Columnist Dean Juipe: Lewis’ future may hinge on Johnson

Dean Juipe

Wednesday, July 10, 2002 | 10:01 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4084.

Lennox Lewis holds all the cards in boxing's heavyweight division, and rightly so. When he decides what he wants to do next, everyone else's plans will fall into place like so many dominos.

Lewis, at 36 years old, is said to be contemplating retirement, as is his prerogative after defeating every formidable opponent to come his way in the past decade or so. Yet with at least two decent-money fights on the horizon that he would likely win, perhaps even with ease, it's within reason to suggest he will see the benefits of extending his reign.

To be sure, there won't be another $20 million payday like he just received for roughing up Mike Tyson. But a Lewis vs. Tyson rematch, which was addressed if not mandated in their original contract, could be worth $10 million, as might a bout in Canada with Kirk Johnson in the event he beats John Ruiz later this month in Las Vegas.

Also very much on the table is a somewhat riskier fight with Wladimir Klitschko, although I think Lewis wins that one as well.

So Lewis, the WBC and IBF champion, has sufficient options. This is just a guess, but I think he'll wait and see if Johnson wins July 27 at Mandalay Bay and, should that occur, suggest a unification fight that might draw 50,000 spectators to the Skydome in Toronto.

Ruiz, the WBA champion, could throw a wrench into those plans by beating Johnson, a Canadian with a limited resume who has had hand and elbow troubles. But bettors and some experts like Johnson in that fight and, if he were to win, it sets up a bout with Lewis, who was raised in Canada although he's now a citizen of England.

If Ruiz beats Johnson, Lewis might go ahead and retire as neither he nor the general public is intrigued by a fight with Ruiz. Likewise, Lewis vs. IBF mandatory challenger Chris Byrd lacks the financial and emotional incentives Lewis feels he needs to extend his career.

But let's say Johnson beats Ruiz and then fights Lewis later this year. That scenario also gives Tyson a chance to not only resurrect his career but come up with a tangible excuse as to why he was so passive in his fight with Lewis, and the marketing for a Lewis-Tyson II fight to be held next spring can begin in earnest.

Lewis, who would smother Byrd if he had to and hammer Ruiz if it became a necessity, is too much for Johnson and has already demonstrated his dominance over Tyson. The net result: Lewis, should he choose to continue fighting, can safely predict he will have added two victories -- and another $20 million -- to his 40-2-1 record by this time next year.

At that time, a fight with Klitschko would make more sense than it does today and Lewis could take it and announce it would be his finale. Such a plan gives Klitschko additional time to develop and add to his reputation, while allowing Lewis the opportunity to complete a clean sweep of the division.

It's an orderly plan: Lewis beats Johnson before a big crowd, beats Tyson for good money and meets Klitschko in a win-or-lose swan song. There are no dogs in the bunch and the public, let alone Lewis himself, is apt to be satisfied.

The wild card, of course, is Kirk Johnson. If he doesn't beat Ruiz, all bets pertaining to Lewis are off.