Lewis vs. Klitschko

[Jim Alfredson]

Lewis just looked way out of shape. If not for Klitschko's eye, the fight would've been his. Damn, that was a nasty cut, though. I can't believe they didn't end it sooner.

[Guest Mnytime]

Lewis just looked way out of shape.  If not for Klitschko's eye, the fight would've been his.  Damn, that was a nasty cut, though.  I can't believe they didn't end it sooner. 

I completely forgot about this fight. I understand Lewis was behind on all the judge's cards when it was stopped. The still picture of the cut didn't look as serious as I have seen some others in the past that fighters were allowed to continue with.

Though the still was at an angle and not that much of a close up.

Edited June 22, 2003 by Mnytime

[Jim Alfredson]

It was very deep and long. It kept opening up and bleeding. Then again, Lewis was targeting it.

Yes, Klitschko was ahead on everyone's score card when they called the fight. I think he would've knocked Lewis down in the next round. Lewis was tired and sluggish. Klitschko was very focused.

[JSngry]

Yes, Klitschko was ahead on everyone's score card when they called the fight. I think he would've knocked Lewis down in the next round. Lewis was tired and sluggish. Klitschko was very focused.

Yeah, I wonder why Klitschko didn't go for the KO ASAP. Lewis was cleatly out of gas early and often, and with a cut like that, I'd think he had to know that a TKO against him was a distinct possibility. But maybe not. Or maybe he ws giving it all he had and it wasn't enough to get the KO. No mattter, he didn't close it out soon enough and lost the fight on what I thought was a totally justifiable TKO.

Carpe diem, baby.

[Guest Mnytime]

You can be sure that there will probably be a rematch now and Lewis will train a better. I think he took this guy for granted since he is not supposed to be as good as his younger? brother and I believe he lost to Byrd.

[connoisseur series500]

You can be sure that there will probably be a rematch now and Lewis will train a better. I think he took this guy for granted since he is not supposed to be as good as his younger? brother and I believe he lost to Byrd.

He lost to Byrd due to a shoulder injury and he was ahead on all scorecards.

When Lewis is in shape, no one can beat him. If they fight a rematch, Lewis will win.

What round did it end, folks? These two fighters are two nice guys for sure. It's a shame that they are in this horrible profession.

[Gary]

I agree - if they do have a rematch Lewis should win - when he's had rematches with the two guys that beat him(again due to ill preparation & maybe taking opponents for granted ??? ) he certainly comes back with a vengeance.

[connoisseur series500]

I read the ESPN boxing website for commentary on the fight. There's still doubt as to who would have won in the end.

I don't watch boxing anymore. Use to as a young man, but as I get older I just see the ugly and brutal side. I'll still read about it from time to time, but I won't watch it. I'm too soft now. But NFL...yeah!!! Anytime!!

[David Williams]

These two fighters are two nice guys for sure. It's a shame that they are in this horrible profession.

Well, maybe, but Lewis was singularly lacking in grace with his post-fight comments; and he pisses me off talking about himself in the third person - idiots do that.

[JSngry]

What round did it end, folks?

6th

[connoisseur series500]

These two fighters are two nice guys for sure.  It's a shame that they are in this horrible profession.

Well, maybe, but Lewis was singularly lacking in grace with his post-fight comments; and he pisses me off talking about himself in the third person - idiots do that.

I didn't see nor hear the post-fight comments, but Lewis has been a classy champ throughout his career and a good role model in general. He is articulate and intelligent.

Chris Byrd is classy too. Maybe we've got a new generation of polished personalities to replace the Tyson crowd.

This gives me an idea for another thread...

[DrJ]

I think it was a very legit stop, that was a horrid cut. However, clearly Klitschko was the spiritual "winner" of the match, and Lewis looked pathetic afterward trying to maintain all the bluster in the face of a booing crowd and jibes from the press.

In looking at the fight, I think Klitschko was just not quite able to put Lewis down...if he could have worn him down a few more rounds, it may have happened, but given Lewis' history of being knocked down, I can only conclude that maybe Klitschko just doesn't have a heavy enough "big punch" to put him on the canvas.

