hi LPS5,
okay, i caved in and watched an hbo replay of lewis-tua tonight, and i'd like to provide you with a few comments, if i may.
first of all, i completely disagree with your assessment of this as the worst heavyweight fight you've seen. (obviously, i have no idea which fights you've seen, but i understand your point, and it is that point that i object to.) let's put it differently, and say it sure was not the worst heavyweight fight i have ever seen!
let me tell you why. did you hear the very first thing lewis said after the fight had ended? he looked into the camera and said, "science, again". yep, and that's the sum of it right there. the sweet science, in fact, as this thread is so named. lewis was not, as some here have claimed, a disinterested participant. oh, no. he kept his right up to negate the tua left (which, btw, he said was not that powerful after all), and he moved to his own left. his lazy jabs were frustrating (we'd all love to see a power jab!), but they were range-finders for the right, and they were also meant to lull tua into a complacent rhythm, allowing lewis to unleash those noted three-punch combinations. lewis ripped tua hard to the body a good half dozen times, and he put some real mustard on a few whistling left hooks. lewis was scientific. it was great to watch.
in searching for explanations for tua's poor showing, jim lampley asked george foreman if tua was really that afraid of the lewis right. george said that no, tua didn't want to keep eating that lewis jab. well, i find myself finally disagreeing with something foreman said. i think tua felt that big right drop on him early and that was all it took for him to lose his courage to move inside.
i wholeheartedly agree with foreman that the other guys (lampley and merchant) should stop looking for what tua was doing wrong and give credit where it was due, which was with all the things lewis did right. even lennox knew that, thus the comment in response to the question, "what was wrong with david tua?".... he said, "lennox lewis was what was wrong".
i'd also like to call your attention to the fact that, imo, david tua was not making excuses after the fight. tua was matter-of-fact about lewis being the better man, even when pressed twice by merchant for a better answer in the post fight interview. tua said point blank, "no excuses", and he gave none. he said he tried his best, but that was all he said. it was tua's promoter who opened it up with the rib injury talk, then tua's manager who really laid it on thick. between those two, they were talking about not being able to get extension on his punches and saying that tua came back to his corner after the second round complaining. then, and only then, after all that rib injury talk from tua's manager and promoter, when merchant asked tua for the third time if there was anything wrong, did david tua say his ribs were hurt. and he reiterated the "not to make excuses" comment after saying so.
without a doubt, it must have been a very frustrating night for tua fans, to see their man do so badly. but was it the worst heavyweight fight ever? not by my standards. lewis threw the boxing equivalent of a shutout, and came darn close to a no-hitter. more fans should appreciate what lewis did, just as a dominant pitcher takes away the tools of the opposition. lennox lewis said it sweet when he said, "science, again". sweet science.
:)
mark |
