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Lyell banged up, bummed out
The Niles native lost to Germany’s Sebastian Sylvester on Saturday in an IBF middleweight title fight.
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AFTERMATH: Billy Lyell, right, trades punches with Sebastian Sylvester of Germany during their IBF middleweight title fight in Neubrandeburg, Germany, on Saturday. Lyell said he was banged up and bummed out following the defeat, by TKO in the 10th round.
By JOE SCALZO
Vindicator sports staff
After losing to IBF middleweight champion Sebastian Sylvester on Saturday in Germany, Billy Lyell could have blamed (pick one): the six-hour time difference, the unfamiliar country, the short notice on the fight, bratwurst, Richard Wagner or Friedrich Nietzsche.
But he wouldn’t do it.
“It’d be nice if I could say I should have done this or I should have done that,” said Lyell, of Niles. “But I was in shape, I felt good. Even warming up in the locker room, I was saying, ‘This is my night tonight.’
“It just didn’t happen.”
Lyell lost by 10th round TKO in his first title fight. His trainer, Jack Loew, threw in the towel just before Lyell got cornered during the round. Lyell got home around 2 a.m. Monday and was still licking his wounds when reached by phone Monday afternoon.
“I’m a little banged up,” he said. “Banged up and bummed out.”
Lyell had just over a week to prepare for the bout, getting the call only when Sylvester’s original opponent, Pablo Navascues of Spain, tested positive for a banned substance. But because Lyell was already scheduled to fight on Friday, he was in shape.
Lyell said he felt fast and strong from the beginning of Saturday’s fight and was catching Sylvester early with jabs, right hooks and body shots.
Problem was, Lyell’s punches didn’t faze him.
“He was walking right through them,” Lyell said. “It was almost like a teenager fighting a grown man.”
After nine rounds, Lyell’s left eye was swollen shut, his jaw was aching and his nose was bloody. Before the 10th round Loew warned him he was going to stop the fight unless Lyell could take control.
“He was like, ‘Billy, you’ve got to pick it up,’” said Lyell, who said he was never hurt in the fight. “Jack said, ‘You’re not going to win a decision and I’m not going to let you get hurt.’ And I kept saying, I’m fine, I’m all right. Give me another round.”
Lyell, who was ranked 14th by the IBF entering the bout, said he’d take a few months to rest up and consider the next step in his career.
If it were up to Loew, Lyell would retire.
“I love the kid; he’s all heart and guts,” said Loew, who has been training fighters, including Kelly Pavlik, for 22 years. “But it’s like you or me stepping in to run the 100-meter dash against that guy who runs it in like three seconds. I don’t care what you do, you’re never going to beat him.
“It’s the same with Billy. He’s never going to win a big fight at 54 or 60 because he can’t punch. That’s how boxing works.”
Loew, who has trained Lyell for much of his career, said he didn’t mean it as a knock on Lyell.
“Billy has absolutely nothing in world to be ashamed of,” he said. “My opinion is Billy should quit boxing. He had a great run, he got a great shot and how many people from around here can say they fought for the IBF championship of the world?
“I think he should get his teaching certificate and live his life. I couldn’t ask for anything more of him.”
If Lyell resumes fighting, he plans to do so at 154 pounds, which he considers his best weight. He fought at middleweight because that was where he earned the biggest victory of his career, a split decision victory last April over previously undefeated John Duddy.
“I was ranked at 160, I beat Duddy at 160, so I kind of had to take my shot there,” Lyell said. “I can beat 90-95 percent of the fighters out there, but when you get to that top-notch level, it’s tough.
“But hey, I got a shot at a world title. All anybody can ask for is to get their shot.”
Because Loew also trains Pavlik, the WBC/WBO champion, the post-fight press conference naturally turned to the Youngstown native Loew was happy to answer those questions.
“I told him he [Sylvester] wouldn’t go three rounds with Kelly,” Loew said, chuckling. “The Germans were [ticked] off to hear me say that.
“It was the perfect chance for Billy because you’ll never find someone with a title that’s this beatable. Talent-wise, Billy had more boxing ability.”
Loew also said WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm (who beat Sylvester) “is still trying to price himself out of fighting Kelly.” And when he was asked about former IBF champion “King” Arthur Abraham of Germany, who left the middleweight division to fight in Showtime’s “Super Six” super middleweight tournament, he told reporters Abraham “better catch him with the one big punch he has or [Andre] Dirrell kicks the [expletive] out of him.”
“I was glad to get back to the airport,” said Loew. “They’re just lucky I didn’t call him Queen Arthur.”
The fight was in Neubrandenburg, which was in the former Communist East Germany about two hours north of Berlin.
It’s not exactly a tourist mecca, but Lyell did manage to pick up a few words (including the translation for “You have pretty eyes”) if not a few girls.
“They got a lot of good-looking girls out there,” he said. “There was just a communication barrier.
“It was neat being out there, though. The news cameras followed me around. I think I’m more popular in Germany than Youngstown.”
Loew didn’t have as much fun — he didn’t like the food, the lack of English-speaking natives or even the TV channel selection in his hotel room — and he didn’t exactly endear himself to local residents or German reporters.
“I don’t think they’ll be asking me back,” he said. “I burned my bridges.
“But I’d go back there and I’d take Team Pavlik with me. It’d be the easiest belt we ever won.”
scalzo@vindy.com