Lewis' victory proved he's got heart

By TIM DAHLBERG

NEW YORK (May 1, 2000 2:23 p.m. EDT http://www.sportserver.com) - Lennox Lewis gave an impressive answer to a question he thought should never have been asked.

The 34-year-old British champion retained the WBC and IBF heavyweight titles with a second-round knockout of Michael Grant, displaying his punching power and looking nothing like the fighter who had a draw against Evander Holyfield before beating him.

"This was an opportunity for me to show my aggressive side," Lewis said Saturday night. "There's always been a question about my heart. I don't know where they got that one. Lennox Lewis has a great heart."

Exposing Grant as a fighter who wasn't ready for the big time may have also done wonders for Lewis' image.

"I don't think I should be judged by the two fights with Evander Holyfield," Lewis (36-1-1) said. "I think this proves I've got awesome power and I can take you out with one punch."

Grant (30-1-1) felt a lot more than one punch. The challenger was knocked down three times in the first round and then knocked out in the second as Lewis showed Grant attacking was not a solid strategy.

"I was surprised his corner sent him out for the second round," Lewis said. "I thought Michael Grant's style was the perfect style for me to showcase my talent."

The 6-foot-7, 250-pound Grant admitted to "stupidity on my part" for trying to take the fight to Lewis, but it was clear that a fighter who only began boxing six years ago was no match for the heavyweight champion.

"Lennox is a champion for a reason," Grant said.

Lewis still holds the WBC and IBF version of the titles - a federal judge ordered the WBA to strip him for not fighting the top contender - but it may be more significant that he showed he could fight like a big heavyweight champion.

That didn't happen in two cautious fights with Holyfield.

"I'm glad he didn't go another 12-rounder," said Emanuel Steward, Lewis' trainer. "Lennox actually enjoys exciting fights."

A little more than halfway through the first round at Madison Square Garden, Lewis threw a punch to the body followed by a right to the head that put Grant down for the first time. By the time the bell sounded to end the first round, Grant had been down two more times and the only question was whether he would come out for the second round.

He did, and managed to last until late in the round, when a Lewis uppercut floored Grant, and he was finally counted out at 2:53 of the second round.

Lewis, who earned some $10 million, emerged from the fight atop the heavyweight ranks, no matter what happens with the WBA title.

Holyfield is expected to fight John Ruiz for the WBA title in June.

"Whoever picks it up is just a paper champion," Lewis said. "I'm still the undisputed champion."

Lewis is scheduled to fight Francois Botha, last seen getting cold-cocked by Mike Tyson, on July 15 in London. Then there's a possible date with contender David Tua in September.

But the heavyweight division doesn't have a lot of fighters who have both the name recognition and the skills to challenge Lewis. That could pose problems for future earnings potential, as Saturday's fight with Grant was hardly a blockbuster on pay-per-view.

There's always Tyson, of course, in a match that has been long awaited and would be huge. That could come in the spring, although nothing is certain with the unpredictable Tyson.

"The whole world would love to see that match," Lewis said.

Lewis proves he's the King
and he's...Canadian?

By Reed Holmes Well, he gave us what we wanted. And for that, he deserves respect.

Up until Saturday night, I was like most hardcore fight fans: I did not like Lennox Lewis. I thought he was a flaky wannabe Brit with a fake accent who lived with his mum in Brampton, Ontario. More importantly, I thought he was a boring heavyweight champion.

Granted, he is a skilled and an intelligent boxer. But his style is like that of the New Jersey Devils: score a point then retreat to a defensive shell. This is what he did in both of his fights with Evander Holyfield. And both fights were snore fests.

Even Canadians, who are usually so willing to adopt atheletes no matter how tenuous their links are to Canada, disliked Lewis. But that was before Saturday night's slaughter at Madison Square Garden.

Attitudes about Lewis will undoubtedly change as a result of his devastating second round knock out of heavyweight giant Michael Grant. With the knock out, Lewis has proven once and for all that he is the biggest and baddest heavyweight boxer on the planet.

Before Saturday night's fight, most boxing fans believed Lewis would beat the more inexperienced Grant. While incredibly athletic, Grant doesn't fit the mould of a heavyweight champ. At the pre-fight weigh-in, he looked more like a scholar than a brawler.

The general feeling was that Lewis would take his usual safety-first approach and beat Grant in a yawn-inducing decision. Of course, Lewis tried to assure everyone before the fight that he would come out hard and drop Grant to the canvas, but no one believed him. He's said the same thing before the Holyfield fights.

In fact, so many people expected the fight to be a sleeper that up to 5,000 seats at MSG were still unsold the day before the fight. That's virtually unheard of for a heavyweight title fight, especially in the boxing mecca of New York City.

Fortunately, those who did go to the fight, or picked it up on pay-per-view, were treated to a gem.

In the first round, Grant came at Lewis with fists a blazing. A couple punches caught Lewis in the head and face and the champ had a little blood coming from his mouth.

Perhaps it was the taste of blood that fired-up Lewis because a few moments later he sent Grant to the canvas for the first of an outstanding three knock downs in the first round. Grant luckily recovered from the third knock down just as the first round ended.

In the second round, Grant clearly had not recovered from the three knock downs. Lewis could see Grant was hurt and promptly teed off on the 6-foot-7 American. In the waning seconds of the round, Lewis landed with a punishing upper cut that sent Grant to the canvas for good.

It was a truly impressive knock out that put Lewis's entire career into perspective. Simply put, this guy is tough. As Grant fell into a corner during the second knock down on Saturday, his eyes widened and he had a look of utter shock and fear. He obviously had never been hit that hard before.

The only other time I can remember I look like that on a fighter's face was when Lewis knocked out Andrew Golota a couple of years ago. Who can forget the sheer terror in Golota's eyes when he tried to pick himself up off the canvas?

But like other boxing fans, I didn't give Lewis credit for that knock out. Instead, I discounted it as another bizarre performance by the Polish pug. In retrospect, it's obvious Golota had never been hit that hard before either.

Interestingly, the Grant knock out also proved another thing: Lewis is far better than any other heavyweight in the world except for one guy: Evander Holyfield. Unlike Grant, Golota and Briggs, Lewis had difficulty with "The Real Deal."

Thus, once Commander Evander disposes of John Ruiz and recaptures the bogus WBA heavyweight title (a title that rightly belongs to Lewis), we can all expect a third and final tilt between Holyfield and Lewis, whether we like it or not.

Who knows? Maybe Lewis's latest knock out will give him the confidence to go toe-to-toe with The Real Deal. We can only hope.

Until then, on behalf of all the Canadians who will now be jumping on the Lennox Lewis fanwagon, let me be the first welcome the champ to the roster of Canadian sports heros:

"Mr. Lewis, you have finally proven to all of us that you are the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

As such, we are proud that you are Canadian, even if you do call yourself a Brit. We understand...

Oh, and sorry if we slighted you in the past...sir."