Hold your head up, Vitali. You were the real winner.

[JoeMama]

What a fight!

Vitali Klitschko, without a doubt, proved his legitimacy tonight. I had him ahead after 6 rounds, as did all the judges... 58-56. If not for that brutal cut, I think Vitali was well on his way to victory.

There better be a rematch.

[JoeMama]

By the way, this was the best heavyweight fight I've seen in years. What a shame it ended early...

[Napalm]

Damn I am out 50 buffalo chips.

Didn't see the fight but I had a feeling Vitali could pull it off.

I see Lewis ducking a rematch

[JoeMama]

Lewis sounded uncommittal to a rematch.

I don't think he wants to face Vitali again. After tonight, I know why. It's possible that HE is the better of the brothers' Klitschko.

[BironsGirl43]

Awww I think I'm gonna cry!!!! Vitali was awesome.. I feel bad.. he deserved the win.. he beat Lewis..

That f'n cut.. Lewis did it with his head..

Freakin' Lewis is such a COCKY bastard.. it's easy to say.. "well I would have knocked him out later on" Pfffttt.. :rolleyes:

I've lost SO much respect for Lewis.. on the other hand Vitali proved himself and I am so happy for the guy.. he deserved the win.. I'm bummed out..

[MVDaBomb]

How classic was the post-fight interview with Lewis? I thought he was going to KO Larry Merchant. Maybe he should have - it would've been his best punch of the night.

[Napalm]

It was a head butt? Did the ref take a point away or just a warning?

[BironsGirl43]

Lewis is gay..

I can't believe I actually contemplated rooting for that a-hole.. what a disgrace

Lewis says - "Lennox Lewis is the best.. he won the fight".. he snatches the mic and talks about himself in the third person.. ok..

I love how Larry Merchent asked him those questions.. that was AWESOME.. he told the truth and was blunt.. Lewis couldn't handle it..

[Napalm]

What did he ask him?

[MVDaBomb]

Originally posted by napalmdeath
It was a head butt? Did the ref take a point away or just a warning?

In fairness, the blow that cut Klitchko was a clean punch - one of the few hammers that Lewis was able to land - and maybe his 1st of the fight.
Kind of like the 2nd round of Rocky IV - "the Russian is cut and it's a bad cut!"

[jimmifli]

Wa wa wa

Lewis won. It was a punch that caused the cut not a headbut. Vitali is better than I thought. Lewis was tired after 2 mins into the first.

I thought the fight looked awful. I would like to see a rematch though.

[BironsGirl43]

He hit him with the side of his glove and then leaned in with his head..

He's so very lucky to win.

I thought the fight was a good one.. Jimmi you're just not happy with it because Lewis sucked throughout it and showed nothing.. he's a FRAUD......

Klitschko has heart and the loser didn't want to give him ANY credit.

[jimmifli]

I don't like Lewis. I like boxing. That wasn't it.

Lewis sucked. He dipped from his waste (instead of his knees). Vitali caught him repeatedly with multiple jabs everytime Lewis dipped forward. Vitatli never followed his jab with an overhand right. That tells me he was careful or scared. Either way it was a mistake, Lewis wasn't dangerous tonight.

Lewis' punch was a thumb in the eye. It was a fluke, he was lucky to win. I've caught a thumb before, my eye didn't reopen for about a week and I wasn't even cut. Vitali has heart, no question anymore.

The fight had drama but there was too much flailing and clutching for my taste. Very few clean punches thrown by either fighter.

Like I said I like boxing. That wasn't it.

[JoeMama]

I disagree jimmi.

Klitschko's combos were clean. He followed his jabs with a strong right repeatedly. Evidently, you didn't see the second or fourth rounds where Vitali almost ended the fight with his right hooks. What fight were you watching?

I entered this fight as a neutral observer. By the end, I was cheering loudly for Vitali. It became so emtional when the fight ended. Especially when came out & yelled "No!! No!!" after the doctor's decision & the amazing response from the fans. They loved him.

True, there was some holding. But these were two towering giants. That's how big boys fight... & you can't deny there was some great actions between the fighers.

Klitschko is for real.

