- 6 weeks ago
Lennox Lewis defends the Heavyweight Championship against former IBF Champion Frans Botha on HBO Boxing from London, England
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00:00Over the past six years, Lennox Lewis has thrown thousands of punches, defeated 11 straight opponents, 7 by knockout, and won 3 different heavyweight titles.
00:10Yet one thing he hasn't done is fight in his official homeland.
00:151994, London. Lennox Lewis faced a seemingly overmatched Oliver McCall in an attempt to showcase Lewis in front of a hometown crowd that still considered him as much Canadian as English.
00:26He was able to come across with a terrific right hand, which landed, and I went down, I got up, the referee stepped in there and stopped the fight in the second round.
00:38According to former British featherweight champion Barry McGuigan, this loss actually enhanced the public view of Lennox.
00:45It was almost that defeat that it needed to see that he was human and that he could be beaten, and then they suddenly got behind him, gave him the momentum and the support that he always craved.
00:55I said to my fans, and I said to myself, the next time they see me, I want to be undisputed heavyweight champion in the world.
01:02And Lewis went on a crusade, knocking out a series of identifiable opponents.
01:07In 1997, he regained his title from none other than Oliver McCall.
01:12Lennox Lewis has just become the world heavyweight champion for the second time in his career.
01:18He then fought Holyfield for the undisputed title.
01:22He was very hard done by, it was a raw decision.
01:24A lot of the Americans felt the same, and coming back to the rematch, everybody in the British Isles wanted the same winner.
01:34And when Lennox Lewis landed in London, after finally gaining victory, it was clearly a day of redemption for him.
01:42I came, I seen these thousands of people cheering me, so it was great, bringing all the belts back to England.
01:50I finally achieved that, you know, and people are proud of me.
01:54He's massively popular in Britain.
01:56At the end of last year, when we had our Sports Personality of the Year award, Lennox Lewis won it, hands down.
02:01What he symbolizes is he beats Americans, and the Brits love stuffing Americans, you understand me?
02:09We love it, and we don't do it that often, but when Lennox does it, he does it for Britain.
02:13And this time, at some financial sacrifice, he's doing his fighting in Britain.
02:19Though Lewis acknowledges, it's for one night only.
02:22This is my moment, and I have to eat it up while he's here.
02:25This is probably the last time they're going to see me in front of my home crowd, so I'm happy to be back home.
02:30But the return-slash-farewell tour hasn't quite generated the expected ticket crush.
02:35Partly the Tyson fiasco in Scotland, partly the high price.
02:39But through the miracle of television, British boxing fans will have their eyes focused on Lennox.
02:44Tonight, I think the crowd's going to be really electric, and I'm going to feed off that energy.
02:48We're going to finally see the much-improved Lennox Lewis.
02:52He'll be greeted as a hero. He'll be cheered all the way to the ring.
02:55It'll be one of those moments when the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.
02:59We may never see this guy again. He wants to go out on a win here.
03:04I would love to give him a knockout to emphasize this whole moment of being undisputed heavyweight champion in the world.
03:09They should embrace me and remember me for that.
03:12So now the British titleist will try to wipe out once and for all the painful memories of Oliver McCall six years ago
03:19and give to his British fans a keepsake, something with which to remember
03:23their first heavyweight champion in more than a hundred years.
03:27Welcome back to Ringside, and the man who wants to upset the apple cart for all of these big plans
03:34is South African Franz Bota, who has lived for several years now in the United States.
03:39Larry, he likes to call himself, colorfully, the white buffalo.
03:44Is he about to become an endangered species?
03:45Since he's one of a kind, yes.
03:48And since he's fighting Lance Clewis, ten times, yes.
03:53He was inspired to come up with that name for himself
03:56because he lives near one of the great game preserves in South Africa,
04:01and he must be a very hardy mutant to have survived that and the boxing jungle.
04:08He doesn't have a predator's lethal bite, but he's slick, he's quick, and he'll stick to it.
04:18And that's why he has the survival mechanisms that have allowed him in ten years
04:24never to have fought an opponent who walked away thinking he had an easy night of it.
04:31And that's the challenge for Lennox Lewis.
04:33Indeed, Franz Bota gave Michael Moore the dickens of a time before succumbing six years ago.
04:39He won the first four rounds easily from Mike Tyson last year
04:42before getting careless, dropping his hands, and walking into a Tyson right hand.
04:46And some people think he'll cause problems for Lewis tonight,
04:49but George Foreman, virtually all of Great Britain,
04:52and indeed Lewis's trainer Emmanuel Stewart,
04:54seemed to be demanding that Lennox produce the same kind of fireworks here tonight
04:58that he produced against Michael Grant in New York in April.
05:01Is that too tall an order against a tricky pro like Bota?
05:04I wouldn't ask my fighter to go out there and try to do the same thing with Bota.
05:08You've got to let this thing develop.
05:11Grant came right out, brought the whole table to the guy.
05:14All he had to do was sit down and eat,
05:16and he did eat a lot of left and rights from Lennox Lewis.
05:19With Bota, he's crafty.
