Lewis Stops Botha In Second Round; Retains Heavyweight Titles

Jet, August 7, 2000

Lennox Lewis made a quick end to his first fight in six years in his native England, stopping South Africa's Francois Botha in the second round in a performance that thrilled his countrymen.

The heavyweight champion stalked Botha from the opening bell and barely allowed the challenger to land an effective punch. When the end came in the second round, it came with a fury as Lewis landed a brutal right-left-right combination that left Botha sprawled under the ropes in Lewis' corner.

It was a much sweeter outcome for Lewis than the last time he defended a title in London, when Oliver McCall stopped him in the second round for his only loss.

"It was very special to come back home and show the world how much I improved," said Lewis after he successfully defended his World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation titles against a surprisingly inept Botha.

It was also special to the crowd of 10,000 that nearly filled the London Arena to cheer on the 34-year-old who has never been widely acclaimed in the country of his birth despite his success in the ring.

The crowd roared as Lewis made a theatrical entrance between a pair of torches and kept roaring as Lewis thoroughly dominated Botha during the short fight.

Lewis buckled Botha's legs with the first big right hand he landed in the first round and patiently went after him before he landed the combination that prompted referee Larry O'Connell to wave the fight to a close with Botha on his feet at 2:39 of the second round.

After the fight, Lewis turned his attention to ex-heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, who, after stopping Lou Savarese June 24 in Scotland, boasted that he wanted to rip out Lewis' heart and eat his children (JET, July 10).

"He's been talking about what he can eat," Lewis said, clearly upset about Tyson's comments. Lewis then held up his right hand and said, "I'll show him what he can eat."

Lewis (37-1-1) earned some $6 million for the fight, in which he hand-picked Botha (40-3-1) as his opponent. He will fight David Tua, the IBF's No. 1-ranked contender, probably in November.