Was Lennox Lewis a coward for not rematching Klit?

[tysonesque]

Unlike most fighters, Lewis retired at exactly the right time. Vitali gave him hell, he heeded the warning and walked away with a win in his last fight and as a champion.

Look at someone like Tyson. Should have retired or been banned for life after the second Holyfield fight, but he fought on as a shadow of his former self for the money and ended up taking an embarrassing beating from Lewis and losing to mediocre fighters after that.

Don't even get me started on Holyfield!

[p4pking]

@El Kabong I think guys like Valuev or prime Haye would outhustle him as he approached 39 or 40 years old.

..... A "prime" Valuev couldn't outhustle Lennox Lewis today!

If Lennox had rematched Vitali I'd imagine both would be better prepared and it could have been quite different, who's to say? Maybe Lewis knew he couldn't get back to his best form, felt fortunate to have gotten the win and had some personal reasons to retire. To imply he's a coward for that is pretty much nuts.

[brocktonblockbust]

Valuev wasn't "out hustling" anyone neither was Haye

you clown i was agreeing with you

[Vendettos]

Ali gave Quarry a rematch when Quarry got cut during the fight.....just saying.


Also the scorecards and fan response points to a different winner: Vitali

Too bad the damage inflicted by Lewis negates the scorecards and the 95% of idiot fans scoring the fight. Because 95% of people who claim to be boxing fans don't know shit and their opinions are irrelevant. But Vitali was up.

You need to remember, Vitali could have won every round, but a few more punches to that eye and it could have been career threatening.

Good stoppage and fair win.

[Master]

Number 1 you knew who I meant.

Number 2 some dick would have said what about this guy or that one ....

How difficult is it to spell Rahman it's 'Rah' then '-man'....plus he's like 200 pounds heavier than Rachman.



That makes no sense, Lewis retired without fighting those guys anyway, he had no plan to fight Ruiz or Byrd much less the others because he felt they were beneath him and they did not deserve any attention from him regardless of how the fight vs Vitali went. Sure Byrd and Ruiz had a point what with holding the belts and all but Lewis let go of those a long time ago with no intention of reuniting them.

I was on a tablet and the thing corrects things when they do not correcting. There are some dick posters who say Byrd would have beaten him and he avoided Ruiz.

What is wrong with you?

[El Kabong]

I was on a tablet and the thing corrects things when they do not correcting. There are some dick posters who say Byrd would have beaten him and he avoided Ruiz.

What is wrong with you?

Very well

Chris Byrd was a very good boxer...but he wouldn't beat Lennox. Lennox DID avoid Ruiz because Johnny did want that match, but it's best that Ruiz did get avoided because Lennox would have smacked the piss out of him. Ruiz had a hard time with an ancient Evander Holyfield...he did get the nod in 1 of the 3 fights vs Evander but when guys like RJJ and James Toney can just school him then you have to figure Lennox would have stopped him early.

I think Lewis could have held on for a while longer especially had he avoided a rematch with Vitali. Wladimir was not 100% ready for Lennox until maybe 2005/2006. Sam Peter could have gotten an early shot, wouldn't have won, but would have been interesting. Corrie Sanders would have been a great fight for Lennox a little dangerous too, but again at that point in his career Lennox was just too smart for the division.

[chris6878]

wasnt lewis preparing to fight someone else, then on last minute it was the klit. If he had prepared himself for klit, he would have beat klit even worse.

Also why rematch, why end up with brain damage?

[El Kabong]

wasnt lewis preparing to fight someone else, then on last minute it was the klit. If he had prepared himself for klit, he would have beat klit even worse.

Also why rematch, why end up with brain damage?

Lennox was preparing to fight Kirk Johnson, Vitali was preparing to fight Cedric Boswell so to assume if Lennox had more time he'd have won more handily is stupid. What if Vitali had been specifically training for Lennox as well? Ever stop to think of that?


Why would Lewis have brain damage from a rematch especially if he was doing so well?

[imp]

Its a shame that to this day vitalis greatest performance was his loss against lennox..

In a way, i wish vitali was around the mix during prime tyson etc.

Imagine a prime oliver mccall and prime vitali going at it!

[Master]

I was on a tablet and the thing corrects things when they do not correcting. There are some dick posters who say Byrd would have beaten him and he avoided Ruiz.

What is wrong with you?

Very well

Chris Byrd was a very good boxer...but he wouldn't beat Lennox. Lennox DID avoid Ruiz because Johnny did want that match, but it's best that Ruiz did get avoided because Lennox would have smacked the piss out of him. Ruiz had a hard time with an ancient Evander Holyfield...he did get the nod in 1 of the 3 fights vs Evander but when guys like RJJ and James Toney can just school him then you have to figure Lennox would have stopped him early.

I think Lewis could have held on for a while longer especially had he avoided a rematch with Vitali. Wladimir was not 100% ready for Lennox until maybe 2005/2006. Sam Peter could have gotten an early shot, wouldn't have won, but would have been interesting. Corrie Sanders would have been a great fight for Lennox a little dangerous too, but again at that point in his career Lennox was just too smart for the division.