[jacman]

I think it was a very legit stop, that was a horrid cut.

the ring Doctor (a Plastic Surgeon), said that the reason he called an end to the fight was that the eye lid was drooping over the eye and was imparing the fighters vision. he would not have been able to see nor defend against Lewis' right hand.

[Guest Mnytime]

I think it was a very legit stop, that was a horrid cut.

the ring Doctor (a Plastic Surgeon), said that the reason he called an end to the fight was that the eye lid was drooping over the eye and was imparing the fighters vision. he would not have been able to see nor defend against Lewis' right hand.

I finally saw the fight and from what I saw of the cut the fight would have continued in Vegas or Atlantic City. This is what happens when you have a big fight in a State that is not used to them and inexperienced DR’s.

And from what I saw of the cut it wasn't drooping over anything. The reason the Dr. gave the first time he was asked was that Klitschko had to turn to see him which according to him meant he could not see properly. The fact that the Dr. was standing outside the ring was the reason Klitschko had to turn to see him.

While I am at it, I think the Cut guy for Klitschko did a terrible job. If anything he made the cut worse from the very beginning. If you watch the fight again look at what the Cut guy does in between the rounds when the cut first happens. He wipes an abrasive looking towel across the cut, which actually opens the cut open even wider. He should have applied pressure allowing the towel to soak up the blood at the same time.

In fact throughout the fight this guy manhandled the cut from what I saw. Instead of applying pressure he kept wiping across the cut making it worse.

The Dr. claims that Klitschko could not see but he won each round after the cut happened. And Lewis was not getting that many punches bye on that side of Klitschko's head to make you think he could not see from that side.

Honestly considering how deep the cut was Klitschko was not bleeding as much as I have seen lessor cuts bleed in previous fights.

In regards to the fight itself it was ugly and more wrestling than fighting. I still can’t figure out how Klitschko is even a top 10 fighter. The Heavyweight division is in even worse shape than I thought. He looked as stiff as a corpse in the ring and as slow as one and Lewis still could not avoid his punches. Lewis needs to retire.

Finally, as usual Foreman sounded like he was watching a completely different fight than everyone else.

Edited June 23, 2003 by Mnytime

[Gary]

I think the doctor got it just about right.

[Guest Mnytime]

I don't. It was a bad call. I have seen much worse that they let continue. As long as he was able to defend himself which he was it should have gone on.

It was not impairing his vision. They should have had a more experienced Fight Dr. on hand for a Championship fight. A fight is only supposed to be stopped if the fighter is unable to defend himself, which was far from the case in this fight.

Edited June 23, 2003 by Mnytime

[J Larsen]

I'm not too knowledgable about boxing, but my girlfriend is a big fan. When the fight was called she screamed "Those %&$#ing crooks" about three times. She watches a lot of boxing and she thought it was a terrible call and even went so far as to say she thought the doctor was slipped some cash. So, as bad as it may look to some of us who don't follow the sport closely, it seems that it might not been that bad of a cut as far as boxing goes.

Edited June 23, 2003 by J Larsen

[Guest Mnytime]

it seems that it might not been that bad of a cut as far as boxing goes.

This is the key point. Yea out in the street this is a nasty cut but in Boxing and Medically speaking it really wasn't as serious as it looked. And honestly I don't think it looked that bad in comparison many others. They have let fights continue until the eye was completely closed and even from this picture you can see his eye is open. The blood wasn't going into his eye but down the side. There was no drooping of the eyelid into the eye's vision.

It was just a bad call all around.

The Dr. never got in the ring and looked at Klitschko straight on. He kept checking him from outside the ring forcing Klitschko to turn to see him. Something he would have had to do even if he had no cut.

If Klitschko was getting hit in a way that made it appear that he was not seeing Lewis' hand than it should have been stopped. But Lewis was connecting at a very low percentage of the punches he was throwing even in the last round.

I recall hearing Lampley claim that both cut men where the best in the business. But from the way Klitschko's treated his cut I would call for a new vote.

[JSngry]

What's that gooey stuff they put on the cut?

[Guest Mnytime]

Jim

It was Vaseline.

