Jack
Welsh On Boxing
LENNOX NOT STAYING TOO LONG AT THE FAIR
Whatever your endeavor in life, nothing is so enthralling
as having timing in your grasp and a keen sense to capitalize on
it big time before staying too long at the fair.
Boxing’s international fraternity, that’s
the full spectrum from wannabes to astute practitioners, appear
aware no heavyweight champion in history has been more obsessed
than Britain’s Lennox Lewis about the legacy he will leave
behind when the action is no longer his cup of tea.
Two and a half times now, the 6’5”, 240-pound
(when in shape) fighter has been taken to the fistic brink and two
and a half times the right karma prevailed for Lewis to recover
the titles if not the celebrity
required to be mentioned in the same breath as legends Johnson,
Dempsey, Maricano, Ali, Frazier, Holmes, and Holyfield.
Journalists, print and broadcast, seem to have a certain
fascination in predicting who is going to do what to who in the
ring, especially heavyweights. And it’s that time again even
though it is less an a month since Lewis lucked out to retain his
WBC/IBO belts when Vitali Klitschko’s severe eye cuts left
him short on a sixth-round TKO at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
“Rematch” was the only dialogue as
more than 15,000 satisfied spectators left the arena with new admiration
for Klitschko, 31,a transplanted Ukrainian who led 58-56 on all
three judges’ scorecards.
Here is Lewis and his connections chances to show they
have a head for business and not tempt fate to the extreme by fighting
Klitschko as soon as his eye cuts (requiring 60 sutures) are healed.
“I want a rematch as soon as Klitschko is ready.
It was a good fight and the fans seem to enjoy it but I know lot
of them expected to see a knockout. We want to be sure Vitali is
ready. I watched the tape. It’s amazing they went to the scorecards.
He won the first two rounds but I won the next four rounds and would
have knocked Klitschko out in the next two rounds. He was very lucky.”
Lewis said he would like to fight Klitschko Dec.6 in
a Las Vegas venue but the dual champion said they wanted an independent
physician examining the former WBO heavyweight champion’s
eyes to confirm he would be ready before contracts are signed.
Joe Souza, who did an outstanding job in keeping the
wounds clean as Klitschko’s cut man, said the cuts have healed
exceptionally well and will not impair the fighter’s career
in the future.
“No problems, because the one thing that
has come out of this ts Dr. Pearlman Hicks as a plastic surgeon,
and he worked on Vitali right after the fight, so I think this is
to our advantage. I see no large problems in the future providing
he lays off as long as the doctor recommended he do. I know he will
do it because Vitali is anxious to fight Lewis as soon as possible.”
Dr. Hicks added: “If Vitali doesn’t have
any contact from blows or sparring. I’d say six months is
a period that should have the cuts in good order and perfectly healed.
After that time Vitali can get back in the ring and not worry about
the cuts breaking open again after he takes a blow in a bout.”
Lewis, celebrating his 38th birthday Sept.2, resented
the media’s approach that he came into the Klitschko fight
at 256.5 pounds, the heaviest since he turned pro in 1989.
“I think they should understand the circumstances.
I was training to fight Kirk Johnson, who was 6’ 2”
and then he got hurt and had to withdraw. In just a week, I was
fighting a guy (Klitschko) who was 6’7” In the past
I trained as a counter-puncher, Now I was an aggressor. I think
I was in good shape after a year’s layoff after Mike Tyson.
Then i get a new opponent and in 10 days, I’m changing my
style.”
Though Lewis is a subject of changing moods, most media
have found him outgoing in one-on-one interviews.
“One thing I have noticed about the media
is there are times when some things are blown out of proportion.
However, I feel I am becoming more and more accessible.”
Lewis indicated if Klitschko is available Dec.6 or thereabouts,
the likelihood that he would not stay too long at the fair would
be a mega-matchup with Roy Jones, Jr., in a defense of his WBA heavyweight
crown, acquired Mar.1 with a 12-round decision over John Ruiz at
the Thomas & Mack Center.
“I’m opting for the Klitschko rematch,
but I have had some conversations with Jones about
terms. Some people say he’s hard to deal with but I haven’t
found that to be true.It looked like he was going to meet Evander
Holyfield but Holyfield signed to fight James Toney Oct.4 at Mandalay
Bay. If something did happen to Klitschko, the situation might be
different with Jones.”
Even in the beginning (an amateur career that took him
from Jamaica, London Toronto and finally a 1988 Olympic gold medal
in Seoul), a far-flung public never lauded Lennox for the explosive
electricity all heavyweights need to stimulate attention. Those
cautious stick-n-move big guys don’t get it.
Perhaps it‘s an ironic twist that Lewis lost more
spectacularly than he has won despite a solid resume now at 41-2-1,
32 KOs. After 25 straight pro wins, it was a lackadaisical Brit
who was chilled in two rounds by Oliver McCall’s right hand
in his third defense of the WBC crown in 1994 and he didn’t
get it back until
2997, stopping McCall in five rounds in Las Vegas.
There are fight people out there who tell you the U.K.
behemoth is star-crossed one minute and then caressed by angels
on the next tick of the clock. The ill-trained Lewis stayed in Las
Vegas too long for a cameo role in the movie,” Oceans Eleven,”
and went to South Africa in April, 2001 where he blew it all on
a five-round kayo by Hasim Rahman
Lewis’ comeback script was repeated seven months
later when he stretched Rahman with one right hand in Las Vegas
and the bells were tolling again.
Emanuel Steward, the champ’s Hall of Fame trainer,
came back 13 months later to showcase
Lewis against Tyson and it was one of the London’s super-star’s
premier performances. Lennox’s pay $30 million in a dominating
run. Iron Mike got $18 million and people are still wondering if
he will ever fight again.
Lewis’ full-focus now is Klitschko and if there
isn’t a detour, he will be back in the spring doing an Auld
Lang Syne while outweighing Mr. Jones by 50 pounds. Just something
to think about on a coffee break..
(Jack Welsh is a syndicated columnist headquartered in
Las Vegas.)
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