National Conference Call Transcript: Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko, Cut Man Joe Souza, Dr. Pearlman Hicks, Attorney Ron DiNicola

Photo: JORGE GARCIA

25.06 - Hicks: Vitali had a very bad cut I have to admit. It went down to the bone on his left upper eyebrow area and it was approximately an inch deep and about five-six centimeters long. It required several layers of sootchers to close. Three layers to be exact. He also had other cuts that were on his cheek which were not as bad, but the one on his eyebrow and his upper eyelid were much more vicious cuts. He had another cut in his upper lip, which was quite deep and went through the muscle of the upper lip, which required several layers of sootchers to close also. These wounds typically take about 60-90 days to get back to normal. During that time he should not have any contact, any blows, or any sparring to this area because it would weaken the wound and it will open up quickly. As far as his chances of getting back to boxing, I would say to be safe, 6 months would be a good time because we want to make sure he is in perfect order and perfectly healed so that he can get back in the ring and not have to worry about the problem of this breaking open again.

Souza: The cut was severe to the point where it was notable, it was bleeding, but I was very successful keeping it under control and that is about all a cut man can do is keep it under control. There are times after three or four rounds that we could stop it but as the doctor just said it was one hell of a cut. I do not think at that time the fight should have been stopped. My thoughts were in two more rounds Vitali would have won the fight and I was thinking to myself get two rounds and we will be all right. As far as my concern about the cut, I am no fool, I know it was serious but again I had it under control.

Question: Was there ever a point when Vitali told you he could not see?

Souza: Never. There was no doubt in my mind that he could see. He was seeing well.

Question: What was your reaction when they stopped the fight?

Souza: I was working when the fight was stopped and I was shocked. Vitali jumped up and I stepped back and looked around. We never got an indication from the referee, not even a warning that they were about to stop the fight. All I remember seeing was that the fight was over, Vitali jumping up and chaos.

DiNicola: What many have been asking is what happens next and I will outline briefly what is being considered. Obviously the final decision will be up to Vitali and his promoter and their advisors. Two things are being considered. One possible step, it is likely that Vitali will ask the WBC to order an immediate rematch under the WBC rules which provide that in the case of extraordinary circumstances surrounding a bout, or where there is a public demand, or whereas in the interest of the sport, the WBC has the power to order an immediate rematch. So that is a step that is under active consideration and I would say probably that Vitali would ask the WBC to order an immediate rematch. In light of the circumstances surrounding the stoppage of the fight, we have an option of asking the California Commission to review the circumstances surrounding the injury to Vitali and the stoppage of the fight. A final decision on that has not been made pending our own review of the facts and circumstances and we will probably make a decision in the next few days or so. Indeed we have only five days to make a decision with respect to taking the matter to the commission, so we will have to make that decision by Thursday.

Wladimir: Vitali got cut. The cut was not small but Vitali's eye was open. I saw his reaction in the fight was very good. He saw every punch from Lewis. Actually, everyone could see it that Vitali's reaction was very good and the eye was not closed. I was not worried about it because Vitali was very confident and very focused. He saw everything and that is a very important part of boxing. In the fight, nobody was asking, how are you, Vitali? Can you see something? Are you ready to continue? I did not hear these questions. Vitali's eye was open and he had everything under control, and this is a very important point in a fight for the heavyweight world championship. So, this is my opinion.

Vitali: Good morning/afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I am feeling very well. I will go to the doctor tomorrow and he will take the stitches out. There is no swelling anymore. I feel robbed by the decision. I am really disappointed. My goal is to be world champion and I gave everything to be world champion. I read a newspaper and there was a commentary about the doctor coming to my corner to ask me about my eye, and after that he made the decision to stop the fight. After that, I told Fritz, my coach, to ask him, and he gave me a negative answer. I asked Wladimir. I asked the cut man and after that I saw the videotapes and spoke with the people from my team, and nobody saw that. The question is, why did the doctor stop it. I understand that the doctor was worried about my health. But this was for the world championship, and I could see everything.

That is why I am so disappointed with this decision. I know this was my fight to win. I won this fight. With this decision, the doctor gave a big present to Lennox Lewis. He gave him the world championship. Right now, my record says on June 21, 2003, I lost the fight. I do not feel like the loser. I want a rematch very much. I spoke with many people and everyone shared exactly the same opinion. Everyone wants to see this match. The question is, will Lewis accept the rematch against me or not.