I am agreeing with you Lennox would have beaten Byrd, Ruiz and the others but he achieved everything by that time and if he was not motivated any more so he could have easily lost. Just as Rocky could have lost against Patterson or Liston. Not because they were better but Rocky was older and unmotivated.

[IamInuit]

in hindsight I think he definitey WAS. Certainly he was aware that he got hammered hard and looked bad, and to some extent totally lucked out with that thumb that ripped open the eye at the end of that long arcing rainbow punch. If it werent for that , he was certainy behind on all cards. A true champ would not have taken the safe way out, what is there to savor with a lucky win ike that, looking like crap and the crowd booing you? A true champ wouldnt be satisfied going out like that with that dark cloud over your head in your final bout.

He should have reacthed Klit, gotten into the best shae he could, he was only 37, come on, George Foreman fought until 49. Lewis shoud have come back and knocked that jackass out like he came back and sparked Rahman. We say he always got revenge, but he didnt get revenge against Klit did he now.

Had he come back from that shoddiness with a stellar or even solid win over Klit, the world would put him at like #3 or 4 alltime great heavyweight.

Please brock, please. Lennox took the fight on short notice and was considering retirement before the fight. A coward does not go and stop both fighters that stopped him. Besides why should he have rematched him? It was a clear tko victory.

[El Kabong]

Its a shame that to this day vitalis greatest performance was his loss against lennox..

In a way, i wish vitali was around the mix during prime tyson etc.

Imagine a prime oliver mccall and prime vitali going at it!

I actually think Vitali did better AFTER fighting Lennox, it gave him a boost. it let Vitali know 100% for certain that he was on another level than the rest of the heavyweights. After the fight and the layoff due to surgery Vitali tore through Johnson and Danny Williams and he looked amazing in those fights. I just wish the competition was of a higher caliber...DW had the heart but not enough talent to make it anywhere near close and Kirk Johnson just got pounded out of the sport entirely.



@Master I know you agree with me, but I'm just saying that even an older, slower, less dynamic Lennox Lewis could have beaten Byrd and Ruiz because both of those guys lacked the firepower needed to KO Leennox. Now Rocky vs Liston we're talking a size matchup which is not favorable to Rocky AND a huge power puncher as well. That said, The Rock never seemed unmotivated in the ring.

[Master]

Its a shame that to this day vitalis greatest performance was his loss against lennox..

In a way, i wish vitali was around the mix during prime tyson etc.

Imagine a prime oliver mccall and prime vitali going at it!

I actually think Vitali did better AFTER fighting Lennox, it gave him a boost. it let Vitali know 100% for certain that he was on another level than the rest of the heavyweights. After the fight and the layoff due to surgery Vitali tore through Johnson and Danny Williams and he looked amazing in those fights. I just wish the competition was of a higher caliber...DW had the heart but not enough talent to make it anywhere near close and Kirk Johnson just got pounded out of the sport entirely.



@Master I know you agree with me, but I'm just saying that even an older, slower, less dynamic Lennox Lewis could have beaten Byrd and Ruiz because both of those guys lacked the firepower needed to KO Leennox. Now Rocky vs Liston we're talking a size matchup which is not favorable to Rocky AND a huge power puncher as well. That said, The Rock never seemed unmotivated in the ring.

Rocky would have been old and unmotivated hence the reason why he retired. Both Rocky and Lennox retired at the right time.

[chris6878]

wasnt lewis preparing to fight someone else, then on last minute it was the klit. If he had prepared himself for klit, he would have beat klit even worse.

Also why rematch, why end up with brain damage?

Lennox was preparing to fight Kirk Johnson, Vitali was preparing to fight Cedric Boswell so to assume if Lennox had more time he'd have won more handily is stupid. What if Vitali had been specifically training for Lennox as well? Ever stop to think of that?


Why would Lewis have brain damage from a rematch especially if he was doing so well?

we all know when lewis doesnt prepare or a take fight seriously he is a shell of himself.....ask rahman. With real prep, he mashes vitali even worse.

[El Kabong]

Its a shame that to this day vitalis greatest performance was his loss against lennox..

In a way, i wish vitali was around the mix during prime tyson etc.

Imagine a prime oliver mccall and prime vitali going at it!

I actually think Vitali did better AFTER fighting Lennox, it gave him a boost. it let Vitali know 100% for certain that he was on another level than the rest of the heavyweights. After the fight and the layoff due to surgery Vitali tore through Johnson and Danny Williams and he looked amazing in those fights. I just wish the competition was of a higher caliber...DW had the heart but not enough talent to make it anywhere near close and Kirk Johnson just got pounded out of the sport entirely.



@Master I know you agree with me, but I'm just saying that even an older, slower, less dynamic Lennox Lewis could have beaten Byrd and Ruiz because both of those guys lacked the firepower needed to KO Leennox. Now Rocky vs Liston we're talking a size matchup which is not favorable to Rocky AND a huge power puncher as well. That said, The Rock never seemed unmotivated in the ring.

Rocky would have been old and unmotivated hence the reason why he retired. Both Rocky and Lennox retired at the right time.

Rocky retired because of his back injury.



Chris....that's ridiculous, he was LAZY vs Bruno, Briggs, and Rahman and he lost vs Rahman because of it but he wasn't lazy or in/under prepared for Vitali he was just old.