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LOS ANGELES -- Vitali Klitschko is getting his chance to fight Lennox Lewis earlier than expected.
Lewis will defend his heavyweight title against Klitschko on June 21 at Staples Center.
Lewis' scheduled opponent, Kirk Johnson, dropped out of the fight after tearing a chest muscle in training. That accelerated the Lewis-Klitschko bout that was planned for later this year.
Klitschko is the No. 1 contender for Lewis' WBC heavyweight title and was scheduled to fight on the undercard. His fight against Cedric Boswell was canceled.
"When he first signed to fight Kirk Johnson, I was surprised. I was surprised again when Kirk Johnson got hurt. Now I am even more surprised," Klitschko said Monday. "This has been a lifelong dream of mine to fight Lennox Lewis. I'm very excited about the opportunity. It is going to be a great fight."
Promoting the revamped card on short notice should not be a problem, according to Steve Brener, the public relations manager for the fight.
"We had a heavyweight championship before. This is just a tougher opponent for Lennox," he said.
Lewis (40-2-1, 31 knockouts) hasn't fought since successfully defending his WBC-IBF crown by knocking out Mike Tyson in the eighth round in Memphis, Tenn., on June 8, 2002.
He said he was pleased about the rescheduling because he otherwise probably wouldn't have fought until November.
"This way, I can fight now and again in November," Lewis said. "It's like an early Christmas present."
Lewis had said Saturday night that he might possibly fight Roy Jones Jr. later this year after the Klitschko bout.
"If Roy Jones steps up to the plate and he wants to fight Lennox Lewis, we'll have another fight after that," he said.
Jones' promoter is trying to arrange a heavyweight title bout with Evander Holyfield for Nov. 1 in New York but said Jones would fight Lewis if that fight can't be negotiated.
Murad Muhammad said Saturday that the Holyfield fight is the one Jones wants next but that promoter Don King has shown little interest.
Muhammad said if King doesn't come to terms in the next 10 days, Jones probably would seek a fight with Lewis for the November date. A fight with Tyson is also a possibility, but that would be a long shot given Tyson's statements that he needs more tuneup bouts before fighting for a title.
"If we don't get Holyfield, that leaves us no choice but to fight Lewis in November," Muhammad said.
The 31-year-old Klitschko (32-1, 31 knockouts) thought he had a deal to fight Lewis in April. Lewis wanted to fight a rematch against Mike Tyson instead, but Johnson was scheduled for the bout when Tyson didn't agree to it.
Lewis, 37, previously had agreed to meet the 6-foot-7 Klitschko by December to stop litigation over whether Lewis owes him a mandatory title defense.
Lewis predicted the fight won't go the 12-round distance.
"I do not get paid overtime," he said. "Klitschko has been calling me out for some time. But he is in big trouble. He should be careful what he wishes for. On June 21, he is going to find out what it is like to be in with an A-class world champion."
The fight card will be broadcast live on HBO.
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