Loads of fights, if they’re one of many following: nice, controversial in nature when it comes to outcome or just fan-demanded, occur. Different occasions, nevertheless, they don’t. Working example: the terrific, bloody, action-packed, and it-left-a-fight-fan-craving-more heavyweight slugfest between Lennox Lewis and Vitali Klitschko.
The Staples Centre, June 21, 2003.
Lewis’ swansong. Klitschko’s grand arrival. It was an exhilarating battle between defending heavyweight king Lewis and soon-to-be new champ (however not on this night time) Vitali. In actual fact, Klitschko was a former WBO belt-holder, but his reign had resulted in painful style, this as he suffered a shoulder damage that compelled him to capitulate towards Chris Byrd. With the stigma of being a quitter carrying down on his shoulders, Vitali was decided to show he was something however within the Lewis battle.
Lennox, 40-2-1(31), who was closing in on retirement and was coming off a year-old pounding of Mike Tyson, was to have confronted Kirk Johnson, who fell out with sickness. In stepped the eager-to-please (and show) elder Klitschko brother, and, brother, what a battle we followers acquired!
Each males slugged it out; it was that straightforward. Each males examined one another’s chin, with each males exhibiting some beard; the 32-1(31) Vitali particularly stunned followers by the style through which he ate a flush Lewis uppercut/bomb with nary a flinch. Lewis, hefty and in no way as motivated as his challenger, was quickly searching of fuel. However Klitschko was bleeding, and badly, seemingly throughout his face. It was a shot from Lewis that opened a nasty reduce to Vitali’s eye in spherical three shifting the momentum of the battle.
Klitschko, half-blinded and a large number, nonetheless fought exhausting, exhausting, exhausting. Would Lennox collapse, or would Vitali’s face be ruined without end? It was X-rated stuff, and we followers lapped it up. Forward on all playing cards after six, a livid Klitschko was “saved,” and the battle was over. Each heavyweights take into consideration what may need occurred in a rematch, even when they don’t say as a lot.
As a substitute of hooking up once more, as appeared to be the plan, Lewis known as it quits on a terrific profession, whereas Vitali went on to do some large issues within the sport, with him by no means shedding one other battle and ruling as WBC champion from 2004 to 2012 (with a four-year layoff in-between).
Lewis had one of many hardest fights of his profession 21 years in the past, whereas in defeat, Klitschko fought his defining battle. A return between the 2 would have/might have/ought to have occurred, but it surely didn’t. As such, as nice as he was, as particular as he was, Lewis’ general legacy has a slight taint to it within the opinion of some.
Agree or disagree? And the way would a part-two have gone had Lennox and Vitali ran it again in, say, December of 2003, or March of 2004?
