Staples
Center, Los Angeles
Lennox
Lewis, the acknowledged heavyweight boxing champion of the world, promised
fight fans that he would eat Vitali Klitschko for breakfast, followed by
a lunch of Volodymyr Klitschko. Instead Lennox had to eat a menu of jabs,
combinations and big rights served up by Vitali Klitschko. Fortunately
for Lennox, the 12 round 12 course meal being prepared by Vitali was stopped
before Klitschko had a chance to serve up dessert. The ringside doctor,
Paul Wallace, who claimed to have the experience of “hundreds of fights”,
stopped the bout saying Klitschko’s left eyelid was drooping over his field
of vision and in his opinion Klitschko could not continue.
The
audience of 16 000 fight fans had their own opinion of the doctor with
a wall shaking chorus of “bullshit”. Things were on the verge of getting
ugly – then Vitali got up on the ring’s ropes with his arms raised. At
this point the Staples Center erupted into wild cheers and a standing ovation.
Lennox Lewis, who had entered the Center to the loudest applause, had to
suffer the ignominy of leaving to the deafening sound of boos and hisses.
The only people outside of Lewis’s corner who seemed pleased with the outcome
were the bookies who had been sweating profusely, and Lewis’s mom who had
fear written on her face.
How
did it come to this for Lewis? It started at the weigh-in where Lewis arrived
at a well-fed 256 ½ lbs – the heaviest in his career, while Klitschko arrived
looking lean and mean. Still, the bookies had the odds at 5 to 1 for Lewis
at the opening bell.
In
the first round it became apparent that what most had said would be a boring
technical fight, would in fact be a brawl. Lewis lands a right. Klitschko
puts him on the ropes. The boxers clinch, exchange punches. Klitschko lands
a series of jabs and then a right. Round One Klitschko.
In
Round Two Lewis comes out jabbing. The fighters trade punches. At 1:15
Klitschko rocks Lewis with a big right. Soon afterwards another right sends
Lewis backwards into the corner.Three
times in the round Lewis looks stunned, even slightly disoriented. The
fight is shaping up into the most exciting heavyweight title bout in years.
Lewis’s strategy of jumping into the ring at the start of the round looking
for a big hit deflates as he’s turned into a punching bag by Klitschko.
Round Two Klitschko.
Round
Three – Lewis lands a right on Klitschko’s swelling left eyebrow, opening
up a gaping gash. This is followed by five straight jabs by Klitschko.
Klitschko lands a big right while spattering blood. The fighters exchange
jabs. Round Three Lewis.
In
Round Four Lewis pounces, opening with a left right. The fighters, looking
tired, grapple and tumble. 500 lbs. of sweat, blood and muscle land on
the canvas. Getting up, Klitschko lands a big right, then a left and a
jab. The bleeding on Vitali’s face seems to have stopped. Round Four Klitschko.
In
Round Five the fighters exchange punches. Klitschko holds Lewis and Lewis
tries a series of rights to the kidneys. Klitschko lands two jabs, three
lefts and a big right that puts Lewis on the ropes. Punches are exchanged
with Klitschko bleeding again. Round Five Klitschko.
In
Round Six, Klitschko bleeding badly, opens with a right then a right-left
combination. Lewis, realising he’s on his way to being knocked out if the
fight continues much longer, concentrates on Klitschko’s gash. Lewis lands
a right uppercut, then the fighters exchange uppercuts. Round Six – draw.
Lewis,
looking tired and beat-up, returns to his corner. Klitschko, bloody and
looking dangerous, returns to his corner. Suddenly the unexpected occurs
– Lewis, losing on all three judges’ cards, is announced the winner by
TKO when doctor Wallace steps in saying Klitschko is not in a condition
to continue. The three ringside judges and 16 000 boxing fans make it clear
they have decided that the new World Heavyweight Champion is Vitali Klitschko.
Oddly, the most dangerous man leaving the ring that night proves to be
doctor Paul Wallace.
The
post-fight press conference was delayed for an hour as both fighters were
having their faces sutured. Meanwhile, the “experienced” doctor Wallace,
when pressed on his credentials, admitted that he had been ringside at
all of “two or maybe three title fights”. Finally Vitali arrives first,
bruised, but wanting everyone to see that he could see all of them. Lennox
arrives a little while afterwards swollen and hiding behind the biggest
sunglasses that could be arranged for such a special occasion. All the
press wants to know is what the doctor could see that the rest of us could
not.Lennox, or course, saw things
quite clearly: one more round and he would have knocked Vitali out. When
asked about a rematch, however, he was less clear: “If the money’s right”.
I’d lay odds that no amount of money will be enough to stimulate Lennox
Lewis’s appetite for another course of Vitali Klitschko’s humble pie. Bring
on Mike Tyson or Roy Jones Jr. – they’ll be easier to swallow.
As
Vitali was heading back into the change room I had a chance to ask him
if he had a message to all his young Ukrainian fans; he gave a big smile
(the first of the evening) and answered “Slava Ukraini”.
–
Photos by BorysWrzesnewskyj