05:21Take your time, set it up.
05:22Don't look for devastation, just look for the W.
05:25All right, that's what Lennox incidentally said that he would do.
05:27He doesn't seem to be putting the same demand on himself that his public does.
05:32And let's look at the tail of the tape now for the heavyweight champion of the world
05:35against Franz Bota, the white buffalo.
05:38You can see that Lewis, at 34, gives up three years in age,
05:41has a three-inch height advantage, nine-inch reach advantage,
05:45and Bota said, I can't stay out at the end of his jab.
05:48I've got no chance if I do.
05:50Bota weighed in at 236.
05:52Lewis looked surprisingly trim and tight at 250.
05:56Bota, punch that numbers, Larry.
05:59Both of them throw about the same number of punches.
06:02Bota doesn't land all that many of punches percentage-wise,
06:05but he seems to be very cute in his ability to throw a quick right hand
06:11that tells on his opponents.
06:16Jabs is where Lewis is by far the superior.
06:20He can control the fight from here.
06:22Bota seldom uses his to any great advantage.
06:25And rules of the bout with our unofficial ringside scorer,
06:29the Orangeburg-New York buffalo, Harold Letterman.
06:32Lennox Lewis, Franz Bota, both the fight,
06:35is scheduled for 12 rounds using a combination of the rules of the ABC,
06:39the Association of Boxing Commissions, and the rules of the WBC.
06:42There is no standing eight count, no three-knockdown rule.
06:45Only the referee can stop the fight,
06:47and it can be saved by the bell in the 12th and final round only.
06:51Jim.
06:52Well, he's come a long way from South Africa.
06:58Franz Bota left South Africa nearly a decade to go
07:02to come to Tyler, Texas, the Rosefield of East Texas,
07:06and to fight for $1,000 a fight.
07:08Never could he have envisioned in those days
07:12that he would wind up in his career
07:13fighting Moorer, fighting Tyson,
07:16fighting Shannon Briggs in an unforgettable war
07:19that wound up a draw a lot of people thought he'd won it,
07:21and now fighting Lennox Lewis
07:23for the heavyweight championship of the world.
07:25Some say manager Sterling McPherson,
07:28there in the center of your picture,
07:29should be called the manager of the decade
07:31for what he's done with Bota.
07:33You know, Bota, like Lewis, like Tua, like Moscaev,
07:41all came to the United States to take advantage
07:45of the heavyweight subculture that exists here
07:49to learn their trade.
07:52Vladimir Klitschko is the only top non-American heavyweight
07:56who has not done that.
08:01Just to show you what a hell-for-leather guy Franz is,
08:05there was a night in 1992, November 19,
08:08when he fought three opponents in the same night
08:10and knocked them all out in one round.
08:12Those are among the 40 victories and the 25 KOs.
08:16The losses were to Moorer and Tyson.
08:19The draw was with Briggs.
08:21He got a no contest in a fight against Axel Schultz
08:25that he had won when he later tested positive for steroids.
08:29This is the big event of his career.
08:39And Bota was openly grateful to Lennox Lewis
08:42in free fight, but listening, he said,
08:44hey, I owe this to Lennox.
08:46He could have fought anybody.
08:49And now, ladies and gentlemen,
08:50making his entrance to the ring,
08:53the power of London,
08:56the defending champion,
08:58Lennox Lewis.
12:39Looks just like he's taking this throw on Piccadilly.
12:41Now on Piccadilly.
13:03Are those Jamaican rhythms we hear Jim?
13:09You're making Canadian English.
13:11Just like the fighter.
13:13It's hard for opponents to work up a real deep-seated hatred for Lennox.
13:19Because at the end of the day, he's basically nice.
13:23When Mike Tyson started spouting off about how he was going to eat Lewis' children,
13:27the first thing he realized is he doesn't know Lennox very well.
13:31The only loss to McCall in that second-round stoppage six years ago.
13:4928 knockouts, some tactical decision wins.
13:52The draw against Holyfield, regarded by most as a Lewis victory.
13:59And Lennox Lewis has earned his right to be seen as the number one heavyweight in the world.
14:04Let's see if he keeps that distinction tonight.
14:06As you watch the telecast, you can also log on to www.hbo.com slash boxing
14:13to chat and score each round of Lennox Lewis against Franz Bota.
14:17Immediately following the fight,
14:19viewers in the Eastern and Central time zones
14:21will have the opportunity to chat live
14:23with heavyweight contender
14:25and likely Lewis November opponent, David Tua.
14:29And now everyone has gathered in the ring together.
14:41Lewis looking as though he has just made his first entry into the disco
14:46and is going to sit down and relax for a couple of hours.
14:50And Bota rolling his shoulders with Lennox's music
14:55as an aid to his own continued warm-up.
14:59Born in London, of Jamaican heritage,
15:07moved to Kitchener, Ontario when he was 12,
15:11won a gold medal for Canada in the 1988 Olympics
15:14and then came back here
15:16and has been the British heavyweight ever since.
15:18Let's go to Michael Buffer.
