As I sat down with my brother to watch the opening round between Evander and Lennox on March 13, 1999, my mind was on other things. My 72 year old mother had just returned home after a life threatening battle with bacterial meningitis, and after three weeks, she returned that Saturday. I was so grateful to God that she was home and healthy, that the fight was an added treat.
Evander boxed well in the opening round, but Lennox jabbed effectively too. Both traded shots in the second round, which set up what the world was waiting for, to see if Holyfield would indeed knock Lewis out as God had told him. I thought it was funny as the crown stood to it’s feet when Evander cornered Lewis, but never really hurt him. In fact, Lennox fought hard in return and won the round. Jim Lampley announced ‘Ten seconds left in the prophecy!’, as the round came to an end, and Holyfield slumped discouraged on his stool in his corner.
Lewis continued to batter Evander in most every round, and there was no doubt as the fight came to an end, who the winner was. When the judges called it a draw, I was shocked, and knew crooked judges were involved. It was one of the worst decisions in heavyweight championship fight history, and despite that Lennox was gracious in his post-fight interview. His trainer Emmanuel Steward was justifiably livid, complaining “I’m sick of this crap. It’s what is wrong with boxing, these decisions.”
Evander’s response on the other hand was pathetic, saying “If the judges say it’s a draw, it’s a draw.” He never gave any credit to Lewis, and only spoke of a rematch. If they did fight again, I knew he would lose again, simply because Lennox was a bigger, better fighter and had his number. I grew increasingly disgusted with Holyfield’s ego, and my opinion of him dropped dramatically as a result.
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