"WHY LENNOX LEWIS WILL WIN THIS WEEKEND"  By Darren Yates from Down Under

Despite the fact that I do not like Lennox Lewis as a boxer and the way he goes about the boxing business, I will be reluctantly expecting him to beat Mike Tyson when they meet in just a few hours. I would love to see Mike land a knockout punch but I just don't see it happening.

I feel that Lennox Lewis' height, reach and weight advantages will be the key to his victory. Lewis also has superior mental strength and focus. Lewis will be giving Mike full respect for the danger his power represents and that is a good thing for Lewis' survival in this bout. Lewis' two losses came as a result of him underestimating his opponents and not giving them the respect that they deserved. This is unlikely to happen next week as we all saw how Lewis wisely but boringly out boxed David Tua due to the danger his power represented. Mike represents a greater danger as he is a faster and more skilled puncher with both hands than Tua and Lennox knows this.

This is how I see the fight developing:

Round 1
Tyson is pacing before the bell like a caged lion and he races out eager to engage in combat whilst Lennox keeps his distance extending the jab making sure Tyson stays well out of range. Not much happens in the first minute as Mike looks for a way inside and then shows his frustration by launching a wild attack and he lands a few body punches before Lennox ties him up and leans his greater weight all over Tyson.
The referee tries to separate them and Lennox refuses to let go fearing some underhanded tactic from Mike, which angers Tyson who tries to break free using his head and elbows. Lewis retaliates with his favourite holding and hitting technique. The referee finally separates the two fighters and Lewis decides to snap the jab a bit more, also landing a glancing straight right hand. Tyson, not pleased at his inability to have landed a significant blow during the round, charges in, swinging punches with bad intentions with 5 seconds left in the round and Lewis ties him up again like his life depended on it. The bell sounds and the two fighters trade blows and rabbit punches after the bell and it takes some 40 seconds to get them back to their respective corners.

Rounds 2, 3 and 4
Follow a similar pattern with Lennox fighting a smart fight but looking like a scared fighter. Lewis is constantly running in retreat flicking out the jab and scoring some sharp counter right hands as Mike desperately tries to work his way inside occasionally succeeding in landing a few body punches and some hooks and uppercuts that deflect off Lewis' gloves and don't land cleanly with any real impact. Lewis constantly clinches and ties Tyson up at every opportunity when Tyson manages to work his way inside. Both men are masters of dirty fighting and we see more holding and hitting behind the head from Lewis, while Tyson moves forward with his head down trying to butt Lewis as well as trying to wing the odd elbow off the hook. The referee warns both men several times a round to keep it clean and does not deduct any points but it is apparent to everyone watching that he would have better luck convincing the Palestinian and Israeli leaders into a permanent peace deal. The pattern of the fight is established and it is not pretty to watch and the fans who have paid top dollar to see some action start to boo Lewis for his tactics which are not entertaining but none the less winning him the rounds on the judges scorecards.

Round 5
In between rounds Tyson's trainer gives him a verbal roasting demanding that Mike launch an all out attack on Lewis, begging him to land a flush punch on Lewis' suspect chin. At the beginning of the round Mike follows his instructions and has his best success of the bout as he lands a couple of clean blows to Lewis' head although not on the chin. Lewis ties Tyson up but now the referee is having more success at separating the clinching Lewis from Tyson. Mike's confidence grows and he continues to charge at Lewis with powerful combinations. Just when the crowd had started to cheer as they sense that the tide is turning, Tyson charges in again with his head down and is momentarily unsighted; Lennox drops the big right hand down on Tyson's skull just below the left ear. Tyson falls to the canvas face first in a similar fashion to the way Razor Ruddock fell when Lewis landed a similar style of punch back in 1992.

Tyson makes it back to his feet at the count of 9 but his equilibrium is gone and his legs look very unsteady. The referee feels he should stop the bout but does not want the bout to end in controversy so he gives Mike a chance to continue. Lewis backs Tyson into a corner throwing calculated power punches where he is saved by the bell just as the referee was contemplating stopping the bout.

Round 6
Emmanuel Stewart urges Lewis to go straight in for the kill but to be careful as Tyson is still potentially dangerous. Tyson's corner men are desperately trying to revive him but Mike is the type of fighter who is worn down and does not recover. He does not possess the admirable qualities of Evander Holyfield who could take a beating and come back swinging.

Tyson starts the round by lunging with some wild swings and Lewis evades Tyson's last desperate attempt to produce a miracle. Lewis avoids Tyson's 6th wild swing in 30 seconds and then launches a counter-attack whilst Tyson is off balance landing several vicious right hand crosses and left hooks. Lewis has Tyson pinned to the ropes and he is toying with the helpless Tyson by jabbing and looking for one last big right hand that will end the bout. Lewis sees the opening and lands flush on Tyson's nose, the punch misses but it doesn't matter as the referee has seen enough and pulls Lewis off to save the helpless Tyson.

After recovering, Tyson leaves the ring for the sanctuary of his dressing room neither embracing or congratulating Lewis or answering questions from television interviewers or other media.

Lewis proclaims himself to be the best world heavyweight champion of all time, (which makes me feel sick to the stomach). Lewis further announces that he will retire as there is nothing left for him to achieve in boxing, he has fought and defeated the best of boxers of his era.

This announcement makes me very happy and whilst I agree that Lennox Lewis has fought and defeated the best heavyweights in the world, the manner in which he claimed his victories was rarely entertaining and sometimes tainted with questionable tactics. Meanwhile I am happy because although I am disappointed with the outcome of the fight (I really hope Tyson wins spectacularly) one of the dullest heavyweight boxers of all time has just announced his retirement and will now no longer have a strangle hold on the heavyweight title. Maybe we can look forward to some less dominant heavyweight champions in the future, but let us hope they do their job and provide the viewing public, the people who fund their multi-million dollar purses with some value for money fights. Unlike the dominant but dull Lennox Lewis.

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