Guest NaturalBornThriller4:20 Posted January 23, 2005 Report Posted January 23, 2005 Reuters LONDON -- World heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko is ready for a re-match with Lennox Lewis if the Briton were to come out of retirement. Lewis, left, was in a battle when he faced Vitali Klitschko on June 21, 2003. Lewis, the former undisputed champion, told the Sunday Mirror newspaper "I'm making a comeback later this year. "The money is up to $39.1 million right now and I simply can't turn that much cash down." Bernd Boente, manager of WBC title-holder Klitschko, told BBC Radio Five Live: "I have talked to Vitali and he's happy to go." News of a possible comeback by 39-year-old Lewis, who retired a year ago, stunned most observers. Lewis has spent much of 2004 in Jamaica with his partner and their first baby, the Mirror reported. But Lewis did hint at a possible wish to return after Briton Danny Williams' battering at the hands of Klitschko in a world title bout in Las Vegas last month. "I wanted to get in the ring and show Danny how to beat him," Lewis said at the time. "I've had to listen to a lot of rubbish from Klitschko and he is starting to get on my nerves." When Lewis fought him in 2003, the referee stopped the fight because Klitschko was cut but the Ukrainian was ahead on points at the time and feels he would have won. Lewis disagrees and may want the chance to prove the point. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/ne...tory?id=1973545
Hunter's Torn Quad Posted January 23, 2005 Report Posted January 23, 2005 Nice to know the chickenshit seems to have finally found his balls again. Just a shame it took a load of $$$ to do the job though.
iggymcfly Posted January 23, 2005 Report Posted January 23, 2005 Shit, that's awesome. I've been wanting to see that fight for a year and a half. I just hope that Lewis gets himself properly prepared first, so that he doesn't take a beating. The fight would be a lot more intriguing if we could get Lewis looking somewhat like he's in his prime.
2GOLD Posted January 23, 2005 Report Posted January 23, 2005 Heavyweight boxing still exists on PPV? I thought it went out with the Unicorn and Goblins?
Vern Gagne Posted January 23, 2005 Report Posted January 23, 2005 He hasn't made a final decision yet.
Cartman Posted January 23, 2005 Report Posted January 23, 2005 Please come back Lennox, I know you're afraid an all but...you gotta do it! I have been dying to see you get obliterated by Klitschko for so long, make it happen!
EVIL~! alkeiper Posted January 23, 2005 Report Posted January 23, 2005 Boxing really needs this fight to give the sport a jump-start. I hope it happens.
Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly Posted January 24, 2005 Report Posted January 24, 2005 Lewis should keep his ass retired. Unless he has been mismanaging his finances, why come back for money? He said that he was happy retiring before because he had nothing left to prove. I bet when he was watching that Klitchsko fight he said, "I wish I could get in that ring and show him how to beat Klitchsko and show everyone who the REAL champion and greatest boxer of all time is." Then his partner or whoever was watching the fight with him said, "yeah but he kicked your ass pretty good."
Guest Brian Posted January 24, 2005 Report Posted January 24, 2005 Does anyone ever learn anything about coming out of retirement?
Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly Posted January 24, 2005 Report Posted January 24, 2005 Boxers can come back and be successful, it's just the ones that stay around too long that you should worry about.
NoCalMike Posted January 24, 2005 Report Posted January 24, 2005 Correct me if I am wrong, but Vitali has not been talking shit. For the most part he just wanted Lewis never to retire in the first place so he could try and prove that he could legitimately beat Lewis. Also, I have heard some interviews of Vitali on various sports programs and Vitali was getting tired of Lennox Lewis talking all this shit through Vitali's opponents. Like, the fighters would say shit like "I trained with Lennox, and he told me just how to beat Vitali" I mean that gets old after awhile.