[jimmifli]

2nd round was great. I saw the right hands, I'm talking about when he had Lewis bent over. Not once to my memory did he follow those jabs. I was routing for Klitschko by the end aswell.

I do admit to a bias - I like the little guys.

[Jro]

Never has a good looked this bad and fought that good... http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20030622/capt.1056254075.lewis_klitschko_las129.jpg

[JoeMama]

I'm so stoked about Vitali's future.

He has a chin!

[angneli]

Vitali's going to get a belt. Whether Lewis gives him a rematch or not.

He'd destry Jones or Byrd.

I think we have seen the rise of Vitali Klitchko.

[Napalm]

Originally posted by angneli
Vitali's going to get a belt. Whether Lewis gives him a rematch or not.

He'd destry Jones or Byrd.

I think we have seen the rise of Vitali Klitchko.


Yup. I would have LOVED to see LL Knocked out. He is a cocky bastard, and IMO he was very lucky to get out of this one. I think LL unestimated Vatali

[Hurls]

Totally, he was ducking Merchant's q's, all he kept saying was, "he was deteriorating" The shot was from the side of the glove though, almost the thumb. Man that was nasty lookin. Vitaly should get a rematch, but Lewis always wins the 2nd time around

[FrankieA]

If he doesn't get another title shot, it will be yet another black eye for boxing. Both guys were not 100% prepared, there needs to be a rematch.

[Henry4MVP]

Wow, I'm disagreeing and agreeing with different people all over the place. :D

1) Lewis won, fair and square. Forcing Vitaly to quit because of that huge cut is just as good as knocking him down for 10.
2) Vitali was ahead on the scorecards but neither one of those boys had enough left in the tank to go 12. One of 'em would have gone down, and to be honest I'm not sure who it would have been. Lewis was starting to land more frequently, but he was also just worn out.
3) It was a good fight. Sure, it was a hug-a-thon, but when you get two boys that big in the ring, it's going to be. They were both desperately trying to knock one another out for several rounds, and each landed a couple of big shots.
4) Vitali deserves some respect. He took a few good punches and he definitely was in it to win it. His heart should now be absolutely unquestioned.
5) A rematch is way off in the distance. It's gonna take awhile for that puppy to heal up. A rematch should happen, though.
6) Lennox Lewis is an ass. He comes into the fight overweight and underprepared, ekes out a win against a guy he's been dissing for a week, and then can't give Vitali even a little credit.
7) In the (supposed) rematch, Vitali has to get more aggressive and start following up his jabs. Lewis has to be in better shape and land the straight right. Klitschko seems to hold his left hand low, and he looked very vulnerable to the uppercut, as well.

[jimmifli]

A low left isn't as dangerous if you have a reach advantage and a good Jab.

I agree with everything you posted. Good Job Henry.

[Henry4MVP]

Lennox, despite being 2 inches shorter, has a 5 inch reach advantage on Vitali. That's kind of unusual, although some fighters just have a tremendous reach; witness Muhammed Ali.

[BironsGirl43]

I'm sorry but I still need to vent......

Lewis is an arrogant *rick (and there's not many things than I loathe more than that)..and in last night's fight, he lucked out, then had the audacity to act as if he cakewalked through the fight...

Take George Foreman for example. The reason he is one of my favourite boxers is because not only could that man FIGHT, he NEVER belittled any of his opponents. No matter how easy the fight was for him, or hard, he gave each one encouragement and respect.

Even Tyson does that.. At least he gives his other opponent credit. Tyson lets his fighting do the talking.

My other least favourite fighter, Prince Naseem Hamed..if possible, he was even MORE arrogant than Lewis...until he got BUTCHERED in his last fight (my favourite part: him tripping over the rope during his entrance)

I'm sorry. I was just shocked when the doctor stopped the fight. Klitschko was shocked too, he was fighting the whole time. He really was kicking butt the whole time. It was disgusting to see Lewis leaning on Klitschko the whole time..He started that not even 30 seconds into the first round!! So he got lucky with one punch...But what DISGUSTED me was the speech after. I knew that he NEVER gave opponents credits..but THIS was the most outrageous thing ever.

Anyways that gash above Klitshchko's eye was pretty bad.. I couldn't look at it.. it really grossed me out.. it was so deep and brutal..... I hope that heals nicely

I'm done now.. phew...

