Lennox Lewis salutes Vitali Klitschko on the anniversary of their fight: “The sacrifices he has made to serve his fellow Ukrainian citizens is not just commendable, it’s admirable”

Lennox Lewis has paid tribute to former opponent Vitali Klitschko on the anniversary of their 2003 boxing showdown.

On June 21 of that year, Vitali Klitschko went head to head with Lennox Lewis as they battled it out over the WBC, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles. While Lewis was the favourite heading into the contest, it was Vitali who got the better of the early exchanges and even appeared to have Lennox in some real trouble after two rounds.

Alas, a cut to Klitschko’s eye eventually led to a stoppage, handing Lewis the win in what proved to be the final professional bout of his career.

19 years later, Lewis has opted to revisit that night by paying tribute to Klitschko and what he’s currently having to go through in his homeland of Ukraine.

Lennox Lewis with a classy message for Vitali Klitschko on the anniversary of their fight… pic.twitter.com/SiQcV6CyAt

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) June 22, 2022

“Normally on June 21st, I would do a fight anniversary post of my fight with @vitaliyklitschko, but today I simply want to salute him.

He is in the biggest fight of his life and the sacrifices he has made to serve his fellow Ukrainian citizens is not just commendable, it’s admirable.

It takes a lot of courage to step into a boxing ring, and as fighters, we know that every fight could be our last, but the courage stand up for your country and fellow citizens like he has takes a different level of courage and love.

So on this June 21st, I salute you my friend Vitaly. May God keep you safe and bless you with peace, love and happiness. Bless!”

Vitali, alongside his brother Wladimir, has taken up arms to defend Ukraine against the ongoing invasion they’re enduring at the hands of Russia.

What do you remember from the fight between Lennox Lewis and Vitali Klitschko? Did you enjoy seeing Lewis pay tribute to his former rival in this way?