To this day fight fans the world over debate what would have happened if heavyweight rivals Lennox Lewis and Vitali Klitschko had boxed a rematch of their brutal and bloody six-round war of June 2003. Lewis, after a real struggle, stopped the still somewhat unknown Klitschko on cuts (simply horrific ones) and almost instantly fans called for a rematch.
It never happened. But now it might, sort of. An exhibition is scheduled for Kiev in late September or early October, and the planned “rematch” has certainly caused quite a buzz on boxing websites and in the papers. Klitschko, now heavily involved in politics, was a guest on Sirius XM Boxing Radio and he spoke of why the rematch he says Lewis verbally promised him never actually took place.
.@Vitaliy_Klychko tells @CommishRandyG and @gerrycooney that Lennox Lewis promised him a rematch but then a meeting between he and Lewis didn't go as planned, thus the rematch not coming to fruition. #boxing pic.twitter.com/hJU05aYH9t
— SiriusXM Boxing (@SiriusXMBoxing) June 12, 2018
“Lennox Lewis after the fight promised to give me [a] rematch and I very appreciated I had a chance to fight the great champion, great fighter that’s in Lennox Lewis,” Vitali said on the radio show. “I showed my skills and I beat him but they stopped the fight and I was really upset. Lennox was very happy, but after the fight Lennox told me, ‘Don’t worry, I promise you I give you rematch and we will fight again’ but, we made negotiation and Lennox invite me to his office in London to sign the contract, the fight contract for the next fight,”
Vitali, who retired in 2014, said. “I was surprised Lennox tell me, ‘Please we talk together just you and me, don’t bring the lawyers don’t bring anybody, we talk together.’come to his office I was really surprised Lennox was not alone, with his mom. We talk about the next fight, I guess two hours and mom doesn’t say one word. They scanned me with the eye, and the mom from Lennox was bigger and wiser…
“I know his mom was always in camp, mom was always by Lennox’s fights. I leave the office, Lennox calls me and told me, ‘Vitali, sorry, I no fight you’, and I understand. His mom don’t like me and says to Lennox, ‘Lennox, better not to fight Klitschko again.’ Yeah I was a little bit upset but anyway thank you for Lennox, he gave me chance to prove my skills against the best boxer in my career.”
So the way Vitali tells it, Lewis’ mother, Violet, talked her son out of rumbling with Klitschko’s “Iron Fist” for a second time. But now, with Lewis being 52 and Klitschko being 46 (47 on July 19) the two giants are set to fight, or at least box, again. Will we see a gentlemanly affair, or will one or both of the two greats lose it for a second or two and sling out a punch or two for real?
The way the fans are talking on the various forums, this is what they want to see!