Lewis looking for decisive win

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Oct. 28, 1999 | 10:06 a.m.

The controversial draw that resulted from their first fight has weighed heavily on Lennox Lewis' mind in the ensuing months.

As a result, he said he's committed to defeating Evander Holyfield -- and doing it impressively -- in their Nov. 13 rematch at the Thomas & Mack Center.

"I'm going to step up the pace a bit more and utilize my talent," Lewis said from his training camp in the Poconos. "Maybe I gave Evander too much respect, but I fail to see what he did to earn a draw. I controlled the fight with my jab and it's pretty evident I won that last fight, but there's still some emptiness there."

That March 13 fight in New York ended in controversy, with Lewis seemingly robbed of a win in a bout that one judge scored even, one scored in favor of Lewis and one scored in favor of Holyfield.

"The only time he made a positive attack was when he came in with his head," Lewis said of a trait that Mike Tyson, among others, has also noticed about Holyfield. "If that's all he's got, he still doesn't have a game plan for me."

In retrospect, Lewis knows he could have done more in the March fight and maybe if he had there would have been a more convincing outcome.

"There are so many things I should have done," he said. "So this time I'm going to come out strong and keep that steady strength throughout the fight.

"Hopefully something good will come my way, knowing all the bad things that have happened."

But he really hasn't been subjected to too many professional setbacks, aside from being passed over for a title fight earlier in his career and unexpectedly losing to Oliver McCall in 1994. As for the earlier draw with Holyfield, there's no explaining it beyond saying the judges were either massively incompetent or the fight was fixed.

"You're only as good as your last fight," Lewis said. "I have to accept the draw and not get down on myself about it. I hope after this fight I can wipe that bad taste out of my mouth."

He knows Holyfield's admirable record in rematches and he expects his fellow champion to dig deep into his reservoir of talents when they meet in two weeks.

"I expect Evander to come out really tough," Lewis said. "I think he's going to try to get a bit more speed out of his work. I think he's got a lot of fight left in him, and he obviously has great confidence in his ability.

"There was also some talk that he took me lightly, but I don't know why he'd do that.

"But after this fight he's going to realize it's time to retire because he's going to get hurt. As soon as he gets hit he's going to fall into the same pattern as the first fight."

And that, Lewis reiterates, should lead to a victory that would make him the undisputed champion.

"I've basically made a mark in everyone's mind," he said. "I'm the real deal. There won't be any more Evander Holyfield after this.

"The only thing he's going to be is older."