The One Who Isn’t There Looms Large

There might as well be three boxers in the ring for tonight’s heavyweight fight at Madison Square Garden.

The first two are obvious: Vitali Klitschko will face Kirk Johnson in a 12-round elimination bout, the winner earning a shot at the World Boxing Council title.

But looming over the proceedings will be the specter of the man Klitschko and Johnson would prefer to be fighting: champion Lennox Lewis.

For Klitschko, this bout marks a return to action six months after a controversial loss to Lewis at Staples Center. The Ukranian boxer was leading on the judges’ scorecards when the fight was stopped in the sixth round because of a deep cut around his left eye.

“I was ready to keep fighting,” he said. “Everybody wants to see the second part of the Klitschko-Lewis fight.”

Johnson has his own reason for being preoccupied with Lewis.

The Canadian boxer was originally scheduled to be in the ring with Lewis that night in June. A torn pectoral muscle forced him to withdraw.

“That was supposed to be my night,” he said. “Athletes get hurt. It can happen at the wrong time. That was my wrong time.”

Since then, he has thought of little beyond getting another chance at the title.

“You can’t help but say, ‘If this happens and if that happens,’ ” he said. “Sometimes what keeps you happy is to take a little peek into the future.”

The 38-year-old Lewis has complicated matters by taking an extended vacation and hinting at retirement. Klitschko went so far as to visit him in London recently but did not get much of an answer.

So, for now, the challengers are left to contend with each other.

Klitschko (32-2, 31 knockouts) enters the ring as the taller man by four inches, with a heavy punch and an unorthodox style that troubled Lewis. Despite the disappointing outcome of that fight, the loss certified him as a contender.

It also made him something of a sympathetic figure, a rising star among boxing fans.

Johnson (34-1-1, 25 KOs) comes in as an underdog hoping to earn similar credentials before an HBO television audience.

“I have the skills,” the 31-year-old said. “I can move a lot better, be a lot quicker to the punch.”

Both have questions to answer.

Doubts about Klitschko’s fortitude persist from a 2000 bout against Chris Byrd. Leading on the cards, he quit in the ninth round with a torn rotator cuff, forfeiting his World Boxing Organization title.

And the scar that marks his left eyebrow, faint as it may be, offers a reminder of the bloody ending against Lewis. Of the cut, the 32-year-old said, “It was the first time and, I hope, the last.”

This is no small matter against Johnson, who has a reputation for fighting rough and was repeatedly penalized for low blows in a disqualification loss to John Ruiz last year.

As Klitschko put it, “I know the style of Kirk Johnson is not so clean.”

Johnson also has a history of gaining weight between fights and enters the ring at 260 pounds, 17 pounds heavier than in any of his previous outings.

But the question the fighters have faced most often in recent weeks concerns focus: Is there a danger of looking ahead to Lewis?

Johnson compares himself to a high school senior who has a few classes to finish but cannot help thinking about college. Still, he concedes, “I can’t get to anyone else if I don’t beat” Klitschko.

Klitschko, who trains in Los Angeles, has been reminding himself of precisely the same thing. He appreciates how much is at stake.

“I know Kirk Johnson is hungry for the title,” Klitschko said. “Exactly like me.”

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The Facts

Tonight’s card at Madison Square Garden, New York. Undercard begins at 6:45 p.m. PST on HBO:

MAIN EVENT

Vitali Klitschko, Ukraine, vs. Kirk Johnson, Arlington, Texas, 12-round heavyweight bout

UNDERCARD

Joe Mesi vs. Monte Barrett, 10-round heavyweight bout