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NEW YORK (AP) -- Round-by-round description of the heavyweight title unification bout between WBA and IBF champion Evander Holyfield and WBC champion Lennox Lewis.Round 1
A sellout crowd of 21,284, paying more than $11 million, was packed into Madison Square Garden for the match. It was the first sellout for a heavyweight fight in the current Garden since Joe Frazier outpointed Muhammad Ali in The Fight on March 8, 1971.
Some 7,000 Lewis supporters from Britain showed up and made their presence felt long before Holyfield and Lewis entered the ring.
There were many Jamaican flags in evidence as Lewis entered the ring. The WBC champion was born in England of Jamaican parents.
Lewis wore red trunks with gold trim and no robe.
Holyfield came into the ring a few minutes later to the sounds of gospel music. He sang along. He wore a purple and white robe with PHIL: 4-13 on the back. He wore trunks that were purple with red trim.
Lewis threw a left hook that barely missed. Lewis got in a jab and they clinched. Holyfield's first punch was a sweeping hook that was short. Not much landed in the first 30 seconds. They were trying to figure each other out. Neither was throwing much as the first minute passed. Lewis missed with a right. There was a lot of feinting, little punching. Lewis got in two stiff jabs, then another. Then they went back to posing. Holyfield missed an overhead right at 2 minutes. Lewis landed a right to the head, then two good jabs. Holyfield landed a left hook to the jaw at 2:43, Lewis countered with a jab. Holyfield picked up Lewis and threw him down right at the bell.
Referee Arthur Mercante Jr. brought them together and talked to them after the bell rang.
The AP gives the round to Lewis.
Round 2
Lewis opened the second round with three or four jabs as Holyfield circled away. Lewis landed a hard right, then another and trapped Holyfield on the ropes with 30 seconds left. Lewis got in another jab. The action slowed again near the minute mark. There wasn't a punch landed for almost a minute when Lewis got in a left jab. Lewis landed another jab and missed with a right. Lewis got in a short right with 40 seconds left. Lewis landed a right uppercut and the crowd roared. Holyfield was doing little.
Lewis' round.
Round 3
This was the round in which Holyfield said he would score a knockout. According to a punch count, Holyfield landed eight punches the first two rounds.
The crowd roared as the round started. Lewis landed a jab and a right, then another right. They tied up and Mercante warned Lewis for pushing. Lewis landed two jabs and Holyfield had trouble getting inside. Holyfield landed a right to the head. Holyfield had two punches blocked, then got in a right. He was trying to land a big punch. Lewis got in two jabs after about 1:15. Holyfield landed a hard left and hard right and pinned Lewis in the corner. Lewis landed a couple jabs. Lewis landed a short right uppercut, then another right hand. Lewis landed a left-right. Lewis landed a stiff jab with 50 seconds left. Holyfield landed a jab and short hook, then a right hand and a hard right, then another. Holyfield threw a wild right before the bell.
Holyfield's round.
Round 4
They met in the center of the ring but did little. Lewis threw several soft jabs. They were back to posing early in the round. Lewis got in a couple more soft jabs as Holyfield was doing very little. They became tangled at midround and almost fell. Lewis landed a right and a short hook. Lewis landed two or three jabs. Holyfield landed a good left hook and right hand at the minute mark. Another left was blocked. Lewis went back to jabbing.
Holyfield's round.
Round 5
Lewis opened the fifth with two light jabs and Holyfield jabbed back. Lewis came back with two jabs. Lewis landed a short right to the head, then another when Holyfield missed. Lewis landed a big right, then another, a right to the body. Holyfield didn't punch back. Lewis landed a right uppercut and a left, then a right and then another. After a right to the head by Lewis, Holyfield finally managed to get off the ropes. They moved to the center of the ring. Action slowed until Holyfield landed two shots to the head and one to the body. Lewis shook Holyfield with a right with 15 seconds left. Lewis landed a right to the body.
Lewis' round.
