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Danny Williams has left the call.
Final Part (Other parts in the Series listed below).
Question: Lennox, what are your thoughts about this fight? I know you cannot be biased since you are now part of the TV team.
Lewis: I am definitely not going to be one of those biased commentators out there because every time I have always watched fights, I have always thought the commentator was so biased on one side. So I am definitely not going to do that.
Question: Do you think that some of the physical damage that you inflicted on Vitali in particular those cuts to his face, will be a psychological advantage for Danny? Will that be playing on Vitali’s mind?
Lewis: It has been his history even before he came to America to box, even in Germany he was getting cut a lot. I believe that if he does get cut, that will definitely at that point weigh heavily on his mind because he realizes that he has been stopped before on a cut and once he gets cut, he does not know how bad it is. So he is going to be in a panic state and in a rush trying to win the fight. Boxing is survival of the fittest. That means you have to be able to take a punch. You have to be able to not get cut easily. Your stamina has to be good and all these things make you a true champion. You do not want to be a champion out there that gets cut easy because at any moment, where you get cut, you could lose the fight. That will definitely be a factor on his mind.
Question: Are you enjoying your retirement?
Lewis: Definitely. I am seeing everybody out there boxing, losing, winning and I am glad that I have been there and done that.
Question: When you look around the heavyweight division with your absence from the picture, what do you see? Do you see that the division is weakened without you?
Lewis: I have seen the division actually open up. I am glad I was able to facilitate people coming out of retirement and actually believing that there is now a chance for them to become heavyweight champion of the world because I am not there. I have seen the whole, complex heavyweight scene change in that sense. A lot of people feel that they have a good shot at it now and a lot of people are really geared up about it. I am really happy that I caused that.
Question: Is there any circumstance where you would come back?
Lewis: Well, I have always wanted to fight Riddick Bowe before he relinquished the belt and before he joined the army because I said there was always some stuff left to knock out of the “chicken’’ Bowe. But after seeing his last fiasco of a fight, I realized that he has put on a lot of weight and turned into a big turkey. So he is not any chicken anymore, he is just a big turkey.
Question: So the answer is no, there is no circumstance under which you would come back?
Lewis: Right.
Question: Is doing commentary something that you are looking at perhaps in the future?
Lewis: I am going to take it as it comes. I like that I am up there giving it from a boxer’s point of view because a lot of these commentators have never put on a glove in their life and yet they are commentating on a fight which they have never been a part of. So the opportunity that HBO has given me to give my professional comments on different fights and on even situations that may occur in a fight that I have been through that I can comment on is great.
Question: You rewrote the rules for the heavyweight division with your size, height and weight. Along comes Vitali and he is bigger and heavier. Do you think that Danny has got to turn the clock back to a certain extent?
Lewis: To a certain extent because it is not an easy fight. There are a lot of things that go against Danny and it is no fault of his own. One of them is size. Just like when I boxed Tyson and he was like 5-foot-7 or something. Then, my next fight was a guy 6-foot-8. Most of my career, I boxed shorter guys. Now, I am boxing a guy who is punching down at me, which was very difficult. One of the problems I faced is that I did not have the correct sparring because I was preparing for a (Kirk) Johnson and then a week later they say, “Vitali is ready, fight him.” So if I would have turned back the clock, I would have liked more chance to spar with somebody his height and his weight to even prepare better. When Danny goes in, he has definitely got the height advantage against him. He also has got a reach and weight advantage against him. The fact that he beat Tyson and how he beat Tyson – he did not give up, he showed great heart and determination – shows that he definitely wants to become heavyweight champion of the world. Boxing is a sport where anything can happen and it may look lopsided on one side, but things happen in the fight that may change the whole complexity of the whole fight. So there is always that factor in there.
Question: Do you see this fight as for “the” heavyweight title or just one of many heavyweight titles?
Lewis: Well, obviously because of the heavyweight titles out there, it has to be one of many. If I would have to say who is leading the pack at the present time, I am going to give that to Vitali although he still has not been tested. There are a lot of unanswered questions about him that he needs to answer in his career. That is why I told him, “What I put down, you can pick up and try and accomplish what I have accomplished for the last 14 years.”
Question: Can you be specific concerning the unanswered questions about him?
Lewis: Obviously, there is a big stamina question with both brothers. When you have one brother suffering from it, the other one is definitely suffering from it. I was really going to show that point if our fight was allowed to continue because I felt that he was definitely getting tired and I actually brought him in the deep end and now it was time for him to drown. But unfortunately the fight got stopped on the cut, which I caused. So that is one question that needs to be answered. The other question is can he really take it on the chin? The other question is answered already. He definitely gets cut easy and boxing is a sport where it is the survival of the fittest. In his past, he has shown that he does not really have a big heart for if he is injured or something, he cannot weather the storm and go on. These are the answers that we do know, but obviously, there are probably other questions that we need to find out and answer.