Here is something on what a good Cut Man should know.

Notice that it doesn't say rub a towel across the cut.

http://www.secondsout.com/ringside/goodman_44450.asp

Edited June 23, 2003 by Mnytime

[Jazzmoose]

I don't watch boxing anymore. Use to as a young man, but as I get older I just see the ugly and brutal side. I'll still read about it from time to time, but I won't watch it. I'm too soft now. But NFL...yeah!!! Anytime!!

This is probably going to sound really weird, but I would prefer watching boxing to the NFL. At least with boxing, if there's going to be a cheap shot, you know it's going to be from the guy standing in front of you. (Well, unless Riddick Bowe is in your corner... )

[Guest Mnytime]

I don't watch boxing anymore.  Use to as a young man, but as I get older I just see the ugly and brutal side.  I'll still read about it from time to time, but I won't watch it.  I'm too soft now.  But NFL...yeah!!! Anytime!!

This is probably going to sound really weird, but I would prefer watching boxing to the NFL. At least with boxing, if there's going to be a cheap shot, you know it's going to be from the guy standing in front of you. (Well, unless Riddick Bowe is in your corner... )

If you are playing against the Denver Broncos you can be sure of cheap shots from their offensive line. Year in and year out they are considered the dirtiest line in the NFL.

Outside of the basics of football every football player needs to learn how to protect themself in a pile. Let your imaginations roam and you still only come up with the tip of the iceberg that goes on in one of those.

I still remember my first time under one of those.

Edited June 23, 2003 by Mnytime

[Dave James]

I don't watch too much boxing these days, but the fact that this was available as a "freebie" on HBO drew me in. A very strange fight. I'm not sure if these two guy's styles were just so antithetical that they couldn't find any kind of groove or if it was simply Klitschko's awkwardness that made the whole thing look more like a street fight.

I'll tell you one thing. The next time Lewis decides he doesn't have to train for a fight, they just need to break out the films of this one. He was completely gassed by the second round. When guys start breathing through their mouths that early, you know they haven't worked very hard. All the pre-fight hype led you to believe that Klitschko was the tomato can but it almost turned out to be Lewis. Serves him right.

Not sure what to think about the cut. I know sometimes they can look a lot worse than they really are, but I don't recall seeing anything quite like that. Even when Carmen Basilio used to get beaten like a rented mule way back in the 1950's, I don't remember him looking like that. And of course HBO had to bring it up close and personal by showing one closeup after another. All things considered, I thought stopping the fight was the right thing to do. That's because you have to take the long view. Klitschko is 26 or 27 years old and he has to use that eye for the rest of his life. Who knows what might have happened if Lewis had dropped a couple of more shots right on that eye. Not sure I'd want to find out.

BTW, if Lewis had lost, the contract called for an automatic rematch. As it turns out, he doesn't have to fight him again unless he wants to. Seems to me that's a no-brainer and a helluva payday. There would be a ton of interest in a rematch. For all of Klitschko's obvious flaws, you gotta love his toughness. The crowd sure did.

Up over and out.

Edited June 23, 2003 by Dave James

[Gary]

to be fair this is why the fight was stopped-

"I did not stop the fight because of the blood in his eye," said Dr Wallace. "It was because he was having to turn his head to see past the flap of skin hanging from the damaged lid which was obscuring his vision. His corner had done a remarkable job stopping the bleeding but if he couldn't see a person in front of him he certainly couldn't see a punch."

Everyone on here has a valid opinion (well maybe not the dr being bribed one)but i just dont think its such an outrageous decision - it was hardly a slight nick.

The press i have read today seem very critcal of Lewis's perfomance but not the stoppage .

It looks like there is to be a rematch & I'm sure both fighters well be both alot more motivated (for different reasons) for it & it should make for a much better fight.

[Jazzmoose]

Outside of the basics of football every football player needs to learn how to protect themself in a pile. Let your imaginations roam and you still only come up with the tip of the iceberg that goes on in one of those.

I still remember my first time under one of those.

You've got that right! Before I played, I didn't know it was even possible for someone to bite you with a helmet on. Must have been one of those glamor boys with the wussy helmets...