TALK IS CHEAP BUT FOR LEWIS IT MAY BE WORTH MILLIONS
By Rick Folstad
Inside Boxing Writer
Word is, heavyweight
Lance Whitaker has dropped the name Goofi from his bio sheet.
Smart move, Lance. Why you chose that snappy name in
the first place is your own crazybusiness, but getting rid of it now might not
be a total loss. I know where you might be able to peddle it for a few bucks.
Lennox Lewis is in need of a new nickname. That’s because on boxing’s
Smart-O-Meter, he registers a zero.
Goofi Lennox Lewis. I like that.
His recent claim that Wladimir Klitschko
isn’t tough enough to fight him is like saying to the neighborhood bully that
you’d kick his butt, but you’ve got your good clothes on. It’s telling the
guy who cut you off in traffic that you’d like to teach him some manners if
you weren’t already late for work.
“He’s not tough enough,’’ Lewis is quoted as
saying about Wladimir. “He’s not ready for me yet.’’
When did that ever stop a fight? Great idea, Lennox.
Don’t fight him until he gets
better and you get older, until he can knock you silly and take away your
titles. I’m
impressed by your compassion for the guy.
“It would be a waste of my time to go and fight him,’’
Lewis said. “I would knock him out.”
Wait a minute. Isn’t that what Lennox wants? Is making
several million dollars for
knocking a guy out a waste of his time? Aren’t heavyweight champs allowed to
take an easy fight once in awhile? Isn’t that what they dream of?
Besides, who is left for Lewis to fight other than one
of the Klitschko boys? This isn’t exactly the heavyweight division’s
proudest hour. How about Chris Byrd? No, Wladimir already clobbered him. How
about Evander Holyfield? Guess not. Lewis fought him twice and beat him once.
John Ruiz? He’s busy with Kirk Johnson later this month. Whitaker? I think
he’s still struggling with the name issue.
Sorry, Lennox. There’s just no one left out there.
You might want to sit the year out. I hear Buenos Aires is beautiful this time
of year.
I figure there are a number of theories as to why Lewis
doesn’t want to fight Wladimir. First, maybe he doesn’t need an extra $5
million. Second, maybe he doesn’t want to beat anyone up. Third, maybe Lennox
is just getting old and fighting hungry, young Ukrainians isn’t appealing to
him at this point in his career.
If Lewis was trying to create a little heavyweight
controversy, the mission was a
complete success. By coming out and saying it’s not worth his time to fight
Klitschko, the first thing to come to everyone’s mind is, “Why is he afraid
of Klitschko?’’
Why didn’t he just keep his mouth shut?
Klitschko, meanwhile, saw the opening and threw a haymaker.
“It seems to me Lennox Lewis is looking for an excuse not to have
to fight me,’’ he
said, reading between the lines like the rest of us. “If Lennox will not
retire, whom does he want to fight next?’’
I think Mercer’s dance card is open.
The whole thing is pretty Goofi, isn’t it.