Question: Last week, Vitali said in all his bouts following his bout with you that you have given advice to all those people on how to beat him. It seems to him that you are looking to help somebody beat him. Is there anything to that?
Lewis: No, I like the guy. I do not have anything against him. People ask my advice. They ask what is the way that we can beat him. I am saying that there are different types of ways to beat him. If I was to continue in boxing, I would definitely have these different ways and go do them myself. Other people are asking me what should they do. When you analyze a fight and you look at Danny, you can say what Danny needs to do. He needs to get in there and definitely hit him to the body, not get hit, hit him to the face. These are the things that are going to increase your chances of winning.
Question: You say you are not going to be biased, but the fact that Danny is British, does that mean something to you in terms of this fight?
Lewis: Absolutely. I would love another British heavyweight to take over for me and carry on with the belts and definitely become heavyweight champion of the world. Obviously, I would wish that upon any other British boxer.
Question: We all admired the way Danny held his nerve against Tyson, but doubts creep in when you start looking at Danny’s previous record, by which I mean the class of opponent that he had prior to Tyson. He is taking a step up in class, if you ignore the Tyson fight. Do you think he is capable of doing that and how difficult is that to go from fighting Michael Sprott in January to Klitschko now?
Lewis: It is very difficult. Tyson was a great fighter, but he is a shell of what we perceived him to be. So, Danny has boxed a great name in that sense. He definitely weathered the storm and showed great heart and determination. Beating Tyson was a great big step for him, not physically but mentally. I find in this world all you need is an opportunity. So now he has an opportunity to box for the heavyweight championship of the world. How often does that come? Maybe once in a lifetime. So if you are asking is he up to it, I believe he definitely is up to it. People just change their focus altogether and say, “This is my only chance.” They increase five-fold all of a sudden how they were because they were boxing nobody. Now they are boxing somebody of some name and stature. So they realize they have to up and go out there and do it. And that happens to every one of us and I believe that is in Danny. Even hearing him speak, he definitely wants to become champion. He likes how he was treated after boxing Tyson. He likes how the public received him. Now, there is another step to go and he knows what is going to come from that and that is what he loves and he is looking forward to that.
Question: Did you always see potential in Danny when you watch his fights?
Lewis: Howard Cosell said that I have talent that nobody has seen yet and he used a particular word, but I cannot remember it. As far as Danny is concerned, I definitely expected great things out of him and he was doing his thing as a boxer and beating Mike Tyson is a big step for him. Now he needs to go prove himself even more and prove to the unbelievers out there that may have thought his career was basically done before Tyson and prove them wrong. That is what he needs to do.
Question: Did you have trouble with the kinds of pressure that Danny talked about?
Lewis: In my mind, I understand what he is saying and I commend him for the way he is dealing with it. Part of the battle is to not let the pressure get to you. I have always said that we create our own pressure. So if we feel any pressure as boxers, we are the ones who are creating it. So he definitely has the mental focus thing correct and the thing is to stay focused and go out there and do the job.
Question: Danny has two loving daughters and he is committed to both family life and boxing. How much did the responsibilities of becoming a family man weigh on your mind when you made your decision to stay out of the ring?
Lewis: I chose in my life to really go after the career first and leave the family until afterwards. Now, I have a family and I am realizing I do not need to go back in the ring because that was the sacrifice I made for myself.
Question: You have made a lot of money out of boxing, but you had to suffer the pain of the ring as well. If your son came to you wanting to be a boxer, would you encourage or discourage him?
Lewis: Hopefully, he would not have to do that. But looking at other boxer’s daughters and even sons, old time boxers getting into boxing, I do not think there is anything we can do to stop it. I think even if we fight against it, that will make him want to get into it even more. I think maybe it could be in their blood. So if my son came to me and said he wanted to learn boxing, I would say, “OK, make sure your marks are up first and then we will talk about that.”
Question: You said one of the unanswered questions about Vitali is his ability to take a shot. Did you feel that you did not get a big shot on him in your fight?
Lewis: Well, the last round, if you look back, I hit him with two tremendous uppercuts and after hitting him with one uppercut, he held me for the last minute in that last round. I was trying to throw him off of me, but I could not. His weight was heavy and I was a little tired as well. But he definitely was affected by my uppercuts and I do not think he would have been able to take anymore. Looking at the fight, I realized that I was not going out there for any points. I was going to knock him out.
Question: Aside from that, you did not feel that you really tested his chin?
Lewis: No, not truly. Like I said, I was disappointed when the fight was done because they were taking away my knockout. Do not stop it yet, he has got one more round in him and I am definitely going to do him.
Question: Do you have any more respect for Chris Bird for having hung in against both of the Klitschko brothers, and fact he beat Holyfield, who also was considerably bigger than him?
