05.08 – Vitali Klitschko did not come close to getting knocked down when he fought Lennox Lewis in June in Los Angeles.

Monday, however, he admitted that he was floored after hearing that Lewis did not want to fight again this year and that a proposed Dec. 6 rematch with the world heavyweight champion would not happen.

“If this is true, then it really caught me off guard,” Klitschko, speaking from Hamburg, Germany, said. “I did not expect to hear anything like this. I am really surprised that Lewis suddenly feels unable to have a rematch this year.

“First, he put pressure on me, saying that I could not fight because of the cuts around my left eye. So I had several different experts examine the eye. Independent doctors in Los Angeles and Germany both gave me the OK to resume training right away. They both said that a fight later in the year would not be a problem for me.

“Honestly, it seems to me that Lennox is looking for an easy exit. Why else would he wait until after I have been cleared to fight to announce that he did not want to fight? He is looking for an easy way out. Lewis is a great champion, but I have the feeling that he realizes how tough the fight against me really was and how difficult the rematch will be.

“I am ready to fight Lennox Lewis right now. And, you know, I still feel like the winner of the first bout. I am very confident that I will also win the rematch. This is a fight the fans want and deserve to see again. For the boxing fans all over the world, I really hope that Lennox will change his mind and that we will have the rematch before 2003 is over.’’

Klitschko was leading Lewis, 58-56, on the three judges’ scorecards when the June 21 bout at STAPLES Center was controversially stopped after the sixth round due to cuts around the challenger’s left eye.