Round 6
Holyfield came out jabbing and the much taller Lewis got in a jab to the head. Holyfield landed a hard right but missed a big hook. Lewis blocked two punches then landed a left-right to the head. Lewis got in a jab with a minute gone. Action slowed. Lewis got in a right lead and a left with 1:25 gone. Lewis got in a jab at 1:45 followed by a hard right uppercut. Action slowed again. Lewis landed a hard right and left with 30 seconds to go, then circled away from Holyfield. Lewis landed a right lead and Holyfield was wild with a hook. Lewis landed a right lead, then another, and walked away from Holyfield.
Lewis' round.
Round 7
At the end of six rounds, Lewis had connected on 168 punches, Holyfield 60. They wrestled each other down 20 seconds into the round and the referee warned them. Lewis hit Holyfield on the break, but wasn't warned. Holyfield laid on the ropes and Lewis tapped at him with the left hand. This fight was being fought in fits and starts. Holyfield landed a right to the body, then Lewis landed two rights to the head. Two right hands by Lewis backed up Holyfield at 1:40. Lewis landed a right uppercut and a right to the head, then missed a right. Another right lead by Lewis, then another. "Lewis! Lewis!" was the chant. Lewis landed two jabs. Holyfield looked his 36 years of age. Lewis landed a right to the body. Holyfield missed a right to the body. Holyfield's left eye appeared to be closing.
Lewis' round.
Round 8
Lewis landed a right to open the round. Action slowed as it did in several previous rounds. Hardly anything happened the first minute before Lewis got in three jabs. Holyfield was having trouble getting close to the 6-foot-5 Lewis. Holyfield landed two rights, and Lewis landed a right as Holyfield backed away. Lewis landed a right hook to the head, then a short right lead. Lewis landed a right lead to the head. Holyfield landed a right uppercut with 45 seconds left. They clinched with 20 seconds left and Mercante broke them. Lewis landed two hard right leads and two jabs at the bell.
Lewis' round.
Round 9
Lewis opened with a stiff jab, then two more jabs. The left side of Holyfield's face was badly swollen. He was having trouble getting inside with Lewis, who had a 6-inch reach advantage. Lewis landed a stiff jab at the minute mark. Holyfield landed a couple jabs and missed a big right with 1:12 left. Lewis landed two more jabs to Holyfield's face. Lewis landed a short right to the head as Holyfield came in with 45 seconds left. Lewis landed a stiff jab after they broke from a clinch, then a right to Holyfield's left eye followed by two jabs.
Lewis' round.
Round 10
Lewis opened the round with a couple jabs. Holyfield landed two rights to the head before Lewis could tie him up on the ropes. Lewis landed a stiff jab. Holyfield landed a hard right at 1:05, then came back with a jab and Lewis tied him up. Lewis landed a right to the head 20 seconds later, then a jab. There was swelling under Lewis' left eye. Lewis landed a hard right at 2 minutes. Then he circled away from Holyfield. Lewis got in a right lead and a left to the body. Lewis got in a jab with 30 seconds left, then another.
Holyfield's round.
Round 11
Lewis opened with a 1-2 and was bouncing on his toes. He landed two jabs. Holyfield was bouncing, but not punching. Holyfield's left was blocked by Lewis, who wrapped his arms around him when Holyfield got close. Lewis' size made a major difference. Lewis got in a stiff jab at the minute mark, then a hard right to the head. Every time Holyfield got close, Lewis tied him up. Action slowed at the 2-minute mark. Holyfield got in a solid right, Lewis threw a jab. The two did a lot of feinting and missing. Lewis landed a hard right after Holyfield missed. Lewis got in a stiff jab.
Lewis' round.
Round 12
Lewis talked with Holyfield as they touched gloves for the final round. Lewis scored a couple jabs, then caught two rights to Holyfield's head. Lewis got in a jab. Again, there were chants of "Lewis! Lewis!" Action slowed for a time. They clinched in the center as Lewis' British fans sang at the top of their lungs. There was little action in the ring as the fight reached the final minute. Lewis got in a couple soft jabs to Holyfield's badly swollen face. Lewis landed a stiff jab with 38 seconds left, then a hard right lead and another. Lewis landed a right-left, then another right-left and a hard right buckled Holyfield. With six seconds left, Lewis threw his arms up in triumph.
Lewis' round.