New York, Dec 08: Vitali Klitschko hopes his heavyweight masterclass against Kirk Johnson will stir a dormant Lennox Lewis into one last battle as boxing's flagship division prepares for an intriguing year in 2004.
The Ukrainian dispelled any lingering doubts over his title credentials with a second-round win over Canda's Johnson (34-2-1, 25 kos) in their World Boxing Council eliminator at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
The speed of the victory - achieved after two minutes, 54 seconds of the second - was such that one interested party missed the spectacle altogether.
Mike Tyson, the former undisputed world heavyweight champion, reportedly arrived too late to see Klitschko (33-2, 32 kos) in action.
Instead, in another of the sport's sideshows, the American crashed Klitschko's post-fight media conference to escalate talk of his return to the ring.



One glance at the videotape will show Tyson why many are predicting that Klitschko's performance could usher in a new era in the heavyweight class.



The victory left the 32-year-old, a multi-linguist with a Ph.D., as the number one mandatory WBC challenger to Lewis, the Briton who controversially beat him in a bloody encounter last June but who has been contemplating retirement.



Despite the fuss created by Tyson's presence, Klitschko was unmoved, reacting in the manner of a fighter with the world at his feet.



My idol as a child was Mike Tyson and when I met him a few years ago, I told him 'I will fight you one day'," said Klitschko.


Bureau Report