Quote Originally Posted by 15rounder View Post
If I remember correctly...Lewis was getting his ass kicked by Vitali but Vitalis cutman couldn't get the bleeding stopped. I remember the entire crowd booing that night at Lewis's post fight interview because they all knew he was getting his ass kicked. Even the old man doing the post fight interview (Merchant) was asking him questions like..."Do you think you should have won this fight". Vitali wanted a rematch bad and was relentless in his pursuit of that rematch. Lewis knew he'd get his ass handed to him so he retired.
Getting his ass kicked is a massive overstatement. Lewis had a horrible first few rounds, looking like he was fighting through treacle, but he had started to turn the tide. They both hit each other with huge shots and didn't budge. Vitali was ahead at the time of the stoppage for sure but Lewis was on an upward curve for sure. How the fight would have ended is not clear at all.
Lewis only ever gets shit for not rematching him, but never any credit for actually fighting the most dangerous opponent out there, at that stage of his career, and as a late change of opponent!