Precious Roy Posted January 24, 2005 Report Posted January 24, 2005 Lewis sounded sincere about retiring. I can't say I'm surprised, but I wanted to believe he'd be the exception and keep his word. Boxing is pretty much like pro-wrestling in that respect, they always come back. He's really got little to gain and everything to lose reputation wise, but I guess it's a nice feather in his cap to beat Klitschko without controversy, and nobody in their right mind would turn down $40 mil for 12 rounds. I don't really like or dislike either fighter, so as long as it's a good, conclusive fight I'll be happy. Boxing definitely needs this right now, the best fighters are all middleweights but it's only a "big" event when the heavys fight, and this is the only real marquee match out there.
1234-5678 Posted January 24, 2005 Report Posted January 24, 2005 Does anyone ever learn anything about coming out of retirement? Lennox Lewis vs. Klitchko=Apollo Creed vs. Ivan Drago
DerangedHermit Posted January 24, 2005 Report Posted January 24, 2005 Does anyone ever learn anything about coming out of retirement? Lennox Lewis vs. Klitchko=Apollo Creed vs. Ivan Drago "If he dies, he dies."
Hunter's Torn Quad Posted January 24, 2005 Report Posted January 24, 2005 Lewis is now saying that this story isn't true, and that he is going to stay retired. Which probably means his chickenshit ass didn't think he was getting offered enough money. For enough money, I'm sure Lewis's balls would drop and he'd accept the fight.
Guest Agent of Oblivion Posted January 24, 2005 Report Posted January 24, 2005 Does anyone ever learn anything about coming out of retirement? Well, George Foreman learned to win the Heavyweight championship.
iggymcfly Posted January 25, 2005 Report Posted January 25, 2005 I think if there was a "right amount of money" that Lennox Lewis was waiting for, $40 million would be it. Maybe he just didn't feel the need to tarnish his legacy by getting in the ring with the best boxer in the world two years after retiring.
Guest NaturalBornThriller4:20 Posted January 25, 2005 Report Posted January 25, 2005 Does anyone ever learn anything about coming out of retirement? Well, George Foreman learned to win the Heavyweight championship. Yeah, by luck.
EVIL~! alkeiper Posted January 26, 2005 Report Posted January 26, 2005 Does anyone ever learn anything about coming out of retirement? Well, George Foreman learned to win the Heavyweight championship. Yeah, by luck. There was more than luck involved. Foreman is unique because he was an All-Time great who retired in his prime. Remember he was just 27 when he first called it quits. Foreman hung in with Evander Holyfield a couple years before the Moorer fight, and he's never been embarrased in the ring. Remember, the Rumble in the Jungle is still the ONLY time Foreman was ever KO'ed.
Lei Tong Posted January 26, 2005 Report Posted January 26, 2005 I think if there was a "right amount of money" that Lennox Lewis was waiting for, $40 million would be it. Maybe he just didn't feel the need to tarnish his legacy by getting in the ring with the best boxer in the world two years after retiring. I'm sure Lennox would gladly fight Bernard Hopkins.
Vern Gagne Posted January 26, 2005 Report Posted January 26, 2005 Lewis is now saying that this story isn't true, and that he is going to stay retired. Which probably means his chickenshit ass didn't think he was getting offered enough money. For enough money, I'm sure Lewis's balls would drop and he'd accept the fight. Possibly, or he really is retired. It's hard to take the word of a Professional Boxer, but Lewis just seems different to me. Either way I don't think it's fair to call him chickenshit, since you don't know if it's a money issue or a personal decision.
iggymcfly Posted January 26, 2005 Report Posted January 26, 2005 I think if there was a "right amount of money" that Lennox Lewis was waiting for, $40 million would be it. Maybe he just didn't feel the need to tarnish his legacy by getting in the ring with the best boxer in the world two years after retiring. I'm sure Lennox would gladly fight Bernard Hopkins. I'm not talking about pound for pound bullshit. I'm talking about the guy who could beat the shit out of more people than any other motherfucker alive.
caboose Posted January 26, 2005 Report Posted January 26, 2005 There is a lot of doubt around Lewis' credentials as a great of Heavyweight Boxing, especially here in his adopted homeland. Seriously Tyson has more respect if you ask the average Brit on the street, despite Lewis' record. The problem with Lewis is that he never seemed overly bothered without coming off as whiny, (First Holyfield fight), and a very suspect chin. This would be completely out of character and also be foolish. Lewis should stay retired otherwise his face will resemble a bruised peach.
