Twenty-two years ago today, the “Battle of the Titans” took place in Los Angeles. Britain’s Lennox Lewis faced Vitali Klitschko in a legendary fight – and the controversial outcome sent the boxing world into turmoil.
June 21, 2003, was a day that would go down in combat sports history. In the “Battle of the Titans,” a bloody ending divided the boxing world.
In the ring at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, WBC, IBO, and The Ring champion Lennox Lewis faced WBO champion “Dr. Ironfist” Vitali Klitschko in a fight that delighted boxing enthusiasts—and left Klitschko feeling disillusioned.
Klitschko blames the ring doctor
“It’s crystal clear to me: the ring doctor is to blame,” the Ukrainian said after the six-round bout. The doctor had deemed the heavily bleeding cut above Klitschko’s eye a health risk, and referee Lou Moret ultimately stopped the fight. However, Klitschko was ahead on points against Lewis at the time.
The eagerly awaited event between the two boxing champions, who had both suffered only one defeat in their professional careers at the time, was originally scheduled to take place later in the year.
“Clash of the Titans” brought forward
Britain’s Lewis was supposed to defend his IBO title against Kirk Johnson, while Klitschko had a preliminary fight against Cedric Boswell scheduled before the event, with the big fight planned for December.
However, Johnson had to withdraw from the IBO title fight due to a torn left pectoral muscle, so the “Battle of the Titans” was brought forward by six months at short notice. Many considered Vitali Klitschko the clear underdog – until the opening bell.
Klitschko: “I felt invincible.”
The then 31-year-old Ukrainian tried to convince the fans otherwise with an aggressive start. Afterwards, he said: “I felt invincible, I was convinced he couldn’t knock me out.”
Early in the fight, Klitschko landed several head shots on Lewis, which visibly rattled the Brit. In the second round, Lewis took a crashing blow to the chin that briefly sent him reeling.
The Ukrainian made an impression on the Brit with his head shots, who looked visibly shaken and managed to save himself by the end of the round. Klitschko collected points, winning the first two rounds.
The round that changed everything
In the third round, however, the then 37-year-old Lewis seemed like a different man. About ten seconds after the bell rang to start the third round, the Brit landed a hard right. The blow left a deep gash above Klitschko’s left eye, causing heavy bleeding.
“At first I was shocked when I saw all the blood. Then I said to myself: Stay calm, you have to get through this. Otherwise, you might as well go home and crawl under the covers,” Klitschko’s wife Natalia Klitschko was quoted as saying by Der Spiegel.
Although Klitschko managed to survive two more rounds, even dominating at times, ring doctor Dr. Paul Wallace felt compelled to intervene during the sixth round due to the cut above the Ukrainian’s eye and convince referee Lou Moret to end the fight immediately.
This decision sent the boxing world into turmoil
Dr. Wallace stated that Klitschko’s vision could no longer be guaranteed because his swollen and drooping eyelid was covering his pupil.
The fight was therefore ruled a technical knockout victory for the Brit. But that was when the turmoil really began, because Klitschko was ahead on points at that point.
Klitschko said after the fight, clearly shaken: “I’ve seen much worse injuries. I don’t want to be seen as an ungrateful loser, but for me it’s crystal clear: the ring doctor is to blame!” He also emphasized: “I was still completely fresh after the sixth round, but he plopped down on his stool like a sack of potatoes.”
Former heavyweight professional Axel Schulz agreed: “The referee made the wrong decision. If anything, he should have stopped the fight a round earlier, when the cut was bleeding heavily. Later, the wound had almost stopped bleeding.”
The spectators in the arena sang songs in support of the Ukrainian, who had shown morale and impressed with his offensive tactics against the 1988 Olympic boxing champion. HBO commentator Jim Lampley agreed: “Vitali is the winner of the event, the winner of the night, the winner of the crowd. 15,000 spectators went home as Klitschko fans.”
No rematch between Klitschko and Lewis
Even the opposing trainer shared this view. “That was a very, very good fight. Vitali showed more than I expected. Lennox was pretty frustrated. He wasn’t well prepared for this big guy. But I have no doubt that he would have knocked him out in the next round,” said Emanuel Steward.
However, Klitschko remained disappointed with the outcome of the fight. A rematch, which was demanded by almost everyone, never took place. Instead, Lennox Lewis relinquished his titles the following year and ended his sporting career. This only served to cement the myth surrounding the “Battle of the Titans.”
