BOXING/ World Heavyweight Championship: Lennox Lewis may still have his world title after his wildly exciting brawl with Vitali Klitschko at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, but the crowd of 16,000 hailed the Ukrainian as the people's champion after he was pulled out of the fight by the ring doctor because of several evil-looking gashes around his left eye after six rounds of a contest he was clearly winning. John Rawling reports.

All three judges had Klitschko leading 58-56 after Lewis produced a display that could only be described as poor, especially from one who aspires to be ranked alongside the all-time greats. After his year's sabbatical the overweight Lewis looked underprepared and unfit, and an arrogant disregard for his opponent almost cost him the fight.

It beggared belief that the 6ft 5in Briton should go into his 18th world title fight seemingly without a proper game plan to cope with the problems set by a 6ft 8in opponent, who would surely have been brushed aside by a champion in peak condition, and Lewis can consider himself fortunate to have weathered a torrid second round when Klitschko came close to springing a sensation.

Lewis simply shuffled out aiming to throw huge single blows, and his attitude was obvious: in his mind Klitschko did not belong in the same ring. When the tactic, such as it was, failed, Lewis embarrassingly resorted to amateurish mauling, using every opportunity to rub his head into the taller man's face while blatantly attempting to pull Klitschko onto his punches.

Afterwards Klitschko, with his face looking like something off a butcher's slab, claimed the injuries around his eye had been started by a butt in the third round. He had ended that round with his face a grotesque red mask of blood and gore, prompting a first inspection by the doctor, Paul Wallace.

Klitschko was allowed to continue, making nonsense of Lewis's pre-fight suggestion that he did not have a true fighting heart. Here was a man with a serious cut going looking for a knockout and dictating the course of the fight.

Even when Lewis rocked the challenger's head with a vicious right uppercut in the fifth, the determined Ukrainian hung on before boxing his way out of trouble.

By now neutrals, sensing an upset, were roaring Klitschko on. Never popular in America, Lewis had received a critical press in the run-up to the fight and had alienated fans further with a smug self-belief which translated itself into palpable disdain for his opponent. However, far from being intimidated, the university-educated Dr Klitschko (31) used Lewis's words as his motivation.

But a second deep cut was scythed into the pale skin over the challenger's left cheekbone and his face was once more awash with blood, whereupon the doctor entered the ring for a second time.

Obviously Klitschko had no idea the fight had been stopped until Lewis rose from his stool to walk to the centre of the ring and punch his own chest in a distasteful display of triumphalism.

Furious and disbelieving, Klitschko had to be restrained by his younger brother Vladimir when he realised that the frailties of his skin had cost him his dream of becoming world champion. Almost immediately the crowd turned on Lewis.

Chants of "Bullshit! Bullshit!" greeted the announcement of the result, and Klitschko was given a rapturous reception before Lewis was loudly booed when he held the World Boxing Council's championship belt above his head.

"I did not stop the fight because of the blood in his eye," said Dr Wallace. "It was because he was having to turn his head to see past the flap of skin hanging from the damaged lid which was obscuring his vision. His corner had done a remarkable job stopping the bleeding but if he couldn't see a person in front of him he certainly couldn't see a punch."

Klitschko angrily denied his vision was affected: "I was able to see every punch. He never punched hard. He's a good fighter. He make great fight. But I know if doctor not stop I win on points. Lewis promised to knock me out in five rounds but I know if doctor not stop I win on points."

Lewis did his image further harm with a tetchy interview in the ring with HBO's respected broadcaster Larry Merchant. He made no attempt to pay tribute to his opponent, instead saying Klitschko was "lucky" the referee had stopped the fight before he was more seriously hurt.

"I still do not feel he can go the distance with me," said Lewis. "He'd never been in a dogfight. That was my plan. The next couple of rounds would have told. I would definitely have knocked him out."

But on this showing, Lewis would be wise to look closely at his performance before making any plans. Not only did he look overweight at more than 18st 4lb, the heaviest of his career, he looked like an old fighter short on ideas. Too much more of this and he will not only lose the respect of the crowd, he will also take a painful beating.

It would have been sensible to retire after beating Mike Tyson last June, and this unsatisfactory night merely underlined the fact.

Guardian Service