15:20Ladies and gentlemen, from London Arena,
15:23Panic's promotions and main events
15:26in association with Sky TV and HBO
15:29along with the Evening Standard
15:32present 12 rounds of boxing
15:35for the universally recognized, legitimate, undisputed
15:40heavyweight championship of the world.
15:45Sanctioned by the British Boxing Board of Control.
15:48Chairman of the board, Lord Brooks of Chamorfa.
15:51Secretary, Simon Block.
15:53Internationally sanctioned by the WBC, the IBF and the IBO.
15:57Timekeeper will be Nick White.
15:59The three judges assigned to ringside scoring the belt
16:02on a ten-point must system are Al Bennett of the United States,
16:06Roy Francis from England and Chuck Williams from the United States.
16:11And when the bell rings, your referee in charge of the action
16:15from England, Larry O'Connell.
16:19And now, ladies and gentlemen, from one of the great cities in the world,
16:23London, England, for the thousands in attendance
16:26and the millions watching around the world.
16:29Ladies and gentlemen, let's get ready to rumble!
16:43Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner,
16:46wearing the black trunks and weighing in at 16 stone,
16:4912 pounds, 14 ounces, or 236 pounds.
16:54He brings a professional record of 44 bouts, 40 victories,
16:59including 24 knockouts to his credit, with two losses,
17:03one draw and one no contest.
17:06Originally from South Africa, but now living and fighting
17:09out of Newport Beach, California, USA.
17:12Here is the challenger, former IBF world heavyweight champion,
17:17the white buffalo, Francois Bolton.
17:29And his opponent across the ring, fighting out of the red corner,
17:32wearing white, trimmed with blue.
17:34He weighed in at 17 stone, 12 and one-half pounds,
17:38or an even 250 pounds.
17:41He captured Olympic gold in 1988,
17:44and now has a professional record consisting of 38 bouts,
17:4836 victories, including 28 knockouts,
17:51with only one defeat and one draw.
17:54Ladies and gentlemen, from East London, England,
17:58presenting the reigning and defending,
18:00universally recognized, undisputed,
18:04heavyweight champion of the world,
18:07the power and the power of London,
18:10Lennox Blue!
18:14Lennox, we've been through the rules.
18:26I expect you to obey my commands at all times.
18:28Good luck to both of you.
18:29God bless you both.
18:30May the best man win.
18:31The referee, in case you recognize him, is Larry O'Connell,
18:41the Englishman who scored the first Lewis Holyfield fight
18:47as a draw very controversially.
18:52Now he is acting as the referee.
18:56If you wondered about the chorus of boos,
18:58it was for his scorecard and Lewis Holyfield won.
19:01But Lennox says he's a good referee.
19:04I like him as a referee,
19:06even if I don't like him as a judge.
19:08He's refereed four previous Lewis fights
19:10without any Lewis complaints.
19:15And in fact, some in Volta's camp worry
19:19that because O'Connell got so much bad publicity
19:22here last year for his scorecard
19:24in Lewis Holyfield 1,
19:26that he'll bend over backward to service Lewis in this fight.
19:29Lennox lands a right hand to start it off.
19:35Volta's job is to make Lewis become aggressive,
19:38get that big man to lose some of that energy
19:41and that power,
19:42make him throw a lot of punches
19:43in the first three rounds.
19:45Lewis, of course,
19:46keep him on the end of the left jab
19:48and overhand right all night.
19:51If he want to survive,
19:52let him survive with those short shots.
19:54Don't waste any punches.
19:57Ota has a sneaky right hand.
20:00He fires it often as the lead.
20:02He'll switch his feet sometimes.
20:04And he has an unusual sense of range.
20:07He's often just beyond your punching range,
20:10and he'll sneak in and throw a punch
20:12and grab you and hold or get back up.
20:16Lennox said to us yesterday
20:17that he would not be at all surprised
20:19to find himself in the ninth or tenth round
20:21of a sloppy fight tonight
20:23because he knows what Volta's style is.
20:26Volta's doing a good job.
20:28You want to start landing your left jab
20:30and left hook to Lennox Lewis' chest.
20:32Make the big man get down with you.
20:35Don't let him stand so tall.
20:38Volta holding his left hand low,
20:40and Lewis has just missed twice
20:42with his overhand right cross,
20:45which is, of course,
20:46bread-and-butter punch number one.
20:48The real bread-and-butter recently
20:50has been the uppercut,
20:51the uppercut which deposited Grant
20:53on the campus for the fourth and final time.
20:56The uppercut which bailed him out
20:57against Holyfield in Las Vegas
20:59in the second of those two fights.
21:06Volta's doing a good job,
21:07but his chin is kind of high.
21:09He should drop it a little bit.
21:11And Lewis...
21:12Lewis stops him in his tracks
21:14and wobbles him momentarily
21:16with a right-hand shot.
21:18You want to keep your chin down if you're Volta.
21:21You're standing up a little too straight
21:23too early in the fight.
21:28Now Volta begins to hold his left hand higher,
21:31and Lewis overshoots with the right,
21:33as he often does.
