Boxing takes some amazing twists and turns, but the sweeping bends in the construction of this month's Mega event at The Staples Centre in Los Angeles have to be seen to be believed.

The fight that everyone was expecting was originally a double header between Lennox Lewis and Canada's Kirk Johnson and Mike Tyson versus that ever formidable of foes. Mr. TBA* ... but as time wore on Mike showed little enthusiasm to star on the Show and gave way to a showcase of a bigger future fish in Lennox's future, Vitali Klitschko ... first against TBA ... and then against this year's take all comers contender apparent, unbeaten and ballsy Cedric Boswell, and all credit to him. Then with almost everything in place one of the major players in the card put the whole event in jeopardy.

Kirk Johnson, the unsanctioned challenger to Lennox's legacy, injured his pectoral area in a training session and after some hard soul searching and serious personal disappointment Johnson had no choice but to withdraw from the biggest moment of his boxing life after magnetic tests revealed severe damage to the suspected muscle in question.

I suppose Kirk was quite privileged to be gifted another fairy tale title tilt following last year's dreadful challenge to the ill-fated Johnny Ruiz, but the Lewis v Johnson fight was certainly scratched and now only remains fondly in the Kirk Johnson scrapbook as an almost memory. The search was on for either an alternative date or a replacement opponent. Chinese whispers whirled around boxing's inner circles and it was later announced that Lennox would honour the date and just seek a time filling opponent of capable credentials. The nearly men on the roll of honour made good reading, Corrie Sanders was mentioned and Jameel McCline was suggested to the TV companies and the powers that held the cards.

My own thoughts surrounding the situation visualized Chris Byrd putting his case forward, but with only weeks to go I thought I was asking for a little too much, so I prepared myself to see a well conditioned and prepared Lennox Lewis demolish an inept stand-in like chopped liver. But following some very good negotiations and amazing co-operation I was staggered to hear that the most exciting Heavyweight title fight was made almost overnight; no chopped liver, no inept challenger, 250 lbs. of well turned out Filet mignon in the form of the very capable former WBO heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko.

A fight with Klitschko would have made three times as much for both fighters and three times as long to negotiate had it been the suggested first choice, but due to this bizarre twist in fate all involved were merely victims of circumstance... I feel sad for the brave warriors who have been left in the dark to bring such a great battle to light. Kirk, Cedric Boswell and even the very popular Mr. TBA took a step into the shadows to allow a historic night to occur and they all will find new conquests in good time. But in a mere fortnight we have Vitali Klitschko v Lennox Lewis, from almost nothing on the table!!!

So what do we have? Lennox Claudius Lewis is now facing his clear and present #1 threat, and it makes good reading.

Vitali's vitals are impressive. He is a taller man and has youth on his side by 6 years and his credentials show us all that he has pedigree unmatched by few in the current heavyweight climate. In 1999 the unbeaten King of the European Heavyweights came to Britain to challenge our two time holder of the WBO championship crown Herbie Hide, a man who was beaten only once by a peak dominant Riddick Bowe five years previously. With the chips stacked against him he swept into London like a dark horse, took 9 minutes to blow out Hide's light before racing off into the night with the desired goods.

Vitali defended that crown twice more in that year against capable American opposition, Obed Sullivan in 10 and Ed Mahone in 3, but that is when we find the one negative ghost that any Klitschko skeptic will fuel his vehicle with, the 9th round injury loss to Chris Byrd. Many will still claim Vitali to be a quitter for taking his demons and opting out when the going was not good, but the honest account was a different tale. Byrd was taking hard pressure and by some bad fortune, the unbeaten champion popped his rotator cuff out of placement and was sure he could not continue, at the time of stoppage he was ahead in the scoring, winning almost every round clearly and almost definitely on his way to a shutout win.

My take is not one of a quitter, but an intelligent conscious decision to save a bad career threatening injury and forfeit a result that was clearly a moral victory in his own mind. When you make your living with your body and your living accumulates a multi million dollar revenue annually, you are running a walking, talking successful industry that may not have been able to continue successful production had the injury been dragged through a further damaging three rounds of championship boxing. The "quit" was a clever executive decision to salvage the factory and repair it for a bigger night, e.g. this coming weekend.

Vitali and Universum wanted to save their monster money machine for another day and Saturday may be it! Since that blip Vitali has repaired his physical attributes and amassed more victories to his otherwise impeccable credentials. Currently he is 32-1, and is a proven notable natural puncher who has been able to KO or stop some unbreakable and durable challengers. In testimony he has stopped concrete chinned Ross Purity inside 10, and became the first man to halt a faded Larry Donald in his last listed outing. Vitali has been a pro for only half the time Lewis has, 7 years plays 14 in the activity stakes, but the current focus is his biggest yet.

Enter Mr. Lennox Lewis. We need not go over regular stomping ground as this King of heavyweights needs no introductions the world over. 40-2-1 and has beaten every human being that he has ever faced in a squared circle since turning pro in 1989. One thing I am constantly asked in the lead up to this fight is how will Lennox react when he is to face a man who is several inches taller than himself and capable of out punching him in the power stakes.

Well, here is my quick retort to such comments, in 14 years as a professional Lewis has boxed 8 opponents who have been his same height or over. Tony Tucker was the most successful and most experienced of the bunch at an equal 6'5", he was Lennox Lewis' first heavyweight championship opponent and took Lennox a full 12 rounds in 1993; after an odyssey of trips to the canvas from solid right hands, he was overpowered and reduced to rubble in Lewis' coming out party.

Since that he has boxed:

Tyrell Biggs 6'5" ...... TKO 3
Derrick Williams 6'5" ...... TKO 3
Jorge Dascola 6'5" ...... TKO 1
Steve Garber 6'6" ...... KO 1
Calvin Jones 6'5" ...... KO 1
Henry Akinwande 6'9" ...... DQ 5
Michael Grant 6'7" ...... TKO 2

The figures in themselves reveal a violent streak that emerges when Lewis is threatened by size, often quite quickly. The truth can hurt and in this case eight heavyweight opponents lasted a total of 28 rounds, an average of each opponent lasting 3 and a half rounds. Boxing is not about facts and figures, it is not Math, and it is not fistic algebra, but it can make us think a little as to what our predictions are really based on. I know that Lewis is a truly remarkable champion and has overcome some giant hurdles to become established and accepted as what he is today, that is why he will leave nothing to chance this Saturday with the knowledge that his opponent is capable of beating him on his best day..

The consummate professional knows that this is not another tall freakish heavyweight contender, but one with a massive history of amateur experience in international company. No Michael Grant with all singing, dancing moves but a very hard weathered foreign experienced and intelligent challenger who knows all too well what he will have to do to make this weekend not just any ordinary day at the office. I will leave it at that, we can all predict, but when all is said and done it's heavyweight championship boxing and anything can happen. Lewis V Klitschko was always going to be an interesting fight but I honestly expected Vladimir to take host position, not Vitali, maybe this is the twist we never saw coming.

Enjoy the action...