight is outrageous. Lewis won convincingly and was doing it in his trademark lazy fashion, hands by his side with no respect for Holyfield's power to hurt him.

This same laziness led him to getting knocked out 2ce and led him to even deeper waters against Ray Mercer. In the Mercer fight he REALLY had to dig deep to swim ashore, that was a tougher fight than Holyfield.

Despite only going 6 rounds though, nobody has spanked Lennox so thoroughly and pushed him so hard as Vitali did. Anybody saying that wasn't his most dangerous opponent must be hateful towards the Ukranian giant!

that was a great fight. i saw it live. lennox was coming on, and vitali was fading but u never know, vitali was still hanging in there despite that hideous cut. bottom line is vitali has waaaay more balls than pussy boy wladimir. no comparison.

my fave part was after the fight when merchant asked lewis if he still thought vitali was a bum?

Haha that had to be Merchant's best interview!

The Wladimir of those times would have been eating canvas in round 2 against Lennox, maybe even round 1. Wladimir was still a force then but didn't have the chin or defence sussed out.

Although I tip Lennox over a future prime version of Wladimir I'm not so sure. It really is a 50/50 because Wladimir's defensive style is so solid now it's not inconceivable that Wlad could nullify Lennox's game. Wlad's own jab and right and left hook is atleast as sharp as Lewis's was.

Manny Steward did his job well. Probably a bit TOO well with Wlad.

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Originally Posted by Max Power

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So Lennox would have to wait 6 months until Vialtali cut healed and then fight him? He had unified the division and fought Tyson. He had achieved everything he wanted. There was always going to be another young lion challenging. He retired at the right time.

The toughest fighter Lewis fought was probably Holyfield in their second fight.

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Master I agree his retirement then should detract nothing from Lennox's achievements, he had nothing left to prove and you are quite right there will always be a young lion. He wisely retired with his faculties and did not retire a middle aged punch bag with slurred speech like so many other great champs sadly.

But I just watched Holfield/Lewis 1 and 2 last night again and although the 2nd meeting was a more competitive affair from Holyfield to say it was Lewis's toughest fight is outrageous. Lewis won convincingly and was doing it in his trademark lazy fashion, hands by his side with no respect for Holyfield's power to hurt him.

This same laziness led him to getting knocked out 2ce and led him to even deeper waters against Ray Mercer. In the Mercer fight he REALLY had to dig deep to swim ashore, that was a tougher fight than Holyfield.

Despite only going 6 rounds though, nobody has spanked Lennox so thoroughly and pushed him so hard as Vitali did. Anybody saying that wasn't his most dangerous opponent must be hateful towards the Ukranian giant!

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I think there is a difference between the best fighter Lewis fought and the toughest fight he ever had in his career. I still think the Holyfield in the 2nd fight was probably the best fighter he fought and his toughest fight he had would probably against Mercer.