21:35Volta said,
21:37I'm gonna watch for him to hit me
21:38on the back of the head,
21:39and I'll complain,
21:40because he often comes over the top
21:42with the right hand
21:43and hits you in the back of the neck.
21:45The other right hand lands inside for Lewis.
22:00Volta's gotta concede being hit with the right hand.
22:02Whenever he gets hit,
22:03he's gotta throw something back quick.
22:05Make Lewis think.
22:10That was a pretty easy first round for Lennox Lewis,
22:13despite all of Volta's tricks.
22:28Emmanuel Stewart has never been in the losing corner
22:31in a heavyweight championship fight.
22:34When we're moving to that right side,
22:36we have to move forward,
22:37step into the side forward,
22:38make him react.
22:39Don't move to the left side.
22:40Right?
22:41Not yet.
22:42Make sure you stay to that right side.
22:43You know what?
22:44We have three rounds.
22:45I want three rounds.
22:46Then we stop stepping it up.
22:47Right?
22:48Then we stop stepping it up.
22:49Right?
22:50That staggered Bota.
22:51Bota's a very tough character.
22:54Most anybody else would've been on the seat of their pants.
22:56Bota already has a welt under his left eye.
23:00And a welt on the bridge of his nose, as well.
23:03Both the products of the Lewis right hand.
23:06Lennox landed 10 of 16 jabs in the first round.
23:09That's what sets up the big rights.
23:11Guys like Lennox Lewis,
23:12you gotta get them into a fight.
23:13You just can't just...
23:14let them box all night,
23:15run in with your body,
23:16throw a shot, run out.
23:17As long as Bota does this,
23:18George,
23:19Lewis can fight at his own pace
23:20and choose what to do.
23:21Yeah, but you didn't get Lewis anxious.
23:22He just had a great knockout.
23:23He would like to do it again.
23:24He would like to do it again.
23:25He would like to do it again.
23:26He would like to do it again.
23:27He would like to do it again.
23:28He would like to do it again.
23:29And a welt on the bridge of his nose, as well.
23:30Both the products of the Lewis right hand.
23:31Lennox landed 10 of 16 jabs
23:32in the first round.
23:33That's what sets up the big rights.
23:34Guys like Lennox Lewis,
23:35you gotta get them into a fight.
23:36And with this, George,
23:37Lewis can fight at his own pace
23:38and choose what to do.
23:39Yeah, but you didn't get Lewis anxious.
23:41He just had a great knockout.
23:42He would like to do it again.
23:44Make him anxious.
23:45Make him start reaching out.
23:47Start using your...
23:49There is your left jab.
23:50There you go.
23:51Bota sneaking in the left
23:52just as Lewis started to make his move.
23:55You wanna make the big fellow step forward
23:57so you can just get in between there
23:58with your left jab.
24:00Make them run into it.
24:03The way to do that
24:05is to make them reach out.
24:19Lewis is a good fighter,
24:20but he's been...
24:21had Trapp set on him before.
24:23He's a little too cautious.
24:31Lewis promised some left hooks in this fight
24:33because he knows Bota likes to lead with the right,
24:36and he figured he'd get a chance
24:37to counter with the left hook.
24:38We haven't seen it yet.
24:39Bota was just...
24:40Bota was able to let a important right hand
24:42under the body,
24:43the side of Lennox Lewis.
24:45Very important.
24:46Just trying it again.
24:47Lennox blocking that one partially
24:49with the left arm.
24:50You wanna make that big man
24:52bring that left hand down
24:53so you can see his chin.
24:54And as Bota starts to target the body,
24:57Lennox unveils the uppercut.
24:59Yeah, Lewis drops his left hand
25:01just a little bit more.
25:02You get a little closer,
25:03then it's no longer the height advantage.
25:06Generally, Lewis liked to keep his left hands
25:08out in the guy's face.
25:09When you hit him in the body,
25:10he takes it back to his side.
25:12Louie! Louie! Louie!
25:32Well!
25:33Wow.
25:35Wow!
25:36Three punch combination.
25:37A three punch combination.
25:39He did mix in the left hook.
25:41It landed along with the two right hands.
25:44And Franz Bota, who has a pretty good chin,
25:47went through the ropes,
25:49and Larry O'Connell says that'll do it.
25:51He was wobbly.
25:55What a three punch combo that was by Glenn Stewart.
25:58I've never seen Lennox put together a combination like that.
26:01One, two, three, and had some more.
26:03Sensational. Absolutely sensational.
26:06O'Connell is going to be criticized by a few people
26:10for stopping it that fast.
26:12But both his eyes were glazed.
26:16He was wobbly.
26:18His knees weren't all there.
26:20He took a devastating combination.
26:23He would have been out in 15 or 20 seconds,
26:26if not before, anyway.
26:29A very impressive performance by Lewis,
26:33proving once again that you can run but you can't hide.
26:37This is the first time we've seen him do this
26:39with shorter opponents.
26:41How relaxed he looked.
26:42And, you know, you start doing that with shorter opponents,
26:44there's no end to this man's talent.