[Mouldsie]

lmao.... you guys are all praising vitali like he's the next ali and he didn't even win!


lol... I think Lewis under-estimated him and would win the rematch fair and square. Lewis was is horible shape and got tireed faster than I've ever seen and STILL WON.

[BILLSareBACK]

I think Lewis would have eventually won the fight. Once a fighters eye gets cut its pretty much over,wasn't Tyson's eye cut in his fight against Lewis? [list=1]
[/list=1] Lewis hit him hard with an uppercut in the sixth round, and it seemed liked Klitschkos eye had too much damage to it. But i also think had Lewis not cut him this could have been an upset. There has to be a rematch because that was not a convincing victory for Lewis.

[thegame]

I think Byrd could give all the big guys fits with his wierd style.

I was very impressed with Vitali, he took that solid uppercut from Lewis in I think the 5th round, and still came back.

I enjoyed the fight, there should be a rematch.

If there is, I think Lewis would probably train harder this time. He was so out of shape for this match.

[Henry4MVP]

Byrd's got great defense and is reasonably fast. He's got no guts and his "killer instinct" are very questionable, though. He's another one of those 1B fighters.

[mighty peace warrior]

i think people are puffing Vitali up a bit too much. He does have a better chin than i thought and took some solid shots. A great(or even good) heavyweight would have been able to finish Lewis in the 2nd when he was wobbly and not defending anything.

V.K. is a very akward looking fighter to say the least even if you discount his height. I thought he showed some heart, just doesnt quite have the skill of a champion. I think if Lewis is in shape the fight goes 3rds tops. Lewis was actually getting some good shots in especially in rounds 4 and 5. He looked totaly lethargic. Seems to be a typical syndrom with heavyweight champions throughout the last at least 25 years. Win title defend, get cockey get dropped.

Lewis was out of shape and lethargic, if VK cant beat him like that he will never beat him.

So Lewis comes accross arrogant, big deal. He pretty much single handedly cleaned up a disgusting division of boxing, where moronic fans still think Tyson is the best of them.

im totaly with henry on the left hand of VK dropping, im not sure he ever had it up, and Lewis rocked him a couple times with uppercuts that he tried to give back and couldn't. Lewis disrespected what could be a great legacy by showing up puffy. The fact is however american fight fans will never truly back Lewis because he is a brit, and they will overrate VK 'cause now he and his brother are the next great white hype.

[Henry4MVP]

Nice post.

[Mouldsie]

boxing is such a mess though.... I mean a 37 year old guy past his prime has the title and nobody can really challenge him, and if they can they

a) still lose
b) are still NOT GOOD b/c Lewis is not even close to past champs (why can Foreman think about a comeback at 55? b/c the talent out there is crap)

[JoeMama]

Lewis was far beyond arrogant.

He went off on this phony "I'm the greatest" rant to assuage his own ego after the fight because he knew he was outboxed, out of shape, & outpointed by a fighter he should have beaten.

Look how paranoid he was. Before Larry Merchant could even ask a question, Lennox snatched the mike away & started spouting some "rah rah" cheerleading nonsense about how great he was. He was defensive. He knew that the crowd was not behind him. He knew he was NOT the better boxer Saturday night & despite his fake, pretentious self-hype, he knows it too.

[mighty peace warrior]

well i agree he was outboxed and mostly out of shape, and went on a rant to try to protect his image, and came of arrogant. tell me though who was the last heavyweight champ who didn't? He may not have been the better boxer Saturday, but he is the better boxer.

[JoeMama]

In his prime, he was the better boxer. I think the lethargy we witnessed Saturday had more to do with this age than his weight.

He's fought well at heavy weights in the past.

[Henry4MVP]

Lewis has never been that heavy, and the last time he was close to that weight he lost to Rahman. It was lack of training and overconfidence. And he still won.

[mighty peace warrior]

Originally posted by JoeMama
In his prime, he was the better boxer. I think the lethargy we witnessed Saturday had more to do with this age than his weight.

He's fought well at heavy weights in the past.

so we agree to disagree(as usual)...he took a fight on two weeks notice and was out of shape. He looked asleep at the wheel, he is 37 not 87. and while i grant you 37 is long in the tooth for a fighter, the slow lethargic pace he was moving at had more to do with extra weight(see the ring he had around his mid section) and poor training than age.

