Lennox Lewis vs. Vitali Klitschko: the last great world heavyweight title fight

04/30/201711/03/2016 James Slater

June 2003, The Staples Centre, Los Angeles. The date and venue are familiar to fight fans, heavyweight fight fans especially. Why? Because we saw a great action fight between two huge heavies, both well above the mid-240-pound range, we saw blood and gore, we saw huge bombs landed, we saw heart and courage on the line, and we were left wanting to see a rematch. The task today is quite simple: name a world heavyweight title fight since that has ticked that many boxes.

But the biggest reason fans still talk about this fight, won by Lewis via corner retirement on the part of Klitschko at the end of the sixth round, is because we all wonder what might have happened; what would have happened.

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A Halloween to remember: Lennox Lewis arrives on the world stage with a stunning KO win over Razor Ruddock

10/31/201610/31/2016 James Slater

Sometimes in heavyweight boxing a fighter, with just one win, arrives on the world stage and captures the attention of anyone and everyone interested in boxing in a massive way. This was exactly what happened on this day, Halloween, in 1992. Lennox Lewis may already have been known to a good share of fight fans, due to his winning the Olympic gold medal in 1988, but his performance on this night really catapulted the Brit to superstardom.

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Lennox Lewis picks Wladimir Klitschko’s experience to be too much for Anthony Joshua

10/31/201610/30/2016 James Slater

Retired heavyweight great Lennox Lewis believes Wladimir Klitschko’s vast experience will prove too much for Anthony Joshua if the two meet next spring as is a strong possibility. Speaking with Sky Sports News HQ, Lewis said he favours 40-year-old Klitschko to beat 27-year-old Joshua, but only “slightly.”

“I would have to say Wladimir [wins] because of the experience,” Lewis said. “We have seen a lot of Anthony Joshua’s fights but he has knocked out everybody so what has he learned?

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Happy Birthday Lennox Lewis – how great was the former heavyweight king?

09/06/201609/02/2016 James Slater

Heavyweight great Lennox Lewis, who today celebrates his 51st birthday, really did win everything there was worth winning during his amateur and pro career. Born in London in 1965 and relocating to Canada at the age of 12, Lewis achieved the following:

He boxed in two Olympics, 1984 in Los Angeles and 1988 in Seoul, capturing gold in his second Olympic adventure.

Lewis, upon turning pro with Frank Maloney (now Kellie Maloney) soon captured the Commonwealth, the British and the European titles.

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Rematch! Some potentially great ones that never took place

08/16/201608/15/2016 James Slater

Rematch, rematch, rematch! The following fights could have, should have happened, yet for whatever reason they did not materialise. How interesting would these massive fights have been?

Lennox Lewis-Vitali Klitschko II.

The heavyweight rumble the world champion and the future WBC champion put on in June of 2003 was a savagely entertaining affair. The two giants traded hard, potentially knockout blows, for half a dozen fantastically entertaining rounds – only for a definitive conclusion to the war failing to materialise due to the horrific cuts Klitschko had picked up. As such, the fans left the arena desperately craving more.

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The greatest living former heavyweight kings

07/05/201607/05/2016 James Slater

With the recent sad passing of the great Joe Frazier, and the even more recent – in fact still numbing – passing of The Greatest, Muhammad Ali, the world was robbed of two of the finest heavyweight world champions in history. Indeed, Ali and Frazier, who of course gave us THE most fierce and most celebrated rivalry in all of sports, were the king of kings. Ali and Frazier may no longer be with us on this physical plane, but they will live forever.

This distinction, or honour, is one only truly special fighters receive – Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Robinson and Joe Louis included. But who are the finest, the greatest, the most special former world heavyweight kings who are still with us? In short, who are the greatest living former heavyweight rulers?

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VIDEO: The tale of Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe

05/26/2016 Rummys Corner

Canelo Alvarez recently decided it was time to relinquish his WBC middleweight title rather than face fellow titleholder Gennady Golovkin in a unification bout. Many fans are outraged over Canelo’s reluctance to face Golovkin. It remains to be seen how this will ultimately impact Alvarez’s career and drawing power. But in the midst of this recent disappointment for boxing fans, many observers are comparing this situation to one that occurred back in the early 1990s when undisputed heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe deposited the heavyweight version of the WBC title into a trash bin rather than face his mandatory Lennox Lewis.

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Lennox Lewis favours Povetkin over Wilder

03/15/201603/15/2016 James Slater

As fight fans are probably aware, it looks like reigning WBC heavyweight king Deontay Wilder will have to travel to Russia for what most are calling the toughest fight of his entire career – the May 21st date with Alexander Povetkin. Wilder, unbeaten at 36-0, deserves much credit if he does indeed take the already risky (but mandatory) assignment in the hostile, unfamiliar environment of Russia.

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Tyson Fury calls out Lennox Lewis

12/08/2015 Vladimir S

After his recent win over the 39-year-old Wladimir Klitschko, IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (25-0, 18 KOs) has expressed interest in facing the 43-year-old Vitali Klitschko and now the 50-year-old Lennox Lewis. It’s unclear why Fury wants to take on some of the older heavyweights that once graced the sport of boxing, but it looks like Fury has dialed himself in to fighting the elder statesman in order to possibly get easy paydays.

We’re not exactly seeing Fury chomping at the bit to get at the younger heavyweights that are still in their prime.

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Klitschko Needs WBC Strap says Lennox Lewis

11/23/201511/22/2015 Olly Campbell

Former undisputed heavyweight champion, Lennox Lewis, has warned Wladimir Klitschko that the ‘clock is ticking’ on him achieving his ambition of bringing the WBC heavyweight title back into the Klitschko family fold.

WBA/WBO/IBF champion, Klitschko, defends his titles against British challenger, Tyson Fury on Saturday night, and should he come through that fight, will eventually be seeking to win the green belt once owned by retired older brother, Vitali, an ambition Lewis says is of crucial importance to his overall legacy.

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