26:46Well, you know, could he do it with David Tua in November?
26:49Tua is considerably shorter than Bota.
26:51Take another look at this combination.
26:53Right cross, left hook, right cross.
26:55Boom, boom, boom.
26:57Ooh, lifted him off the canvas.
27:04You can actually call it a four-punch combination,
27:07figuring in the jab.
27:08I've never seen Lewis do this.
27:10This is new.
27:12Bota has never, ever been dominated
27:16in a prize fight the way he was tonight.
27:19Not even close.
27:20He's been in every fight,
27:21particularly in the early rounds.
27:23I mean, he handled Tyson with so much ease for four rounds
27:26that it made it look too easy to him.
27:29Here, he was never in it,
27:30and Lewis just exterminated him with that combination.
27:36So he gets a two-round knockout over Grant,
27:39and now he gets a two-round knockout over Bota.
27:42Well, Emmanuel Stewart asked for consistency.
27:45You can't get more consistent than that
27:48in back-to-back fights.
27:50He did what a real champion is supposed to do
27:53against a guy who it is not easy to do it against.
27:59Coming back with a love hook behind that right hand
28:02is something you never expect Lennox Lewis to do.
28:05Hey, I'll say it again,
28:06and this comment after the Grant fight
28:08got ridiculed in one of the boxing magazines,
28:10but I'm sticking to it.
28:11He's getting better, George.
28:12He's actually getting better.
28:13At 34, you get better if your legs are still there.
28:19Pretty remarkable performance.
28:26And sometimes, you know, your karma operates for you.
28:30If that was a quick stoppage,
28:32well, what it was a lot like
28:34was the Oliver McCall stoppage against Lewis
28:37when Lewis lost the only time back here in 1994.
28:41Very similar.
28:42Also in the second round.
28:43Also in the second round.
28:44Because Lewis had gotten up and beaten the count, as Bota did.
28:48But the referee decided he couldn't continue,
28:51just as O'Connell decided that Bota should take no more punishment
28:56from the undisputed king of the heavyweight division, Lennox Lewis.
29:01No doubt about it.
29:03Here's Michael Buffer.
29:04Ladies and gentlemen, your official evening standard time.
29:08The end comes at 2 minutes 39 seconds of round number 2.
29:13The winner by knockout victory,
29:15and still the universally recognized,
29:18undisputed heavyweight champion of the world,
29:22the power and power of London,
29:25Lennox Lewis.
29:30Final punch stat numbers in a measured performance by Lennox Lewis.
29:42In two rounds, he only threw 47 punches.
29:45He landed 24 of them.
29:48The bulk were jabs, but the right hands and that little left hook
29:51did the damage at the end.
29:53Mota landing 9 of 37.
29:56It was a story of Lennox Lewis's devastating punching power,
30:01and he once again underlines his status as the world's best heavyweight.
30:06Here's Larry Merchant with Lennox.
30:09Congratulations, Lennox.
30:12You kept insisting before the fight you'd be happy with any kind of a victory.
30:16Were you secretly hoping that something as explosive as this would happen?
30:21Absolutely.
30:22I realize that I've spent a long time in training camp.
30:25I just wanted to go out there and just prove to the world
30:28that I'm the best fighter on the planet.
30:30No guy tests.
30:32Could you have landed that kind of three-
30:35or perhaps four-punch combination five, six, seven years ago?
30:40Let's take a look at it and give us your comment.
30:42Basically, I was moving him behind the jab.
30:45I noticed that he bent to the left,
30:47and I just, you know, took advantage of it.
30:49Yeah, ended off with a right hand.
30:54Are you awed by yourself?
30:56Hey, it looked good.
30:57It looked good on TV, so I'm happy with it.
30:59What are your feelings about A, having come back to London
31:03where you suffered a second-round knockout,
31:06and B, kind of rewarding your fans here the way you did?
31:10You know, it felt good.
31:12It's like I went away, and I said,
31:13next time I come back to London,
31:15I'm going to come back undisputed heavyweight champion.
31:17And it's funny that I lost in the second round,
31:20and I came back and won in the second round.
31:22So I love the irony of it.
31:24You have a scheduled defense against a mandatory challenger, David Tua.
31:32Will you fulfill that fight?
31:35Yeah, definitely.
31:36I mean, if there's anybody that deserves a shot, it's David Tua.
31:39And I'm happy that he's never seen a boxer like me,
31:42so he's in for a big surprise.
31:45Let's talk about Mike Tyson because his name always comes up.
31:50You yourself have given us mixed messages.
31:53On the one hand, you say you do want to fight him.
31:56And on the other hand, you say you don't want to go through
31:59another emotional breakdown with a fighter in the ring
32:03as you did with Oliver McCall.
32:06Clarify that for us.
32:08I only have one thing to say.
32:10Tell Mike Tyson either put up or shut up.
32:13Simple as that.
32:14Sign the contract tomorrow and let's fight and get it over with.
32:17He talks about he wants to eat this and that.
32:20He knows what he can eat.
32:22All right.
32:23Your trainer, Emmanuel Stewart, is skeptical that that fight would ever happen.