Question: How many stitches did you need to close all your cuts? Do you plan to have plastic surgery?

DiNicola: Dr. Hicks had estimated about 60 stitches because there were a few different layers he had to stitch. He is a plastic surgeon so Vitali will not need any plastic surgery.

Boente: Sixty altogether. He had four smaller cuts in addition to the big one.

Vitali: The stitches are so small I cannot even see them in the mirror.

Boente: Plastic surgeons are using the little micro stitches you cannot see.

Question: I know a lot of people thought there might have been a head butt that opened the cut and that Lennox might have used his glove to further open it. Have you or anybody on your team looked at the videotape and found a spot where you think you may have found a head butt?

Vitali: I am not ready yet to give an answer about that. It was a head butt, but I do not know when I took the cut. I would have to see the fight more times. I have seen the videotape so far just one time.

Question: Do you think that Lewis has suddenly gotten old as a fighter; there is a school of thought that his legs are not what they used to be and he cannot move as well because he has gotten old. Do you agree with that?

Vitali: Lewis is a great fighter. He is the biggest (in stature) heavyweight fighter. He made just one mistake: After the Tyson fight, he retired but then wanted to fight again. So he is a little bit old in my opinion. He will be older, he will be heavy, he will be slower. That is why my chances to defeat him after we got past the sixth round were bigger and bigger. I saw it. Lewis was losing power, losing his conditioning. I saw my chance to beat him.

Question: Do you think it will be tougher to get a rematch with Lewis now that he is the most attractive/available option for Roy Jones?

Vitali: I want to fight Lewis; the question is will he accept this fight. I know his answer will depend on the money proposal. The question, is will he get enough money to fight me. Of course against Jones, Lewis would get a lot more money, than in a fight against me, and I think that against Jones, Lewis would not have to take such a big risk because I am a big heavyweight. Nobody knows what will happen in the future. It is his decision.

Question: What is your opinion of the job Souza did with your cut?

Vitali: I worked with him for the first time, and I want to say thank you very much. He had the cut under control. I did not have any blood in my face. He stopped it. I want to work with him in the future. I have 16 years experience in boxing and never before had any cuts. In this last fight, I had five cuts, and I am really appreciative of my cut man. He did a great job.

Question: Do you realize in a way its almost as good that you lost controversially because now everyone is talking about it?

Vitali: American Broadcasters (television) have shown just two of my fights. I have fought 44 times in the ring. The American audience has seen two fights. The first fight, I was unlucky against Chris Byrd. I stopped the fight because I tore a ligament in my shoulder. Physically, I could not fight. In the second fight, against Lewis, I had an injury (cuts) on my face, but it did not bother me. I had a lot of critics after the Byrd fight that I had no heart and that gave me a lot of motivation to show everybody how good I am.

Question: Joe, the injuries Vitali suffered, will they affect his career? Is this the kind of cut that could continually open up?

Souza: No, because the one thing that has come out of this, as the doctor, a plastic surgeon, said was that he worked on Vitali right after the fight so I think that is to our advantage, I see no problem in the future providing he lays off as long as the doctor said for them to do.

Question: Vitali, you have not been in any tough battles. What was it like as soon as you realized this was going to be a difficult fight?

Vitali: It was a difficult fight because Lewis is the top heavyweight in the world. He has great experience in title fights. I did not want to underestimate him. I gave my best. I know I am better than Lewis.

Question: Ron, your protest to the WBC, do you think the fact that it may take Vitali six months from now to fight will affect Lewis in a sense that he will argue you cannot stop him from making a living and letting him fight Jones in between?

DiNicola: It would not be a protest. It would be a request that they order the immediate rematch under their rules. The estimate that the doctor gave at the beginning of the conference was the most conservative estimate because in earlier conversations he had given us an inside and outside estimate. I believe the inside estimate was around three-four months. We are obviously going to have to monitor his recovery very carefully, but, fortunately, he got early treatment by someone who is very good. Given his great shape, Vitali will recover very quickly. We will expect that he will be available as soon as four-six months. Of course, Lewis had not fought in a year since his last fight. He will take some time to prepare for the next bout. By the time the contracts are negotiated and by the time all the business points are resolved it may very well be six months before the fight takes place. It should be the next fight, the public demands it and the sport certainly needs it, and it is appropriate. As you know, we had to lend great encouragement to Lewis to fight us this time. We will continue to pursue him to face Vitali again as he should in a rematch.

