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Associated PressBut he will need time to heal before facing Lennox Lewis again.
The deep cuts on Vitali Klitschko's face are stitched and starting to heal, but he won't be able to fight again until late this year, at the earliest.
That didn't stop Klitschko from beginning another fight Tuesday: to get Lennox Lewis in the ring for a rematch he and a lot of fans believe he deserves.
"I want a rematch and the rematch would be much bigger (for Lewis) than Roy Jones," Klitschko said. "I hope the next fight will be against Lewis."
Klitschko repeated his belief that Saturday night's fight shouldn't have been stopped at the end of the sixth round because of a bad cut over his left eye.
The cut was an inch deep, all the way to the bone, and required 60 stitches. But Klitschko said the ring doctor's decision took away what might have been a spectacular ending to the World Boxing Council heavyweight title fight.
"I could see well. That's why I'm disappointed in the decision," he said during a conference call. " ... This decision gives a big present to Lennox Lewis."
Klitschko was ahead on all three scorecards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles when the fight was stopped.
His lawyer, Ron DiNicola, said he is considering protesting the decision to the California Athletic Commission and asking the WBC to order a rematch.
Neither of those avenues are likely to get him a second fight with Lewis, who welcomed a rematch just after the fight but might have a lucrative bout with Jones in the way.
Though Klitschko lost, he won over a lot of fans and legitimized his claim to be a top contender.
"I don't want to fight everyone. I want to fight for a world championship," Klitschko said. "It is my dream to fight world champions."
RATINGS: Lewis-Klitschko earned the highest boxing rating for HBO in four years, and the highest for a heavyweight bout on the network since 1997. HBO earned a 13.4 rating for the fight, watched in 4.6-million homes, the network's best since Oscar De La Hoya's win over Oba Carr drew a 14.6 on May 22, 1999.
HOLLYFIELD-TONEY: Four-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield will fight IBF cruiserweight champ James Toney Oct.4. Holyfield, who last week complained about the headaches of dealing with long-time promoter Don King, has cut ties with King, killing a proposed Nov.1 title bout against WBA heavyweight champion Jones.
MESI QUICK: Joe Mesi (26-0, 24 KOs) won the vacant North American Boxing Federation heavyweight title in Buffalo, N.Y., knocking out Robert Davis in 1:20.