32:32Do you...
32:33Can your career be as fulfilling as you hoped it would be without that fight?
32:38Or do you think you need that fight?
32:40I don't think I need Mike Tyson.
32:42You know, to me, Mike Tyson's a has-been.
32:44Basically, he needs to prove himself.
32:47Really, what he's going after right now is going off of his name.
32:51So, you think he's been on this carnival tour against handpicked opponents and that before
32:58he fights you, he should have to show the public that he can beat a strong opponent?
33:03Not only beat a strong opponent, but behave himself in the ring.
33:07Every fight I see him going through, he's always doing something against the rules.
33:10He has to remember, this is the art of boxing.
33:13The art of the sweet science.
33:15It's not no street fighting in there.
33:16We go in there to box.
33:18I don't think a lot of people look at it that way, Lennox.
33:23In the past, he's given you $4 million to not have to fight you.
33:28And he has recently said he's not ready to fight you.
33:32What is the message that you get from those two things?
33:36Well, the simple message is that he doesn't want to fight.
33:39If he's going against guys like Lou Savarese, you know, he'll never be ready for me.
33:43So, you know, what can I say?
33:45I'm out there showing that I'm the best fighter on the planet.
33:48Simple as that.
33:49Thank you very much, Lennox Lewis.
33:51Yes, with all respect.
33:52So it'll be David Tua next in November.
33:55And then down the road, well, who knows?
33:58Maybe Mike Tyson.
34:00Maybe Vladimir Klitschko, whom you saw earlier this evening.
34:03One thing is for certain.
34:05No question about who the champion is
34:07as we look down the road toward further heavyweight confrontations.
34:11Now let's go back to Larry Merchant with the second place finisher in this little match race, Franz Bota.
34:18All right.
34:19Franz.
34:20Franz.
34:21Franz.
34:22Did you feel that the fight was stopped prematurely?
34:26Well, he called me with a good shot.
34:29I think that I could have continued, but it was a good shot that he called me.
34:35All right.
34:36Let's take a look at it.
34:37And you tell us what was going on there.
34:39You were trying to stay away from them, obviously.
34:41You're seeing it for the first time after having felt it.
34:53What does this tell you?
34:56Uh, you know, he called me with a good shot there.
34:58So, uh, I think it was a better man tonight.
35:02How good is he?
35:04Why were you unable to take the fight into the later rounds, which is clearly what you were trying to do?
35:10Definitely.
35:11You know, he just called me with a good shot.
35:12And, uh, you know, I never saw a shot coming.
35:14So he called me with a good shot.
35:15And, uh, I was stunned.
35:17Why was he more difficult for you than you may have anticipated?
35:22Well, he's a tall guy.
35:23He's got a long reach.
35:25Uh, I, I, my, my, my purpose was to get him into the later rounds.
35:28But, you know, he called me with a good shot right there.
35:30And, uh, you know, he's in boxing, but the punch you don't see coming is the one that hit you.
35:35This is the first time you have ever been dominated in any way.
35:40In every other fight, even in your losing fights, the other guy knew he had had a hard time.
35:46What is your thought about Lennox Lewis as a heavyweight champion, having experienced this?
35:51Well, you know, I, I take my, you know, I give Lennox all the credit.
35:54He landed a good shot.
35:55I believe he's a good heavyweight champion.
35:57You know, give him a credit for that.
35:58And I thank him for the opportunity that he gave me.
36:00But you know what?
36:01I'll be back.
36:02Thank you very much, Frank.
36:04Jim.
36:05So the English fans who elected to ante up the steep price of $750 for ringside seats,
36:14get what they're looking for.
36:16A spectacular Lennox Lewis second round knockout.
36:18Every bit as spectacular as the performance he delivered in knocking out Michael Grant in New York.
36:24And George Foreman, you were eloquent that evening in pointing out that Grant was perfectly set up on a tee for Lewis
36:31because he was six feet, seven inches tall.
36:33He suggested earlier this evening he might have more trouble with Bota because Bota was shorter.
36:38Obviously that wasn't a problem.
36:40Now look down the road to David Tua, Mike Tyson, and you get shorter still.
36:46Will it still be a problem or has Lennox gotten so good that he's beyond that now?
36:50I would always, I would have said to the grave that Lennox Lewis could not fight shorter guys.
36:55Tonight he proved me wrong.
36:56He's added to his repertoire.
36:58He's got the left hook coming back after the right hand where the shorter guys are all the time.
37:03This guy is devastating.
37:04He's actually getting better.
37:05Yeah.
37:06And you don't want to say that about a big guy like that.
37:08It's a pretty amazing thing to see Lewis improving at this stage of his career, but inescapable.
37:13His balance is better.
37:14And the thing about it, Europe is starting to hold a power balance here.
37:18The American guys better wake up.
37:20Yeah.
37:21Because Klitschko might be among the top three or four right at this very moment based on his performance earlier this evening.
37:26So tell us, Larry Merchant, who are the guys who legitimately deserve shots at Lewis, want shots at Lewis, and figure into the picture beyond Tua?