Question: Vitali, are you worried Lewis will retire rather than fight you?

Vitali: I won by points and the doctor stopped me. Many people in the world want to see who the real winner is. It would be really bad news for me should Lewis choose to retire.

Question: What did you think about the comments from Lewis after the fight? Have you received any reaction from your idol Max Schmelling?

Vitali: They were was the same. Lewis promised before the fight that he would knock me out inside five rounds and after the fight he said that if the doctor did not stop the fight he would have knocked me out in the next round. So he said I was lucky. I got flowers from Max Schmelling. I know my idol saw this fight and wished me all the best and it gave me a lot of energy.

Boente: Those flowers were sent by a messenger from Max Schmelling to Vitali's hotel after the fight with best wishes from Max.

Question: Vitali, was there anything you could have done better during those six rounds?

Vitali: I have only seen the fight one time and need to see it again without emotion and with my coach and my team to make a decision. Right now, I cannot tell you what could have been done better or mistakes I made.

Boente: I was very disappointed with Emanuel Stewart. Normally I know him as a gentleman and a person we all like to talk to. Before the fight he always mentioned Lewis had no problem with height. After the fight he said he had problems with the height. Before the fight he said he would knock him out in five rounds, we do not need that much time to prepare. After the fight he said he did not have enough time to prepare. Vitali had the same disadvantage, he had the same time to prepare. He was only preparing for 10 rounds.

Question: Wladimir, did you sense any urgency and tell Vitali he might have to knock him out before this fight gets stopped?

Wladimir: I think Vitali knows exactly what he has to do. Vitali did a great job. I think that Vitali would have ended the fight the next two rounds by KO.

Souza: The referee did not say anything about getting a round or two. That is what we should have got.

Question: Ron, does Vitali have to be out six months before he starts sparring?

Boente: I talked to the doctor yesterday and he said he can do sparring in the next 60-90 days. The six months was the most conservative timing. Four to five months maximum before he is capable to return.

Question: Vitali, if you do not get the fight with Lewis are you OK with that?

Vitali: I hope I will fight Lewis. Everyone wants to see this fight. The question is, who was the winner last Saturday. If Lewis does not fight me, there are a lot of good fighters and I hope it will be a good fight. It is my goal to be world champion. I do not want to fight everyone. I want to fight the world champion.

Question: Ron, the doctor that stopped the fight is well respected in California and known for looking out for the fighters. Do you think the fight was stopped prematurely and have you talked with anyone else about their thoughts?

DiNicola: We are in the process of evaluating a number of opinions about the stoppage. We agree that Dr. (Paul) Wallace is respected and he was looking out for Vitali's health, based on the tests that Dr. Wallace applied and that is whether Vitali could see, and whether he could defend himself properly. I do not want to get into any more detail.

Question: Souza, was there a preexisting condition in the cut area?

Souza: To a point, but the way the fight was proceeding there was no danger. I felt as though we were able to keep it under control at all times.

Question: Lewis said he would take a rematch if the money is right. Is the money that important or do you just want the title?

Vitali: I never think about the money. When money is the motivation for somebody, you never win the fight. For me, the motivation is to be world champion. When I am world champion, the money will come automatically. I never think about the money, I just think about the results.

Question: Did you like Los Angeles or would you prefer the rematch to take place in Vegas or maybe Germany?

Vitali: I was surprised. Staples Center was full and the whole audience supported (rooted for) me and gave me power. All the big boxing matches happen in the United States. It does not matter where the fight will be. Be it L.A., New York or Las Vegas, I will be ready.

Question: Vitali, how do you rate Lewis and his boxing skills?

Vitali: He is a good fighter. He showed everyone he has experience. You cannot stop the biological process. He will be older, he will be slower, and he will lose direction. He has experience, but your body starts working against you. That is why I want to use the weaknesses of Lewis against him.

Question: What did you think about his jab?

Vitali: His jab is good and it is hard.