Kalan wrote:At the end of the Vitali Klitschko fight, Lewis was losing on all scorecards... it was Lewis's final fight...because Klitschko was beating Lewis handily even with blood streaming into his left eye from 2 jagged eyelid cuts caused by a thumb strike and glove palming holding-n-hitting foul by Lewis all within the first 20 seconds of the start of the 3rd round... Lewis was warned for intentional face palming in the fight, but it was a joke warning. The action wasn't stopped by Lou Moret and Lewis didn't even look at Moret for a split second.
Lewis often had referees in his pocket... If you look at 3:15 to 3:50 of this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpiq5cdvYDk you see referee Mickey Vann giving Lewis one several severe and direct warnings for fouling Bruno ... without calling time or ever taking points ... In this case he warned Lewis for face palming, but at the same time Lewis was extending his left hand and keeping it out there---also a foul---Lewis didn't even acknowledge Vann's warning and went right back to palming Bruno's face as he pleased -- getting the stoppage he was after.
Doesn't matter at the end of the day. Lewis won and if Vitali wanted to win that much, he wouldn't have let Lewis punch him in a face hard enough to open a gash. Not getting hit is just as important as getting hit and Vitali was hit with hard enough shots over a duration of time to basically open his face to where he shouldn't have been allowed to continue. Scorecards don't matter if the fighter is stopped.
gilgamesh wrote:I don't recall Corrie Sanders being a replacement opponent for Wlad at that time either.
My bad. You, Saadofthedeck & Taun_Jim are surely right. I don't know why I always think that Sanders stepped in for another opponent. Thanks for setting me straight. Peace.
Funny thing is, I can vividly recall putting Klitschko's trainer at the time, the late Fitz - Dsudek ( spell ? ) on blast on another forum afterward because of the choice of Sanders as an opponent & Wlad's apparently crappy prep/game plan going in against a big, hard hitting, southpaw with fast hands. It must have been because it was to be his last bout before a potential super fight with Lewis that was the issue. I just couldn't see why they would pick such a risky foe right before a big fight like that one.
badkatt wrote:bonecrusher smith being a last minute sub against spoon in the rematch ( it was supposed to be mitch green in there )
Actually, I think Bonecrusher was substituting for Tony Tubbs in the title fight. Smith had been in training to fight Mitch Green at the time, though. This certainly was disastrous, but on paper, I can see why it seemed to be a good idea for Witherspoon. He had beaten Smith fairly easy the year before. Plus, I think Bonecrusher was a little wobbly at the world class level at that point. After knocking out Frank Bruno in '84, I think he was 4-4 with one kayo.
I watched this when it happened and I remember being shocked. Smith sure came through when he needed to do so.
badkatt wrote:bonecrusher smith being a last minute sub against spoon in the rematch ( it was supposed to be mitch green in there )
Actually, I think Bonecrusher was substituting for Tony Tubbs in the title fight. Smith had been in training to fight Mitch Green at the time, though. This certainly was disastrous, but on paper, I can see why it seemed to be a good idea for Witherspoon. He had beaten Smith fairly easy the year before. Plus, I think Bonecrusher was a little wobbly at the world class level at that point. After knocking out Frank Bruno in '84, I think he was 4-4 with one kayo.
I watched this when it happened and I remember being shocked. Smith sure came through when he needed to do so.
you may be right perhaps it was a spoon v tubbs rematch and not mitch green ...
sweetviolenturge wrote:All-time disastrous choices as replacement foes
If you want an all-time disastrous late replacement, you need look no further than DANNY GARCIA.
Amir Khan's career was going swimmingly for the most part... He had just lost a controversial split decision to Lamont Peterson and was guaranteed the rematch when Peterson was caught taking PEDs and admitting to it.
He then on three weeks' notice decides to face a fighter from a lower-profile fighter called Danny Garcia... And BOOM!
The rest is history...
Lewis beat Klitschko fair and square, but he was still lucky. Afterwards he said he'd do it again, but then decided retirement was a better option. In Lewis' defense he was getting older and taking weight off was more getting difficult. Every fighter reaches a point where they need to hang it up and I think Lewis realized he might not be so lucky next time. Nothing cowardly in that.
Seamus wrote:Lewis beat Klitschko fair and square, but he was still lucky. Afterwards he said he'd do it again, but then decided retirement was a better option. In Lewis' defense he was getting older and taking weight off was more getting difficult. Every fighter reaches a point where they need to hang it up and I think Lewis realized he might not be so lucky next time. Nothing cowardly in that.
Damn right in every single sentence. I wish more folks would have followed Lewis' example.
Thanks for setting me straight. Peace.