Boxing

Rematch With Klitschko Not Lewis Best Option

By T.Kaye

07.07 - Chris Byrd thinks Lewis is losing it. Analysis of Lewis comments on and since June 22nd may well support such a comment. What makes Byrds assertion unreliable is not the content of the assertion itself, but its source. Byrd, the former WBO and current IBF titlist has repeatedly passed off his loss to Wladimir Klitschko as nothing more than an instance of mafia and foreign-body inspired robbery.

Byrd’s delusions aside, Lewis comments, and the manner in which they were made, may well support such an assertion. They are also a valuable source of information which ought to be tapped for the purposes of determining the winner of any [probable] rematch

Lewis primary assertion, after the fight, was that he took the fight on short notice. The inverse is in fact true. Secondary assertions to the effect that Lewis was not ready for Klitschko and had had no sparring with “tall fighters” are also deemed irrelevant in light of the plainly obvious fact that Klitschko too had been preparing for a different fight.

As of June 9th Vitali was signed to fight Cedric Boswell [21-0-0] in a scheduled 10 rounder. Boswell, an unbeaten fighter of modest repute and modest stature, was and remains something of an unknown quantity. Lewis on the other hand had drawn to the close of what had supposedly been an excellent camp in preparation for a scheduled 12 rounder vs former WBA #1 contender Kirk Johnson. In stature, Boswell and Johnson are similar. To the best of anybody’s knowledge the similarities end there. Johnson is a former challenger for the WBA heavyweight title, and however dubious his efforts in so challenging, his right to do so was earned with wins over Oleg Maskaev and Larry Donald’s. Johnson’s best asset is his speed, and it is for this that Lewis had trained, or so Lewis claims. Lewis says he had no sparring with tall fighters. That claim may well be valid. What has to be asked then is just what kind of sparring had he done? The answer, we assume, is that he had prepared to negate Johnson’s best asset-speed and manoeuvrability. This is usually best achieved through lateral movement, cutting off the ring and frequent use of the jab. But his jab and movement were either non-existent versus Klitschko, or more importantly may have negated by Klitschko.

Equally important is that we draw a distinction between under-preparation and non-preparation. Lewis may have been under-prepared for Klitschko, the inverse being equally true for Klitschko. Having allegedly trained for speed, or more accurately, to negate speed, Lewis still found himself routinely outsped and out jabbed by Klitschko. Maybe Lewis was too heavy. But if he weighed in at a career high 256lbs with a view to out muscling Klitschko, [as he claimed] then why was it that Lewis came of second best in the clinches?. Lewis alibi is suspect at best. He may have wilted by virtue of the pace, but Klitschko was setting the pace. He may have wilted because of Vitalis big punches, but why was he being hit at all, and why wasn’t Klitschko wilting after absorbing Lewis massive shots, particularly in the 6th, a round I scored for Klitschko, and a round in which Lewis, witnessing the ineffectiveness of his best shots, seemed psychologically and physically beat as he collapsed heavily on his stool at the rounds end.

The root of Lewis problems lies not with his preparation. Lewis did not lose 4 out of 6 completed rounds by dint of lack of preparation. A poorly prepared Lewis does not last 6 rounds with any top 10 fighter. Allegations or excuses to the effect that Lewis had taken Klitschko lightly are invalid, poorly thought out and inaccurate. Lewis had prepared for something, indeed someone, and had had a lot more to prepare for than Klitschko. [Who typically couldn’t find anyone to fight him] Unprepared fighters of Lewis calibre do not get outhustled. Bear in mind Klitschkos assertion that if the fight did not get stopped that he, Klitschko, was en route to a point’s victory. Lewis ridiculously asserting that a KO was coming in the next round or two should be juxtaposed with Klitsckos assertions that the fight was going the distance and that he was going to win on points. Lewis had prepared, and if he didn’t know it Klitschko did. Was a KO coming? No. Lewis landed his Sunday Punch, a huge right, in round 3. He took that round, mainly because Vitali was preoccupied with the resulting cut, but lost the sixth despite landing hugely at the start with a massive right uppercut. Lewis landed his best shots, lost the round, then slumped in his corner. That does not auger well for a man whose “plans” included a next round KO win, or whose belief was that he was on the verge of same. Winning rounds in which your opponent lands his best shots is however congruent with a claim that you are en route to a points win.

Whatever the next rounds held the focus must now shift to the rematch. There is some room for improvement on Lewis part. He can tighten his defence and perhaps stick a few more litres in the tank. But that’s it. Klitschkos confidence, now soaring, will be complemented by the improved stamina and psyching that comes with training uninterrupted for more than 10 days for Lewis. Proof? Lewis is screaming about this “independent doctor”- intending to force a rematch as soon as the minimum healing period for Vitalis’ cuts has elapsed. This tells us two things

That Lewis does not need an extended training period for the rematch. Ergo he impliedly [though typically unwittingly] accepts that he had trained for their first fight. The question then is that if he was fit….why did he look so bad. Because he couldn’t last the pace set by an equally under prepared opponent.

That Lewis recognises his power isn’t enough to stop Klitschko on its own. His reckoning is that the weaker the scar the better. From this we can draw a safe assumption- outside of cuts Vitali will, sooner or later be able to draw Lewis into the same struggle that he had him in in their first fight.

Expect a near carbon copy of the first fight, but note one important difference. This fight will climax much later. Lewis will not allow Klitschko to start at the same breakneck speed, but will get sucked in later, perhaps by the 4th round. By the 11th Klitschko will have him exhausted and will end it in ugly fashion, with Lewis backed against the ropes and shipping punishment. Klitschko recognises that the key is to engage awkwardly at first, and once in, maul away with his considerable power. Ugly, but effective. The few clean shots Lewis gets off will have no significant effect. IF he plods after Vitali he will be tied up and worn down. If he drifts to the ropes to seek counter punching opportunities he will allow Vitali to set the pace.Lewis does not need the younger man to be the one setting the pace so the only alternative will be to engage Vitali. And that spells disaster for him as the fight will immediately evolve into a grappling trench war. One which Lewis cannot hope to win.

Klitschko TKO 11. Lewis

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