Lewis: Absolutely. Chris’ style is not really one of those styles that the public likes to see too often. They want to see more knockouts and more blood. But he has got good technical skill and the fact that he is at a disadvantage with his height and weight and what he is able to do, you definitely have to commend him for that.
Question: Could you rank the heavyweight division post Lennox Lewis for us?
Lewis: No.
Question: Forget who is 1, 2, 3, 4. Who is No. 8?
Lewis: Well, I have not been looking at the stats lately, so you caught me at a disadvantage.
Question: Is it wide open because there really is not a standout?
Lewis: No. This is a different era of boxers now. I think this era is done with the Tyson’s, the Lewis’s, the Holyfield’s. We are into a new era now in boxing. I do not even rate the stats right now because a little more time needs to be given for each boxer to really separate themselves from the pack.
Question: What would your advice be to Vitali about winning this fight?
Lewis: What he would have to do is definitely use his reach advantage and keep him at the end of his jab. It is basic what you would do if you are taller than an opponent. Keep him away from you, use your reach and do not let him inside.
Question: What is your take on Evander Holyfield still fighting?
Lewis: I think somebody around him needs to have a discussion with him. There are a lot of people around him that really love him and want to protect him. But they need to protect him from himself and hopefully get him the proper advice. I know Evander Holyfield is a very stubborn man, so it is going to be difficult for that person to do that. The fact that New York took away his license, I hope that really tells him something. I hope he can listen to what they are actually saying to him.
Question: Danny is fighting for a world heavyweight title. It is Vegas, the crowds are going to be massive and there will be a big traveling British corps as well. How much do you think that is going to surprise or change or just be a real factor? Do you think it is possible for him to blank it out and think of it as another fight?
Lewis: I think he has good fan support, especially over on the West Coast. A lot of his fans are definitely going to travel to Vegas to see the fight. So I think he will have a good bipartisan crowd.
Question: But you think that is something that will be easy for him to handle or will it really be like a very different situation for him?
Lewis: I think it is totally easy for him to handle. You have to remember this man has boxed in Europe and the whole place is for him every time he steps out; it is like he walks to the ring like he is a god. That is how he has been treated for a long time. Now, he is over in America and he is boxing and he is still going to have great fan support.
Question: Is there anything that you miss about the sport at this point?
Lewis: Obviously, the roar of the crowd is always something that stays with me. I love to hear the crowd, especially when you are doing something good in the ring and you hear the roar of the crowd. It just gives you a little more power and strength to go on. You gain more strength and more focus.
Question: Is it hard to walk away from that?
Lewis: No. It is not hard because I have been through it. I know what it is like. I have experienced it. Now, it is time for me to go on and do something different.
Question: It seems like you have gotten a lot more respect from the mainstream fans after your retirement. Is that ironic?
Lewis: No, I always said they will not realize that Lennox Lewis is gone until he is gone. Especially, they will not realize it straight away. They will realize it years afterwards and I am glad that I am being able to impact the sport of boxing in such a way.
Question: Compare the two Klitschko brothers and their perspectives please?
Lewis: I actually thought Wladimir was a lot better technically. And like Danny, I definitely agree he is more fluid. As far as the taller one is concerned, he is definitely tall, lanky and a difficult style because he leans back and he uses his height to lean back away from punches. If you notice on one of my shots where I caught him with a right hand, I caught him on his way back. He just could not lean as far to get away from that particular right hand because I leaned all the way forward to hit him.
Question: Do you think Wladimir is going to come back?
Lewis: It is very difficult at this time. He could not answer the stamina problem and he needs to solve that before he thinks about coming back.
Question: When you were the champion, you were regarded as “the” heavyweight champion of the world. Since your retirement, now you have different champions with each of the major sanctioning bodies. Do you see the need for a tournament where the champions and top fighters all get together and the winner will emerge as your legitimate successor?
Lewis: Sure, why not? Absolutely. Everybody wants to see a tournament. Everybody wants to answer that question. I definitely wanted to answer that question when I was coming up and everybody was saying that Evander Holyfield was the best. I said they cannot be the best because they have not fought me and I am the best. Tyson cannot be the best because he has not fought me because I consider myself the best. So I think it is important to have a tournament, not just for the sport of boxing, but just to answer all the questions that people have. It would be great if one could look at the heavyweight scene and say, “OK, you have got to say this guy is the best because he won the tournament.”
Question: And that would apply if Vitali Klitschko wins also?
Lewis: Yeah, absolutely.
Closing Comments:
Lewis: I look forward to commentating on the fight on Saturday and I think it is going to be an interesting fight. Good luck to Danny and I wish him the best.
Part I and II.
 Interview with Lennox Lewis and Danny Williams (Part I)
Interview: Lennox Lewis & Danny Williams (Part II)
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