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Dust Won't Settle on Lewis Retirement
04/24/04
By Jason Collins
The dust just doesn't seem to be settling in the wake of Lennox Lewis' retirement. In fact, Lewis may eventually find it easier to return to the ring than to continue what has been an unusually turbulent retirement. This was especially evident during last Saturday night's heavyweight title showdown at L.A.'s Staples Center. A crowd that came to see two heavyweights battle for the title that Lewis vacated, booed the retired champ, who was in attendance. And if that wasn't enough to unsettle his night at the fights, Lewis found himself badgered by the media's questions about returning to the ring.
Because Lewis accomplished plenty and dominated his division during the final stretch of his career, he deserved to retire. Still, that does not necessarily mean that he should have done so. His controversial final bout against Vitaly Klitschko left boxing fans unsatisfied. A sense of missing closure permeated the air during Lewis' retirement announcement. And it has lingered ever since.
Lewis' career was already tainted by murmurings that Lewis ducked top heavyweights during the 90's - and that he would only fight other top fighters after they had passed their prime years. Plagued by such accusations throughout his career, Lewis needed to end his reign with an exclamation point - or at least a convincing case that he had grown too old for the sport. Instead, Lewis left a huge question mark dangling in the air when he retired on February 6th. And Saturday showed that it is not just the media and the Lewis fans that find fault with the timing of his retirement. Even at the risk of having to witness their fighter lose to Lewis, the Klitschko fans made it known that they too, deserved to see a rematch between their man and Lennox Lewis.
Lewis did not make a strong case for himself during his retirement announcement. Nobody bought Lewis' contention that "it's time to make room for the new heavyweights." Saturday night's Staples Center crowd made that point abundantly clear. While fans enjoyed the Klitschko/Sanders battle for Lewis' old crown, they did not refrain from voicing their disappointment in what could have been. This was the same crowd that cheered on the first fight between Lewis and Klitschko. At heart, this L.A. boxing fans felt it should have been watching Lewis/Klitschko II.
Furthermore, nary a boxing fan buys into the notion that Lewis' skills have diminished significantly. His awesome destruction of Mike Tyson was not that long ago. And even though he entered the ring under-conditioned in his final fight against Klitschko, Lewis appeared to be turning the tide as his opponent hung on for survival in the final round before the stoppage. Aside from Vitaly Klitschko, boxing fans seem unimpressed with the current crop of heavyweights that Lewis left behind to vie for his old throne.
Should Lewis choose to remain retired without ever staging a return, fight fans will always add a few caveats when discussing his career and place in boxing history. Most fans forgave his inability/reluctance to remain a member one nationality. But Lewis could never dodge accusations that he ducked other top fighters. And it seems surprising that a boxer of Lewis' intelligence, integrity and competitiveness would close his career with such claims abounding. Yet, Lewis still has a chance to erase lingering doubts. A rematch against Klitschko would certainly free Lewis of many criticisms. No one will deride Lewis if he abandons his retirement to accept a rematch against Vitaly Klitschko. Win or lose, he will be commended for fulfilling boxing's wish that he take care of what has been unanimously determined to be unfinished business.
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