Lewis to face Klitschko in double title defence

Lennox Lewis will take on Ukrainian Vitali Klitschko in Los Angeles on June 21st after his original opponent Kirk Johnson was…

Lennox Lewis will take on Ukrainian Vitali Klitschko in Los Angeles on June 21st after his original opponent Kirk Johnson was forced to withdraw through injury.

Klitschko had been due to fight on the undercard as part of the build up for a fight with Lewis before the end of the year. Having been in training, he was the obvious alternative choice to Johnson.

The bout, for Lewis' WBC and IBO heavyweight titles, also ensures that Lewis will get his mandatory WBC title defence out of the way.

Johnson withdrew after suffering a torn chest muscle during a sparring session but if the fight had gone ahead it would have been unlikely to have been sanctioned by the WBC.

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Now that the new opponent is Klitschko it will be a fight for both titles.