37:35Well, obviously there's David Tua.
37:37He's got the two things any heavyweight needs.
37:39He's got a chin and he's got a punch.
37:42After them, it's Oleg Moskyev, a Russian who now lives in New York City, has come on very strong in the last year, a big, strong, solid heavyweight.
37:53The next one may be Vladimir Klitschko, who has all of the natural ability you want to see in a heavyweight.
38:01Whether he can reach up to that level of the game, whether he can reach inside for himself when inevitably he will have to remains to be seen.
38:11But he certainly was impressive tonight.
38:13And you expressed in your interview with Lennox, Emmanuel Stewart's spoken skepticism about whether a fight with Tyson would ever actually take place.
38:23Lennox himself mentioned a few things about the subject.
38:26What do you think?
38:27Are we ever going to see, given all the obstacles, business and otherwise, Tyson and Lewis in the ring together?
38:32Well, never lasts around six months in the boxing world.
38:36But Evander, Emmanuel Stewart may be closer to the truth than some people think.
38:43Because if the fight can't happen for a year, and it certainly looks like there's no way that fight would happen for a year.
38:49A year is two lifetimes in boxing.
38:51Anything can happen.
38:52Lennox Lewis could lose.
38:54Mike Tyson could lose, in or out of the ring.
38:57But I think we have to look at it in this way.
38:59Mike Tyson has shown he just doesn't want the fight yet.
39:02Fair enough.
39:03He doesn't think he's ready, particularly against the kind of handpicked opponents he's fighting on his worldwide carnival tour.
39:11But there's something else at play here that we ought to talk about.
39:16And that is that Mike Tyson is a guy who's on antidepressants.
39:21He's a guy who has to come off those antidepressants weeks before a fight.
39:26And he is, in some ways, a danger to himself as well as he has been in the past to his opponents.
39:34And I think that people in boxing who are urging him, who almost are hoping for his bungee cord to snap somehow in public, ought to think about whether he should be allowed to fight.
39:47Allowed to fight a Lennox Lewis at this stage.
39:51Finally, we have to look at the business side of it.
39:54The two leading pay cable networks, Showtime and HBO, have exclusive contracts with the fighters.
40:02They pay premium money to keep those exclusivities.
40:07They've never gotten together before to have a big fight.
40:11It's not impossible for it to happen.
40:14But it's very, very difficult.
40:17And it's so far in the future again that I certainly wouldn't hold my breath.
40:22And I think that all of this media masturbation that's going on, urging this fight on, should take a step back and start looking at Lennox Lewis and the people who can give him some serious competition and who want him.
40:39It isn't likely to happen.
40:40There's a huge core of cynics out there, particularly in the boxing written press, who will never be impressed with anything Lennox does.
40:47Their take is that he rose to the top of the division at a moment when there wasn't any real competition there to face him.
40:54They clamor for the Tyson fight.
40:56It may not ever happen.
40:57And in their view, it will probably leave an empty space in Lewis's career.
41:01But will it bother Lennox?
41:03Doesn't appear that that's likely either.
41:05We'll be back with a final word on what happened here in the ring tonight in just a moment.
41:09Right now, let's look ahead to some upcoming HBO sports programs.
41:14He is undefeated and unstoppable.
41:21Felix Trinidad, the untouchable Tito, now unleashes the force against the unbridled fury of knockout artist Mamadou Tiong.
41:31The heat is on live from Miami in a showdown for the super welterweight championship of the world.
41:37Trinidad vs. Tiong. Live, Saturday, July 22nd on HBO.
41:42The heart and soul of boxing.
41:44It was a time when heroes ruled the field.
41:49And the sweep of cheers echoed an unforgettable grandeur.
41:55A decade that changed baseball forever.
41:59We had to do better than our white teammates.
42:01We had to try harder.
42:03We had to play harder.
42:04The heroes returned.
42:06All of us from that generation retain a vivid image of guys' numbers.
42:12Only one person could be 24.
42:14That was Willie Mays.
42:15Or Frank Robinson, number 20.
42:17Only Mickey Mantle could be number 7.
42:20And the glories relived.
42:22When Mantle came up to the plate, it sounded like the ocean at night.
42:28It was loud and it was an excitement like something really great could happen at any moment.
42:33Sports of the 20th Century presents the third chapter in the award-winning documentary series
42:39When It Was a Game 3.
42:41Premieres Monday, July 17th on HBO.
42:44What happened to the gay high school football player whose secret drove him to attempt suicide?
42:51Find out on the next Real Sports with Brian Gumbel.
42:53Premiering Monday, July 24th.
42:55Real Sports.
42:56Nothing is out of bounds.
42:57For viewers in the Eastern and Central time zones,
43:00don't forget that heavyweight contender David Tua is standing by at www.hbo.com
43:06slash boxing for a one-hour chat right now.
43:09Earlier this evening here in the London Arena,
43:13you saw Vladimir Klitschko take another big step toward a possible heavyweight title shot
43:18in the not-too-distant future as he dominated Monty Barrett with left hooks
43:23before flooring him with a series of right crosses.
