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'I'll definitely take him out' Lewis confident rematch will end differently
Posted: Wednesday November 10, 1999 08:27 PM
In Lennox Lewis' mind, he should be defending "the unified" heavyweight title, and not fighting for it. Lewis and Evander Holyfield fought a controversial draw in Madison Square garden on March 13. Now Lewis get another shot as the WBC champ prepares for a re-match against Holyfield. CNN/SI's Eric Goodman talked one-on-one with Lewis about his strategy for this Saturday's fight at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. Eric Goodman : Lennox, after the last fight which was ruled a draw, do you feel you need to knock (Holyfield) out this time to guarantee a win? Or are you going to do what you did in the last fight and just keep him at bay with that big left jab? Lennox Lewis : I'm a boxer-puncher. I'm definitely going to show my sweet science in the ring. If an opportunity definitely presents itself and I have the man hurt sufficiently how I feel I have him hurt, I'll definitely take him out. Goodman : But do you feel that you need to do it this time to make sure this does not go into the judge's hands? Lewis : Yes and no. I don't want to go in with the mindset that, "Oh, I've got to knock him out. I've got to knock him out." I want to stay in my game plan, I want to stay focused. I realize that anytime you step into a fight you have to have a strategy. And my strategy is just to go in there and use all my assets. Goodman : What do you expect Evander to do differently this time? Lewis : I don't know (laughs). He could come in a try and roughhouse it a bit and try and bring me into a brawl. And then kind of make everything even in a sense that our arms are the same length. He may have some tricks up his sleeve. He's been taking ballet lessons, he's been working out at 8pm so who knows what he might accomplish or try and do? Goodman : Maybe he could tip-toe around that jab? I don't think you need any extra motivation to win this fight. But does it bother you at all that Evander still says that he honestly believes that this (first) fight was a draw? Lewis : Yeah, it bothers me in the sense that, boy, he's still not living in reality. He's suppose to be a holy man but he's not facing the truth. He refuses to face the truth. You know, in that sense, that's just leaving me open to say, "OK, he's got a great ego and I'm going to deflate that ego in the second fight."
Goodman : I know you felt you won the first fight. And I think a lot of ringside observers felt you won the fight. For this reason alone, do you think you have anything to prove to him or anybody else? Lewis : Yes, in a sense, my mission is still incomplete. I still don't have all three belts. I'm still not undisputed champion of the world and this is what I want to accomplish. I want to become undisputed heavyweight champion of the world [and] for everybody to give me my true respect. Goodman : Looking at this fight and your career from a historical perspective, do you need to win this fight in the mind of historians to be considered one of the greatest heavyweights ever? Lewis : Yes Goodman : And why is that? Lewis : I realize I'm not going to make everybody happy. I realize everybody's not going to, whether I go in there and win it by a knockout. Whether I go in there and win it over 12 rounds. There's always going to be something people are going to say. Whatever my legacy is going to be, I know it's going to be surrounded with greatness. Goodman : If you feel you have to win this fight, is there any extra pressure because of that? Because you do want to cement that legacy? Lewis : Yes, I do. Goodman : Lennox, thanks for joining us and good luck on Saturday. Lewis : Thank you.
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