Ripper Posted January 26, 2005 Report Posted January 26, 2005 Thats the thing with me. Stop calling yourself a great. i don't remember many other greats that ducked a guy that was pummeling him and if it had made it to the card, would have beaten him. He retired with the belt so you can say that he is one of the few that did it and now I am supposed to say how GREAT he is? What the fuck ever.
Hunter's Torn Quad Posted January 26, 2005 Report Posted January 26, 2005 Lewis is now saying that this story isn't true, and that he is going to stay retired. Which probably means his chickenshit ass didn't think he was getting offered enough money. For enough money, I'm sure Lewis's balls would drop and he'd accept the fight. Either way I don't think it's fair to call him chickenshit, since you don't know if it's a money issue or a personal decision. So it was pure coincidence he decided to retire right after he barely got past Vitali Klitschko ? If Lewis had any kind of manhood about him, he would have wanted an immediate rematch against Klitschko, if only to prove that he really was the best heavyweight in the world. The ironic thing is that Lewis did to Klitschko the same thing that Riddick Bowe did to Lewis, that being chicken out of a fight that he should have taken. Lewis was the first in line to call Bowe a coward for ducking him, and it's the same thing here. Lewis was too scared to take on someone he didn't think he could beat, and so refused to fight, instead deciding to 'retire on top'. Nobody retiring like that retires 'on top'. Lewis is, was, and always will be known as the guy who quit rather than give Klitschko the rematch he deserved.
Lei Tong Posted January 26, 2005 Report Posted January 26, 2005 I think if there was a "right amount of money" that Lennox Lewis was waiting for, $40 million would be it. Maybe he just didn't feel the need to tarnish his legacy by getting in the ring with the best boxer in the world two years after retiring. I'm sure Lennox would gladly fight Bernard Hopkins. I'm not talking about pound for pound bullshit. I'm talking about the guy who could beat the shit out of more people than any other motherfucker alive. Someone mentioned me? PS- Klitschko still hasn't proven himself to be the best HW in boxing just yet, so let's hold off the coronation for now.
Lei Tong Posted January 26, 2005 Report Posted January 26, 2005 Lewis is, was, and always will be known as the guy who quit rather than give Klitschko the rematch he deserved. Actually, Lewis will probably be looked on rather favorably by future generations, whereas at this rate, Vitali will probably be known as the guy who took out some out-of-shape fighters (Johnson, Sanders, etc.) except the one that truly mattered (Lewis).
Your Paragon of Virtue Posted January 26, 2005 Report Posted January 26, 2005 I think if there was a "right amount of money" that Lennox Lewis was waiting for, $40 million would be it. Maybe he just didn't feel the need to tarnish his legacy by getting in the ring with the best boxer in the world two years after retiring. I'm sure Lennox would gladly fight Bernard Hopkins. I'm not talking about pound for pound bullshit. I'm talking about the guy who could beat the shit out of more people than any other motherfucker alive. Someone mentioned me? PS- Klitschko still hasn't proven himself to be the best HW in boxing just yet, so let's hold off the coronation for now. Holla. And I agree about how Vitali will be viewed. The fact is he's best HW because there aren't really any other HW for him to take on. If there's someone whom we know to be an "elite" boxer as opposed to most of the guys he fought, who are obviously elite but not comparitively with past glory years, then we can't call him the undisputed best. The fact is he lost to a guy that was the best, and it will take a few big fights for him to really cement himself in that position. I do think he will beat Lennox if they fight again, but the bottom line is that he lost due to a nasty cut and deserved to lose that match.
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