LOS ANGELES -- Bloodied and battered Vitali Klitschko lost a world heavyweight title fight to champion Lennox Lewis on Saturday but won the hearts of the crowd and answered questions about his own with a gutsy performance.

In a brutal but exciting bout, Lewis and Klitschko staged a gladiatorial battle, the two giants standing toe-to-toe trading blows through six tough rounds.

But as the bell rang to start the seventh and Klitschko's left eye sliced opened, referee Lou Moret stopped the fight despite the Ukrainian's protests.

The near-capacity crowd of 15,939 at the Staples Center was also surprised, booing loudly before wildly cheering Klitschko as he remained in the ring soaking up their applause, Reuters reported.

"Right now I feel like the people's champion," Klitschko, the only heavyweight champion with a PHD, told reporters. "I did not want them to stop the fight under any circumstances.

"In the Chris Byrd fight (three years ago) I stopped and made the right decision because I had an injury. The Byrd fight gave me big motivation to show who I am. "I took a lot of criticism after the Byrd fight but I know I am a fighter who can fight."