Boxing
The Many Faces of Lennox Lewis: Lewis vs. Klitschko Prediction

by Jim "Boxadamus" De Pierro


Lennox Lewis 40-2-1 (31 KOs) vs. Vitali Klitschko 32-1 (31 KOs)

Lennox Lewis fights are some of the most difficult fights to predict because you never know which guy is going to show up. Lewis is anything but consistant. Inconsistancy is not always a bad trait but it gives boxing pundits like me fits trying to foresee the probable outcome of a fight. In my mind Lewis and his fights can be categorized in three different categories. We have Lennox the snooozer, Lennox the loser and Lennox the destroyer.

The first is Lennox the snoozer. This is the chess player in Lewis. The guy that keeps Evander Holyfield and David Tua at the end of his piston like jab for twelve rounds but never makes an attempt to KO his opponent when you know he is capable of it. After these types of performances you will often hear Lewis refer to himself as a "pugilist specialist". This is the Lewis that fights a tactical, conservative approach by minimizing risk to himself by using his great reach and height to keep his opponenents at bay. Fights against Zeljko Mavrovic and Henry Akinwande would also fit the bill as snoozer fights because you see in these fights a clearly talented champion who wins virtually by default due to the limited abilities of his opponent's inability to make a competitive fight.

Lennox the loser is the guy that is continually degraded by critics and dismissed as having a glass jaw. This the guy that gets dropped like a sack of potatoes by fighters like Hasim Rahman and Oliver McCall. Lennox the loser is the guy that makes you think that a bum like Shanon Briggs might be the next heavyweight champion of the world as your watching the fight and leaves doubts as to whether he should have been declared the rightful victor over Ray Mercer. Now I personally believe that Lewis-Mercer verdict was the correct call. In my mind Lewis won a very close but clear decision over the iron jawed Mercer but nevertheless many hardcore boxing fans with to much time on their hands continue to this day continue to moan and groan that Mercer should have been declared the victor.

The last version of Lennox Lewis is the one we have seen in the past couple of years namely Lennox the destroyer. This is the Lennox Lewis that reclaims his title with a vengeance over Hasim Rahman and puts boxings bad boys Mike Tyson and Andrew Golota down for the count. Usually Lennox the destroyer only comes out when Lewis is facing a fighter who is regarded to be a bit of a thug or likes to talk a lot of smack as in the case of Hasim Rahman. Lewis the destroyer has also been known to make other appearances as in the case of his fights with Grant, Botha, Morrison and Ruddock.

The question is which Lennox Lewis will show up this Saturday to fight Vitali Klitschko. I have no doubt that if Kirk Johnson had not pulled out of this fight we most likely would have seen Lennox the snoozer. I would be lying to you if I told you I would rather see a Lewis-Johnson fight than a Lewis-Klitschko fight. Kirk Johnson has got to be one of the dullest boxing personalities out there. In an interview I read before Johnson pulled out of his scheduled matchup with Lewis Johnson was saying that he envisaged himself beating Lewis by a unanimous decision. What kind of way to promote a fight is that? Those kind of comments tend to indicate that Johnson most likely was going to try and run for 12 rounds with out getting hit. Lewis I think was bored and unmotivated by the challenge that Kirk Johnson presented. I think if the Lewis-Johnson fight had come to fruition Lewis would have done just enough to win and would have been content to let Johnson go the distance while racking up an easy points victory. With that being said I also think Johnson had a slightly better chance to beat Lewis than does the elder Klitschko brother. Vitali certainly has a better punch than Kirk but I think Johnsons's skills are superior to Vitali Klitschko's. Against Klitschko I think were going to see Lennox the destroyer.

Vitali Klitschko in my mind is more of a pretender than a contender. Call me old fahioned but I feel that you really should have beaten someone of some note before you fight for the heavyweight championship of the world even if it is on short notice. When I look at the older Klitschko's record the only thing I see are a bunch of has beens and never was's. The only name on V. Klitschko's record that means anything is Chris Byrd and Klitschko failed that test miserably as far as I am concerned. I don't care if Klit was beating Byrd easily the fact of the matter is that he quit plain and simple and showed he doesn't have the heart or desire to be heavyweight champion.

