Best and worse at keeping in shape or training properly?

[Bodyshot3]

He'd have to go some to be dirtier than Lewis. LL didn't believe the rule book applied to him. Funny thing is Akinwande was DQ'd against him for holding.

To be fair and to add some wider context to the above Kalan.....

.....Henry A was borderline notorious for this tactic, he held and spoiled in many a fight and against far lesser/dangerous opponents than Lennox.

Was not altogether curious that Henry got binned out of the Lewis fight; he'd done it before and was involved in another stinker with Welch earlier in the year. Although Welch played his part too.

Henry was often a very hard watch, alot of his game was jab and smother and he was never that marketable as a result.

Let's be clear - Lennox could be rough and take a liberty or two - but Akinwande is not a great example.
Henry was often an octopus and frequently a very negative fighter indeed.

[Kalan]

Do you know if I had your imagination I would be worth more than Stephen King. Suffice to say in 1993 the British public ( including Mickey Vann ) saw Frank Bruno as a big lovable dope. Conversely they saw Lennox Lewis as a Canadian using his British birth as a matter of convenience. If your stupid theory about Lewis " palming " and thumbing his way to victory over Vitali wasn't bad enough, this one really takes the biscuit.

Again it is well known by anyone, and everyone who had anything at all to do with boxing in Britain that Bruno was a prodigious trainer and his team had more trouble trying to stop him rather than encourage him into working at his game. He was the sort of guy that if you asked for 500 sit ups would do a thousand if he wasn't told to stop. It was the same with EVERY aspect of training and preparation for a fight.

For someone who professes to have so much knowledge of fighters and the fight game I am amazed that you are unable to spot the fact that Frank simply wasn't a natural fighter. He was totally manufactured, a big exceptionally strong guy with an extremely hard punch, but clueless as far knowing how to fight was concerned.

The greatest respect, and credit that can be given to Frank is he convinced himself that if he trained harder, and harder ( despite the advice of his handlers ) he would eventually become world champion, and he did at the 4th attempt.

You're full of crap again.. You gotta be freakin' BLIND.. Mickey Vann warned Lewis numerous times for fouling Bruno... Just before the stoppage he warned Lewis again to stop palming Bruno in the face.. He didn't take points because he was in Lewis's hip pocket.. Lewis knew Vann wasn't going to take points.. Because while Vann was warning Lewis and yelling at him, Lewis looked over at Bruno while Vann was talking to him.. Then he gave Vann a very tiny nod of his head like "ok man.. yeah yeah I get it man.. yeah, yeah, yeah, ok" Then Lewis went right back to palming Bruno in the face when Vann let him continue.

What you know about British boxing and referees could be written o n a pinhead and still leave room for Tolstoy's War and Peace. I have exposed your lies about Lennox fouling Klitchko by posting the clip that shows the PUNCH that opened up the cut on Vitali's face in round 3. I have no need to do the same here. Suffice to say Mickey Vann had a reputation for being a bigger mouthed, attention seeking idiot than your fukwit Mills Lane. In fact he was censured for using foul language during a fight, the eff word I believe. Who knows, it might have been his fairground upbringing that made him so gobby, but not too many fighters took him seriously.

You don't take a referee seriously when he's bought off and you know damned well he's not taking points no matter how many warnings he's issuing. You don't vociferously warn boxers for flagrant fouling repeatedly without taking points -- only to have them immediately commit the fouls again.

[Kalan]

You don't take a referee seriously when he's bought off and you know damned well he's not taking points no matter how many warnings he's issuing. You don't vociferously warn boxers for flagrant fouling repeatedly without taking points -- only to have them immediately commit the fouls again.

The above seems to be a lot of hot air again with no substance. What conspiracy theories need more than anything is a reason why, and you haven't given one to back up your allegation that anyone and everyone who matters in boxing bent over backwards to accommodate the English born Canadian Lennox Lewis.

For instance we know that after beating Butler in a WBC title eliminator in May 95, he was still frozen out by persons unnamed until February 97. We also know he was stripped by the WBA for fighting Grant instead of their number 1 contender, having won the trinket from Holyfield. Or how about Eddie Cotton doing just about everything he could to help Tyson in their fight except actually punch Lewis himself? Yet you persist in trying to convince folks that Lewis was above the rules and pecking order of the game with the acquiescence of just about everyone in it with power and influence.

Doesn't add up.

Well you're just being stupid again... There's a big difference between fighting an American in America and fighting an Eastern European in America... Lewis was screwed in the 1st Holyfield fight by corrupt judges who were paid off to rob him of an easy win... The Tyson fight was only going to go Lewis's way regardless of what Eddie Cotton did.. Lewis was going to knock Tyson out early, mid rounds, or late rounds.. Tyson was very easy to hit and Lewis was a sharp puncher with excellent KO power.

Cotton took a point from Lewis because Lewis leaned his weight on Tyson's back and pushed him down.. Pushing is a foul in Boxing believe it or not.. Holding is also a foul.. When referees say "no holding" they don't mean "some holding" ... Putting your head on your opponent and using it for leverage is a foul.. Grabbing and wrestling is a foul.. pushing with the shoulders, forearms and hands are all fouls.. Striking with the edges, back, palm, thumb, or heel of the glove are all fouls.. The only legal striking surface is the end or flat of the fist.

Lewis was always going to be at a disadvantage when fighting American icons as far as the officiating goes.. But he was in control of things when he faced Vitali Klitschko.. The referee in particular was in Lewis's corner 100% -- and that same referee allowed Guerrero to foul Berto all night in their fight -- including punching Berto many times after the final bell as it continued to clang away to get him to stop.

[Kalan]

Larry O' Connell was bought and paid for... He's English speaking and had been in the US a number of times... He was accessible to be corrupted.

The referee should not be able to use his "discretion" to call fouls... Warnings should be issued for all deliberate rule infractions.. After 2 warnings points should be taken... After 2 points are taken the next infraction should result in a DQ... There's too much BS discretion by referees. 5 fouls and you should be outta here. We have too many foul fests and hug fests... It's boring as Hell to watch. It's not Boxing when you're palming somebody's face to cause or worsen a cut.

[Kalan]

Everyone had an opinion and something round.... And of those 2 things you're the latter.

[Kalan]

The point being it's easier to corrupt somebody if they speak the same language and travel to the US a lot. You develop a relationship with them and feel them out on how susceptible and open they are to being bribed. You're looking to influence a decision that's worth a lot of money to you.

[Counter-puncher]

lol you two are so cute when you fall out

[Bodyshot3]

That said, you're pointing out the blatantly obvious regarding the British judge / referee Larry O'Connell is " English speaking " was quite comical. ]Out of interest what did you think his first language might be? Swahili perhaps?

Classic, although his Zulu and Xhosa are apparently excellent