43:26Five knockdowns in all.
43:27A big Klitschko knockout victory in seven rounds.
43:30And then Lennox Lewis, following up on his two-round destruction of Michael Grant in New York,
43:35came in against the cagey France.
43:37Bota expecting perhaps a more difficult evening and pounded Bota out with that combination.
43:44Right cross, left hook, right cross at the end of the second round.
43:47Coming up immediately following this coverage of world championship boxing,
43:50stay tuned for Arliss, followed by Oz.
43:53Both will be shown in their entirety.
43:55So now for George Foreman and Larry Merchant.
43:58I'm Jim Lampley saying so long from the London Arena in London, England.
44:02The executive producer of HBO Sports is Ross Greenberg.
44:05Tonight's telecast of world championship boxing was produced by Rick Bernstein
44:09and directed by Mark Payton.
44:11Feature producers Greg Backer and Max Siegel.
44:13Associate director Thomas Erdelfelt.
44:15Assistant to the producer Thomas Huffey.
44:17The production manager was John McCalley.
44:19The technical supervisor Roy Otake.
44:22And the technical director was Doug Yetz.
44:41Jeremyraz callarar.
44:44He's a man.
44:45I'm Jim Lampley.
44:46He's a man.
44:47Forg skie gras,
44:50J PCRktion.
44:52Wellял.
44:53A patienter who was Charlie Pittman-Balino has been on the Cali Mai.
44:57His JENNINGS & hallwayhopés will not catch up.
44:59He's a man.
45:00He's a child.
45:03Oily joJIWoochoo.
45:04Go.
45:07Gonna fly.
45:08He'll catch up.
45:09This has been a presentation of HBO Sports,
45:22the network of champions.
45:26Saturday afternoons will never be the same thing.
45:29Don't miss the next KO Nation.
45:33Live at a special time for boxing,
45:35Saturday, August 5th at 5 p.m. on HBO.
45:40Well, today is going to be a historic day.
45:43Tito Trinidad is making a multi-fight deal with HBO,
45:47and most certainly he's ready to take on all comers.
45:51It was Don King taking on all questions at the press conference
45:54announcing HBO's agreement with undefeated super welterweight champion
45:57Felix Tito Trinidad.
45:59Whosoever will, let him come.
46:01We don't discriminate any race, color, creed, or religion
46:05that want to do battle.
46:06Bring him on, and HBO will emplazen the screens
46:09and the wires throughout the world.
46:11As quick as Trinidad is with his fists,
46:13King is even quicker with a quip and praise of the New Deal.
46:16With Tito Trinidad, we can again create the type of excitement
46:19that thrills you, you know, all the way around,
46:21so you're afraid to go to the icebox to get a beer,
46:25and that's what I like about dealing with HBO.
46:27We're going to make that happen.
46:28Felix Trinidad is set to fight challenger Mamadou Thiam
46:31July 22nd, live on HBO.
46:33I'm a stripper, so what?
46:35Viewers get to take a long, hard look at the lives
46:37of exotic dancers on G-String Divas,
46:40a new HBO series that's revealing in more ways than one.
46:43What's really different and what's really exciting,
46:45I think it's the thrust of this series,
46:47is that these girls are taking the men for a ride.
46:49It was just a game to me.
46:51Like, I tell you what you want to hear,
46:53and I get more money.
46:54Maybe they're victims in some other respects,
46:57you know, in their lives.
46:57Maybe that's what brought them here.
46:59But in the club, boy, they rule.
47:03And if anybody's a victim, I think it's some of these guys.
47:06Of course, I'm going to be nice to you.
47:09I want your $20.
47:10I want a lap dance.
47:11A sort of docu-soap, Divas challenges
47:13some of the more unflattering notions
47:15about the women on stage.
47:16I try not to come with preconceptions.
47:18It's part of my job.
47:19This isn't just about their bodies,
47:21but it's really about them as people.
47:24And they're wonderful people, you know?
47:26So they're really great stories.
47:28So that's what makes it really, really a joy.
47:31G-String Divas premieres August 12th, only on HBO.
47:35Television as it exists right now is a dinosaur.
47:39And I'm a dinosaur, so I can say that.
47:42Oz executive producer Tom Fontana
47:44is taking steps to stay ahead of the evolutionary process,
47:47shooting three new scenes that will only be available
47:49on the HBO Oz website.
47:51I'm fascinated by the potential of things like this
47:56that enhance the storytelling
47:58because I think that television is a small part
48:04of what the future is going to be
48:05in terms of technology and in terms of storytelling.
48:09The scenes will give fans background
48:10on a new Oz inmate,
48:11one who is actually an undercover cop.
48:13We'll see the undercover cop's reports to his boss,
48:19and he's also emailing his wife and his kid.
48:22So every week, we will get,
48:24we will keep changing what's on the website
48:27to be current with what's going on in the show.
48:31Keep an eye out for new episodes of Oz,
48:33only on HBO.
48:34And be sure to check out the Oz website at HBO.com.
48:37That's it for this edition of HBO Entertainment.
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