Opinions? Insight?

Thats a good question. I wonder why Lewis never wanted an immediate rematch. Lewis was obviously not at his best for there fight. Lewis would have destroyed Vitali in a rematch. I wish Lewis would explain why he retired while he was still on top.

if i almost knocked someones eyeball out of their head on my way to a tko stoppage, i wouldnt give him a rematch either. i thought it was obvious that a rematch wasnt needed. if vitali couldnt handle that version of lennox lewis, theres no way he survives a lennox that has actually trained.

True but I suspect that the rematch would have been, financially speaking, a much bigger fight. Plus, an out of shape Lennox had weathered the best that the Big Klit had to offer. I'd imagine that an in shape Lewis makes short work of Vitali in the rematch.

ALA Michael Grant style.

I never thought the first fight was controversial either... like everyone said above Lewis obviously wasn't at his best and Vitali on the other hand WAS at his best and it wasn't enough to win. No need for a rematch.

As much as I dislike Lennox, you can't deny the mans greatness.

Honestly, I think it was an ego thing.

Lewis was old, and no longer the fighter he once was. The thought that Vitali could be competitive with him was enough to make him realize he wanted out because he could no longer do it at the level he had built his rep on.

It was easier, and possibly smarter, to say "F this" and get out before sticking around too long like so many do than to tarnish what he built. Lewis was smart...I wanted to see the rematch, but do not blame him for getting out when he did.

The reason why Lewis/Klit was as competitive as it was, is because Lewis allowed it to be.

After the Tyson fight, he had nothing else to prove. That was the last chapter in his great career, was defeating Mike Tyson. You can easily tell that by the shape he came into for the Klitschko fight. That was the worst I've ever seen Lewis shape-wise, he didn't even look that bad in the 1st Rahman fight.

Lets be real, a 100% motivated Lennox Lewis whipes the floor with Klitschko no question, anyone who doesn't dickride knows that.

even though vitali was ahead on the cards, lennox was starting to take over. i still remember the uppercut he landed in the final round and was surprised vitalis head didnt pop off his shoulders.

for that fight, lennox was training to fight kirk johnson i believe. and its pretty obvious that lennox didnt give a damn what kind of shape he came in to face kirk because it really didnt matter. i give lennox respect for taking this fight at the last second when he knew he wasnt in top shape. vitali had everything going for him that night and was still going to lose. the "didnt train" excuse (which i think is annoying) is really valid here since lennox still won the fight. but thats the reason for vitali even being competitive in the ring that night.

as much as i despise lennox, the man is head and shoulders above any heavyweight that is fighting today.

Despite being the highest grossing PPV of all time, I don't think the Tyson fight would do better than eeking its way into the top 10 of Lewis' fights in terms of significance. I don't know ANYONE other than PURE hardcore Tyson "living in the 80's" fans that actually thought Tyson had a chance in there with Lewis.

i thought he had a chance. and seeing that first round made me believe that a prime tyson would have given lennox hell. but i had no idea that tyson was only a 4 or 5 round fighter at that point. he had me fooled. lennox should be ashamed that it took him that many rounds to get tyson out of there, manny steward almost had a heart attack in the corner. although, how could i not have known that tyson wasnt serious when he decided to train in hawaii. lol

It's true that hardcore fans knew how little significance this fight actually held, but slaughtering Tyson gained Lennox acceptance as the world's best heavyweight from mainstream fans as well, who had steadfastly denied him that title for years. In that sense, the fight with Mike was the final chapter of his great career, as Al B stated. Without it, there'd still be a cloud hanging over LL's career with a lot of people, however ridiculously unfairly.

I think Lennox turned down the rematch because he realized he just didn't have the desire anymore to get himself in the kind of top shape necessary to wipe the canvas with Vitali the way he should have, and certainly would have in his prime.

Count me among those who didn't feel a remach was necessary anyway, at least not at that late stage of his career. It was a legitimate TKO. And for all the talk of LL's shaky chin, Vitali cracked him there several times right on the button and it wasn't enough to take him out. Despite his gaudy KO numbers, he didn't have the one punch power of McCall or Rahman.

I honestly think Lennox carried Mike. He wanted to inflict serious punishment for the leg bite. Just my opinion on that.

I guess I'm of the opinion that legacy and worthwhileness of fights is determined more by the knowledgeable crowd (hardcore fans) than by your casual audience that thought Tyson in 2002 had only lost a half step or so since the 1980's.

I would consider his fight with Vitali to be MUCH more significant than the Tyson fight and know that all real boxing fans would agree with this, while the casual fan would certainly feel that the Tyson fight was more important. I would say that the Vitali fight was the final chapter in Lennox's great career and that he ended his career by beating one of the best heavyweights in the world.

i would say thats a fair assessment, but only after realizing that tyson had absolutely nothing left at that point. had tyson been able to give a better or more competitive performance, then i would disagree. but looking back, i think its a no brainer that the vitali fight was more significant.

Lewis was 38, rich, and knew when to say when. Pretty simple.

One thing I always kind of love about that fight was that Lewis' very last punch was a very clear late hit. The bell rang and he threw the punch anyway, making his last blow in boxing an illegal one. Not that it matters.

Well, Mike is a tough guy who can take a good punch. But the man had nothing for Lennox after round 1.

I remember in the post fight interview that Tyson stated he was hurt in the first round against Lewis and continued to get hurt for the rest of the fight.