USA: BOXING - BRITON LENNOX LEWIS AND UKRAINIAN VITALI KLITSCHKO PRESS CONFERENCES BEFORE THEIR WBC HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT IN LOS ANGELES.

Record ID: 646790

  • Title: USA: BOXING - BRITON LENNOX LEWIS AND UKRAINIAN VITALI KLITSCHKO PRESS CONFERENCES BEFORE THEIR WBC HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT IN LOS ANGELES.
  • Date: 14th June 2003
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 18, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. LENNOX LEWIS AND VITALI KLITSCHKO SHAKING HANDS 2. PRESS LISTENING TO NEWS CONFERENCE 3. PAN FROM LEWIS TO KLITSCHKO 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LENNOX LEWIS SAYING: "I look at him as a good challenge, a big guy, I do well against big guys you know he says he's seen some weaknesses in me. I've seen a whole heap of weaknesses in him so on Saturday we're definitely going to expose those weaknesses and Vitali Klitschko has never seen a boxer like me." 5. POSTER OF LEWIS VS KLITSCHKO FIGHT AND NEWS CONFERENCE 6. LENNOX LEWIS LISTENING 7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) VITALI KLITSCHKO SAYING: "I know that Lennox Lewis is considered to the world top heavyweights, he has great experience in title fights and he is a very skilled fighter, but nobody is perfect and I have seen some witnesses. I know that for most of the experts I am the underdog but I will convince everybody next Saturday and become the new heavyweight champion of the world." LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 14, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 8. VARIOUS SHOTS OF LENNOX LEWIS SPARRING AT UNIVERSITY CITY WALK, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 18, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LENNOX LEWIS SAYING: "It's always a challenge to box someone with a different style because styles makes fights and you have to be able to adjust and do some different things to see what works for you." 10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) VITALI KLITSCHKO SAYING: "Many boxing experts see Wladimir, like great technical in the world and Wladimir helped me in the preparation for this fight because Wladimir has exactly the same size as Lennox Lewis and I have the best sparring partner in the world, my brother." 11. KLITSCHKO BEING INTERVIEWED BY TELEVISION MEDIA 12. LENNOX LEWIS LEAVING PRESS CONFERENCE 13. (SOUNDBITE) (German) VITALI KLITSCHKO SAYING: "You must be active, if not you lose the little things and the little things play a big role in boxing. One year with no boxing is a very large pause and that's a big disadvantage for Lennox Lewis." 14. KLITSCHKO BEING INTERVIEWED 15. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) VITALI KLITSCHKO SAYING: "Lennox Lewis respects me, I think that he gives me more respect than Hasim Rahman because he beat Hasim Rahman in the second round and he gives me five rounds. I am not going to give Lennox Lewis one chance so I will look for an opportunity and I will do everything in my power to win this match." 16. VITALI KLITSCHKO AND LENNOX LEWIS POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 29th June 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA3BKDAS94IPZY8S090AA19YO6F
  • Story Text: Styles and cultures will clash on Saturday (June 21)
    when Briton Lennox Lewis defends his World Boxing Council
    heavyweight title against Ukrainian Vitali Klitschko in Los
    Angeles. Lewis was supposed to fight Kirk Johnson but Johnson
    pulled out at the last minute because of a chest injury.



    At a press conference on Wednesday (June 18) Lennox
    Lewis said he's pleased to be fighting Vitali Klitschko
    instead of Kirk Johnson. When the latter pulled out due to
    injury, Lewis saw it as a way to put Klitschko firmly in his
    place.

    Vitali and his brother Wladimir have been itching to get
    in the ring with the heavyweight champion ever since he
    floored Mike Tyson.

    Things got so heated that the Klitschko's tried to take
    Lewis to court to force a showdown in the ring. Contracts
    flew back and forth between the two camps for months and
    insiders say tempers were frayed on more than one occasion.

    When Vitali Klitschko found out that Lewis had signed a
    contract to fight Kirk Johnson on June 21, 2003 and that he
    would have to wait until November for his turn, by all
    accounts he was livid.

    But when Kirk Johnson pulled out because of injury the
    Lewis camp began a charm offensive to persuade Klitschko to
    fight Lewis on June 21, 2003.

    Both boxers agreed to accept substantially less money
    than usual for the fight. By the time the deal was signed, it
    was too late to arrange pay-per-view so its being shown live
    on HBO instead.

    Vitali Klitschko is three inches taller than Lennox
    Lewis, but the champ says he knows what his opponents' weak
    points are and can't wait to "expose those weaknesses" on
    Saturday.

    Undaunted, Klitschko says he's well aware that Lewis is
    "a very skilled fighter but nobody is perfect" and he is
    confident he'll take the heavyweight title home after the
    fight.

    Klitschko, who is six foot eight inches tall, was born in
    the Ukraine, raised in Russia and now lives in Los Angeles.

    His style of boxing is very unorthodox, he stands still
    most of the time in the ring and unlike other tall competitors
    who often bow their heads to lessen the height difference,
    Vitali usually keeps his head up at all times.

    Lewis doesn't see that difference in style as a problem.

    He says "it's always a challenge to box someone with a
    different style" and everyone has a different way of doing
    things so its important "to be able to adjust and do some
    different things to make it work."
    But the Klitschko camp has a secret weapon. Wladimir
    Klitschko is also a boxer, some even say he's better than his
    older brother. Vitali says his kid brother "helped in the
    preparation for this fight because Wladimir has exactly the
    same size as Lennox Lewis" and he thinks that will make it
    easier for him to exploit any weaknesses Lennox Lewis shows on
    the night.

    Lewis comes into the ring with a record of 40 victories,
    two losses and one draw. This will be his first bout since he
    knocked out Tyson in Memphis, Tennessee in June of 2002.

    Klitschko has 32 wins and only one loss. He last fought
    in November, when he beat Larry Donald in Dortmund, Germany.

    With this being the first major fight in Los Angeles in
    forty-five years, it's become the talk of the town. No doubt
    there will be a few celebrities at ringside on Saturday night,
    but the general consensus of opinion is that Lewis has very
    little to worry about.



  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register