Bout lacked punch

By Michael Madden THE BOSTON GLOBE

LAS VEGAS - Evander Holyfield stepped out of the ring after Saturday night's unhappy ending, without a cut on him and only a few bruises, neither bloodied nor bowed. Holyfield was smiling as he ducked under the ropes.

This time his fight with Lennox Lewis legitimately could have been called a draw, unlike his last one in New York in March, when the judges awarded him a verdict he didn't deserve. But this time, one set of eyes had Holyfield winning and another set had Lewis winning and more than a few eyes saw a draw.

"I was surprised when the decision was announced," said Holyfield, "but that's what happens when you leave it in the hands of the judges. All I can say is that I gave it my best."

Thankfully, there were none of the unseemly incidents that have bedeviled boxing for so long when the judges' scores were announced. Even if judge Bill Graham had seen a most one-sided bout (he scored it 117-111 for Lewis, even giving Lewis the last round, which Holyfield seemed to clearly win), and judge Chuck Giampa also had Lewis winning by a lopsided margin (116-112), there was little outcry.

Perhaps it was because this was a heavyweight title fight that seemed more like a lightweight battle, with both men tossing more jabs, many more jabs, than haymakers. Except for an action-filled seventh round and several flurries in the 12th, there was little of the heavy action expected in heavyweight bouts.

"He hit me with some good shots," said Lewis, "and I was able to take them."

Precisely. Holyfield staggered Lewis with several short rights in the seventh, but, as often has been the case with Holyfield, his punches did not carry the heavyweight oomph. "I realized," said Lewis, "that he wasn't doing nothing with me except jabbing at me."

As Holyfield saw it, "(Lewis) was able to come back after I hit him some good shots. But the big thing in life is to give it your all."

With Holyfield not carrying a heavyweight punch, and with Lewis seemingly more passive than aggressive for long stretches of the fight, the match lacked the electricity of a heavyweight title bout. The true spark of the night was from the British fans after the decision was announced.

"I hit him with some good shots and I hit him hard a couple of times," said Holyfield. "And I didn't get hurt with his jab."

Holyfield did draw Lewis's blood, but with a head-butt, "and that was what I was looking for," said Lewis, "him coming in with his head."

This scorecard had the fight 116-114 for Holyfield, and the cards of several British writers also had Holyfield winning. But, in a fight that saw jabbing predominate, the fighters and the crowd accepted the strangely lopsided decision of the judges, much as two lightweights might do after trading jabs.

And Holyfield, the loser, left smiling.

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