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15th October, 2005.
Philadelphia, PA. Lennox Lewis managed to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat when he KO'd 'Terrible' Tim Witherspoon at 2.58 of the seventh round. Witherspoon was comfortably ahead on all judges cards at the time.
Witherspoon, boxing in front of his hometown fans in the City of Brotherly Love, came out and stamped his authority over his sluggish opponent in the opening round, causing Lewis' right eye to begin swelling in the process. Lewis came out and took the second round when he managed to find a way through Witherspoon's unorthodox defense. From the third on , however, Witherspoon was back in the driving seat and was beating Lewis with ease, putting him down in the fifth with a crushing uppercut. Lewis beat the count and managed to hang on to the end of the round. Lewis again tasted the canvas in the sixth, this time from a combination of punches to the head. Again he beat the count and managed to survive. The fans were now rabid, sensing victory for their man. The end came in the next round, only it was Witherspoon who got counted out. Lewis, who had appeared sluggish and out of sorts for the whole fight, came roaring out of his corner for the seventh, intent on flattening his man. Witherspoon, taken by surprise, had no answer and was put to the canvas for a count of five by a hard body shot. Lewis, sensing he had his man, didn't let Witherspoon of the hook from then on, throwing punch after punch until he finally put his foe on the canvas again. Again Witherspoon beat the count, but the end was nigh. Lewis was onto his man straight away and landed a hard shot to the head. Witherspoon bought his arms up, then pitched face first to the canvas in a delayed reaction. The referee counted, but there was really no need.
The arena went deadly quiet in shocked disbelief, and Lewis and his team immediately left the ring and headed back to the changing rooms.
In the chief support, Gerald 'The G-Man' McClellan dished out a beating over four rounds against Davey Moore, stopping him due to a gaping gash over Moore's right eye. McClellan seized control from the opening bell is this battle of punchers, and dominated Moore until the stoppage. Moore was down right at the beginning from a hook to the ribs and finished the round with swelling above his right eye. McClellan again tore into Moore in the second, but failed to put his man away. The third was more competitive, with some good toe to toe action, McClellan landing the harder, cleaner shots and Moore finishing the round with both eyes swollen. The end came in the fourth, with McClellan opening a horrific gash above Moore's right eye, forcing the referee to call a stoppage. the end came at 2.30.
Undercard Action.
James 'Bonecrusher' Smith pummelled Gerrie Coetzee for two rounds before finishing him off with a thunderous right cross in the third. The end came at the 2.36 mark.
John David Jackson boxed his way to a comfortable unanimous points decision over eight rounds against Larry Banks, with scores of 78-74, 80-71, and 79-73. Banks went down in the fifth from a hook.
Mark Medal beat Leonard Townsend on points over ten rounds, with scores of 98-93, 96-95, and 97-94. It was an uneventful bout, with neither man putting there opponent in much trouble.
Carlos 'Sugar' DeLeon won over six rounds against derk Amos with scores of 58-56 on all judges cards. DeLeon possesed the better boxing skills in six close rounds.
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