23.10.08 – by James Slater – No sooner had the words Vitali Klitschko uttered in his hopes of somehow landing a return fight with Lennox Lewis left his mouth, I, like practically everyone else, dismissed the 37-year-old’s talk as nothing but a pipe dream. No way will Lewis come back, was the general line of thought, and Klitschko had better realise that ASAP. However, though a Lewis comeback, at the age of 43 and after having had over five years out, is a long shot, the plot has just thickened a touch.
According to Evander Holyfield, in a news bit on FightNews.com, “The Real Deal’s” people got in touch with Lewis’ people earlier this week. Apparently they discussed the possibility of another fight between the two heavyweight greats. Sure, it probably doesn’t mean much, but there is a (slim) chance that this might make Lewis consider a ring return after all. After all, what better opponent could Lennox choose to fight in an effort to see how much he has left than the severely worn, yet still world renowned, Holyfield?
Let’s face it, Lewis is only human. How hard must it be for him to have mind boggling amounts of cash like $50 million dangled in front of him as a way of enticing him back to fight a guy he has already beaten? No matter how much a person has in the bank, they say, it’s never enough. So far there has been no comment by Lewis, but will he be interested in a third go with Holyfield and then a second one with Klitschko? It cannot be ruled out completely.
Of course, it would mean a whole lot more if it were Lewis’ people who had contacted Holyfield’s about another fight, instead of the other way around, but this latest news does get one thinking. Throughout boxing history there have been precious few former heavyweight champions who were not tempted back to make a comeback. Only Rocky Marciano and Gene Tunney spring to mind as heavyweights who said no to any such offers. And yes, Lewis will most probably make sure his name is added to those two greats whenever anyone is talking boxing in the years to come; but never before in boxing has a fighter been offered so much money to make a return.
Just think about it; $50 million! Would Marciano have turned down the equivalent of this kind of dough in his day? No way. Tunney, like Lewis, was not like your average fighter, and was seen as an intellectually studious type who was a very shrewd operator. But he too craved money and would also have had a tough time saying no to $50 mil (or the equivalent in his day). And heavyweights have fought, successfully, at an even older age than Lewis is now. Hell, even lower weight fighters have – just take a look at what 43-year-old Bernard Hopkins did at 170-pounds a few days ago.
43? The same age as Lewis? Maybe, just maybe Lennox will have seen the Hopkins-Pavlik fight and felt a sense of motivation to come back and try and KO Father time himself!