Now I know it takes a certain amount of courage to step into the ring and a lot of you are thinking as you read this that pen pushing pundits like me who haven't been in a fight since gradeschool shouldn't criticize anyone who steps foot into the squared circle. Well I disagree. Clearly Klitschko is not a coward in the overall sense of the word. Most boxers aren't but there is relative standard by which you can measure bravery in the ring. Take a look at Evander Holyfield in his fight against Chris Byrd. Evander Holyfield clearly injured and later had surgery on his shoulder. Holyfield had a lot more reasons to quit against Byrd than Klit did. Holyfield was hopelessly behind on the scorecards and was getting embarrased in a fight that really wasn't competitive. I don't even like Holyfield but even I was starting to feel bad for the old man as Byrd was making him look silly. Quitschko on the other hand had the fight in the bag. Larry Merchant said it best right after the fight the only thing Quitschko had to do was stand there. Quitschko didn't even need to throw another punch for the whole fight, he only needed to avoid getting KO'd. I don't doubt that Klits shoulder hurt like hell but when I look at Evander Holyfield fighting his heart out in a hopeless effort against Chris Byrd and then I look at Vitali Klitschko quitting after getting tapped on the shoulder a few times by the featherfisted Byrd in a fight he is winning and I just can't respect him as a fighter.

If Quitschko thought what Chris Byrd put him through was tough then he is going to feel like he has died and gone to hell when Lennox Lewis gets his hands on him. Vitali Klitschko if he wins would probably be the first heavyweight champion with a Ph. D. Unfortunately for Quitschko its not going to happen but he will have a chance at earning another degree. He will be taking a crash course on boxing 101 administered by Prof. Lennox Lewis at the school of hard knocks.

Here is how I see the fight going. The only way Klitschko win is if Lewis gets old but I don't think that will happen. Lewis has taken pretty good care of himself over the years and hasn't taken to much accumulated punishment over the years for him to suddenly age over night. A year of inactivity is probably actually good for Lewis and his body at this point in his career. Ring rust may be a factor but I don't think it will. Lewis is enough of a veteran that I don't think he will have any trouble getting back into his groove.

I think first three rounds are going to be feeling out rounds by both fighters. I expect this fight to start off slowly with both fighters showing a low punch output. I expect that with two huge fighters that there will be quite a bit of grappling and some wrestling. Against Larry Donald who is sort of a poor man's Lennox Lewis and similar size it looked to me like Klitschko threw him to the ground one of those times. I don't think Lewis is going to go down or at least officialy but I think Klitschko might throw Lewis or try to throw Lewis to the canvas a couple of times when they get up close. I think when Klitschko feels the right hand of Lennox Lewis he is going to become more defense minded as the fight goes on. Vitali Klitschko's height will be of some advantage to him in that I think his 6'8" frame will effectively neutralize Lewis's uppercut as an effective punch. Lewis made good use of his uppercut against Grant who was of similar size but that was largely because Lewis was able to hold Grant's head with his left hand while he smashed the right uppercut into Grant's face. Lewis tactics against Grant were borderline illegal and I don't Vitali Klitschko will put himself in a position for Lewis to be able to do that to him nor do I think Lou Moret will allow that to go on. Another thing to consider is that Klitschko tends to fight with that standard standup European style of fighting so any uppercut that Lewis throws has a longer distance to travel than he is used to and will lose some momentum unless he catches Vitali Klitschko when he is crouching.

Most of this fight is going to be pretty boring while it lasts but I think this fight will make for quite a highlight reel in the last 20 seconds. If this fight makes it past the 8th round look for it to end on a decision. Lewis has never scored a KO past the 8th round. Just remember the bigger they are the harder they fall and when Klitschko falls its going to be big. I see Lewis catching Klitschko with a left hook that sends him reeling into the ropes with Lewis in pursuit catching Klitschko with an overhand right as he is stumbling backwards and falling. Klitschko will be bloodied and battered and won't get up in the only knockdown of the evening. Lewis will be ahead by four rounds to one at the time of the stoppage. Here is another prediction for post Lewis-Klitschko aftermath. The EPA will add Klitschko fans to its list of endangered species after Vitali Klitschko goes down to a crashing defeat.

Lennox Lewis KO 6 over Vitali Klitschko

* * * * Bonus Prediction * * *


Chris Byrd will be the Harry Wills of this era and never get a shot at the linear heavyweight title despite being clearly the most deserving contender on merit.

Agree? Disagree? Think I'm full of it? E-mail me at boxadamus@surfglobal.net or post comment.

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