BY LISA SCOTT
Fightnews.com

The Poconos is a mountain resort area an hour and a half away from New York City. The atmosphere is tranquil and relaxing with crisp fresh air, lots of running trails, chirping birds and swimming ducks.

This is where two-time heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis has chosen to train for his November 17th mandatory rematch with WBC/IBF/IBO champion Hasim Rahman. "The Poconos is a great spot," says Lewis. "It keeps you focused. The running here is great and it's away from the big city. Also, I've had a great success rate training here. I've never lost a fight that I trained for in the Poconos." Lewis has been training here for five weeks.

"Lennox has been sparring for 10 rounds a day, he's running every morning at 7AM and he's very focused for this fight" stated Emanuel Steward, Lewis' trainer. Lewis' sparring partners are two young, undefeated heavyweight fighters from Nigeria.

On Tuesday, Lewis did a short workout session for approximately one hour. He shadow boxed for three rounds, worked the pads with Steward for three rounds and hit the speed bag for two. "I don't want Lennox to over-train, said Steward. "He had a hard session yesterday, so today we are gonna take it easy." Lewis appeared strong during his session, but seemed slightly winded during the third round of working the pads.

At the completion of his workout, Fightnews was able to speak with Lennox Lewis and Emanuel Steward.

Lewis: I will not take Rahman lightly this time.

Lewis began, "First I would like to say that the events of September 11th was a tragic situation. It will take a long time to recover from this. I want to do something dear to my heart. I will donate my proceeds from this fight. My donation will lean more towards the youth that were affected by this tragedy - kids who lost their parents. I want to create group homes in New York City and Washington DC for disadvantaged youth, where they can get counseling and a place to stay." When asked exactly how much he was going to donate, he stated "a good amount of money" and refused to discuss the topic further.

Regarding his upset KO loss to Rahman in April, Lewis said, "I was humiliated by that loss. It was a wake up shot for me. I slipped up. Now is my time to prove that I am the true heavyweight champion of the world. I will not take Rahman lightly this time. In the last fight I took him too lightly. I didn't think he could throw a punch like that. Taking time to film Oceans 11 in Vegas was not a big setback for me, but if it weren't for the filming, I would have gone to South Africa earlier." Jokingly Lewis added: "The altitude did effect me. If the fight were at a lower altitude, maybe I could have seen the (KO) punch coming." Lewis claims that his jab will be the key in the rematch, "It will be a lethal weapon this time."

Lewis was asked if he will bring an intensity to the fight - an intensity that was not present in the previous bout. "The intensity will be there. If not, then there's a problem. Right now, my intensity level is where it should be. Emanuel is always slowing me down, he doesn't want me to over-train. I'm very serious and focused this time. I'm gonna box him. The last time, I didn't focus. I wound up my punches and tried to knock him out." Lewis vehemently states that he wants his belts back and offered: "My titles are on loan. We had to take Rahman to court to make him fight me now. He's like a thief and ran away with my titles. The judge had to lasso him back to me. A lot of people don't know who he is. People say to me 'who is the muppet with your belts? Lennox, chase this guy back to America and take back what's yours'. Rahman can't command the ring, he's a freshman - I'm a professional."

Lewis believes that the referee did a quick count in the first fight. "If he had counted normally, I could have gotten up to continue. But, that's the way things go in boxing." Lewis added, "Rahman's camp got close to the promoter over there in South Africa. Our camp was treated unfairly and the promoter tried to upset the whole balance of our team."

Lewis (who recently turned 36 years old) call Rahman a "one dimensional fighter with limited amateur and professional experience. If I lose to Rahman on November 17th, I don't believe I should continue fighting. I will retire."

Steward: Lewis has more talent than Ali!

Emanuel Steward, trainer of 27 world champions, inducted into the International and World Boxing Halls of Fame and twice voted trainer of the year by the Boxing Writers Association, had tremendous praise today for Lewis. "Talent wise, Lennox is the best heavy weight I have ever seen." said Steward. "He has more talent than Ali. Ali was great because he was a special person."

When asked about Rahman's devastating right hand KO of Lewis, Steward replied, "Lennox lost balance coming off the ropes. He was too relaxed. He simply got caught with the perfect punch at the perfect time. Rahman got a home run. Lennox was humiliated by the KO. If he loses this fight, he will retire. Unfortunately, he will only be remembered by the Rahman KO. People will forget how he handled Grant, Golota and Tua."

Lewis will go into the November 17th rematch as a 3-1 favorite. Steward says, "Traditionally, talented fighters win their rematches in 90% of the cases. Lennox is prepared for a tough, hard fight and may get hurt. It won't be an easy fight. Style-wise, it will be a difficult fight.

Earlier, Lewis stated that the promoter in their first bout treated his camp "unfairly." Steward concurs. "They changed the ring on us. Originally, it was a boxing ring, but they switched it over at the last minute to a wrestling ring. It made a big difference. The ropes were too tight and there was way too much bounce in the canvas. If we were five minutes late for a promo event, they would tell the media that we were unprofessional, arrogant and undependable. They even told us where we could and could not eat. It certainly made our conditions worse."

Steward views Rahman as "one dimensional, very limited and a one-punch wonder...He's only been boxing for six years. Lennox has been boxing since he was 12 years old. He is not a seasoned fighter. Rahman wanted to quit in that fight. He kept rubbing his face. Rahman knew he was going to quit, so he wanted to put on a good show before he did so".

For people who question the authenticity of the recent ESPN scuffle between the two fighters, Steward says, "It was real. In fact, I was concerned when Lennox had that rumble. But now I'm glad to see him upset. Lennox was a street thug. Rahman has rekindled that in him again. You will see a different side of Lennox. I'm glad he's stimulated. Lennox will bring back some sizzle to the heavyweight division. This fight will determine his spot in history."