Did Lennox Lewis avoid the Chris Byrd and John Ruiz fights

Tua was more qualified than Byrd at the time imo.

 

Byrd didn't have the IBF belt when he was trying to face Lewis tho. Lewis gave it to him so he could fight Johnson who eventually became Vitali.

 

He didn't duck Ruiz. Ruiz wasn't even Lewis' original WBA mando, that was Henry Akiwande iirc. He pulled out with hepatitis or some other condition so Lewis and co set up the Grant fight. WBA later installs Ruiz as his new mando. Ruiz' promoter Don King protests to the WBA and gets Lewis stripped because he failed to fulfill a contract stipulation he signed for the Holyfield fight which obligated the winner of that fight to immediately face the WBA n.1 contender.

Lewis did avoid Byrd. The Tyson fight had nothing to do with it not happening as the IBF gave Lewis clearance to get that one out of the way, he just had to face Byrd next.
https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/sport/lewis-could-be-stripped-of-ibf-title-report-509833

 

Yes, I would have to agree, looking at the timeline.

I guess that you would have to ask, why he thought that Kirk Johnson was more worthy of a title shot, than Chris Byrd.

Obviously he was basically just the WBC champion by then, in terms of how he conducted business.

 

no he didnt.

 

Byrd was far better than Ruiz.

 

Byrd would have done much better v Jones than the awful Ruiz and Lewis would of beat Jones easily!

 

I agree

 

I had Golota beating the both of them.

 

I think it was a combination of ducking and not wanting to work with Don King. He managed to put Botha on his schedule and either Ruiz or Byrd would've been more deserving, although they might've been under contract for different fights at that time..

 

I think Sanders would've been in there with Lewis in Johannesburg if he'd beaten Rahman.

 

Agree, since Ibeabuchi made Byrd look vulnerable. Too bad he was arrested at the time, beating both Tua and Byrd before.

 

Who ducked Lewis?

 

Please revisit it. Lewis did say on the telecast at the time that he wasn't ready for Tyson and he'd be ready in another year or two.

 

I'm sure you're right .. makes sense .. I still have no idea who would have won if each were at their best ..