[FrankieA]

I love the way how the crowds favor shifted from Lewis to Vitali. You had to feel sorry for the guy he gave it his all and still wanted to fight despite what the officials said. He is the type of guy Buffalo fans are famous for backing through think and thin.

[mighty peace warrior]

Originally posted by JoeMama
No MPW, even Lewis admitted he is on the decline.

See the BBC sports page.

If you don't like it, you can always whine to the mods!!

What a wuss...

more name calling.........very mature

Lewis is still better than your white hype. accept it and get over it
i actually wasnt complaining about you but the mods them selves. but of course the world revolves around joe.

[JoeMama]

He's not "my" white hype.

I didn't have any inclination towards VK until the fight progressed. He proved to me that he has a better chin than his little brother & a decent punch to go with it.

He's better than I thought, so I am giving him the proper respect.

Boy, you take your boxing debates personally!

[EricStratton]

Let's put an end to this crap now.

[JoeMama]

Yes sir, Eric [NOT HITLER]!

[Henry4MVP]

Originally posted by mighty peace warrior
so we agree to disagree(as usual)...he took a fight on two weeks notice and was out of shape. He looked asleep at the wheel, he is 37 not 87. and while i grant you 37 is long in the tooth for a fighter, the slow lethargic pace he was moving at had more to do with extra weight(see the ring he had around his mid section) and poor training than age.

Agreed. If Klitschko couldn't beat a slow, out of shape, light on training and ambivalent Lewis, how will he win if Lennox shows up in great form?
Joe, you and I are gonna have a disagreement at this rate, and that's a bit rarer. Nevertheless, you're wrong on this one.
Klitschko deserves more respect than he had before the fight. However, he's not the next coming, or even a legit threat to Lewis (right now at least). He's a decent boxer with a good chin, good power (but not as good as I previously thought!)and average skills. Can he parlay that into a title? Probably not. Can he use it to get paid? I'd say definitely. It was a good night for Vitaly, even with the loss.

[EricStratton]

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20030626/9007821.asp

Around & about 6/26/2003

Vitali Klitschko had 60 stitches removed from the inch-deep cut over his left eye inflicted by Lennox Lewis in their recent heavyweight title bout. Klitschko was examined by Dr. Pearlman Hicks at his Beverly Hills, Calif., office and Hicks said the cuts, including one to Klitschko's lip, had healed "extremely fast," and that Klitschko would be clear to fight in three months. Klitschko was ahead on all three judges' scorecards in the fight last Saturday in Staples Center when it was stopped at the end of the sixth round because of the cuts.

More...


60 stitches and only a 3 month layoff don't seem to jive. That cut could derail his plans for the next couple years.

[Henry4MVP]

Agreed. It'll be a hell of a lot longer than 3 months. He's seriously jeopardizing his career (not to mention his health) otherwise.

I'm guessing a layoff of about a year. Most fighters nowadays (especially the good ones) take off that long just for the hell of it.

[mighty peace warrior]

that gash was nasty, i coulda lived with a few less closeups of the doc stuffing that oversized q-tip in it.

[Henry4MVP]

He was busted below the eye and had a split lip, too. Sometimes a guy just cuts easily.

[EricStratton]

Originally posted by Henry4MVP
Sometimes a guy just cuts easily.


Not a trait you want as a pro boxer.

[Henry4MVP]

Not at all. Back in the day, you could get away with it because the docs and refs were scared to stop some fights.
It'll get worse, too. That scar tissue will pop right back open if he gets back in the ring too quickly, or even if he just gets hit flush.

[mighty peace warrior]

has he had problems with any cuts in the past. i have to admit it was the first time i have seen him fight

[Henry4MVP]

Not that I know of. I saw him fight Byrd, he was pretty clean in that one. His nose bled a bit, but Byrd's punching power is right on par with say, Pauly Shore.
I've heard that Obed Sullivan marked him up, but I didn't actually see it.

[Napalm]

Joe mama -- That is an AWESOME avaitar!!!!!!

[Napalm]

Orc from Warcraft III?