Jesus ****ing Christ. Pre-prime 21 year old Roberto Duran gets hammered on these boards for not giving a prime 26 year Ken Buchanan a rematch even though RB hammered Kenny, But it is questionable whether or not Lennox was close to prime at 29? I get Lennox improved under Steward but give me a ****ing break.
By that Logic Lewis wouldn't be considered prime in the 1st Rahman fight either, because most know that that loss DID happen in his prime and he destroyed Rahman in an immediate rematch Fact is he was physically in his prime but he improved significantly after the Mccall fight under Steward. It really depends on your definition of prime. You could consider Lewis in his prime age wise but it was nowhere near his peak
No because people know he didn't train for Rahman. If Lewis never lost to McCall we wouldn't be discussing this.
That loss is the only reason we're discussing it now. The only one. If McCall has a meltdown in the build up and this fight doesn't happen, no one considers this version of Lewis anything but prime. He was 29 and considered the best HW in the world. He lost at age 29 whilst being considered the best HW in the world.
LOL thats not how it works, just because he was undefeated before then does not mean he didn't improve. He got much better after that point because he trained under Steward. It's not hard to see he refined his skills. Forget the Mccall fight for a second. Lewis improved his jab as in he made it far more versatile, his infighting, his movement, his size increased and he put on musclemass which made him stronger in the clinches. He also became more patient as a mental improvement. He was not at his peak before the Mccall and he wasn't at his peak right afterwards either. Even with Steward he was still getting better after the Mercer and Morrison fight.
That doesn't really mean anything. He improved regardless. Even after the Mccall fight he was still getting better. The fact is he wasn't at his peak despite his age because he was far more skilled in the late 90s. It doesn't take a genius to see that
It doesn't need to take a genius to see anything. It's a subjective sport that will always be open to interpretation. Lewis improved parts of his game, of course he did, but most great fighters continually improve parts of their game through their careers. Same as when Wlad lost to Sanders, its in their prime.
