Lennox Lewis is a lock for top 5 heavyweight of all time

I disagree it was a good stoppage for me, Lewis when he went down looked out of it. He got up and was all over the place and stumbled twice, nothing wrong with the stoppage for me personally.

 

I don't know what to say. Up at six. On his feet by his own power. Did NOT touch the referee. The announcing team openly accusing the WBC of a corrupt stoppage.

All right. Good stoppage in your book.

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Well 3 people discussing it here thought it was a good stoppage including myself, Lewis didn't do himself any favours by getting up maybe a tad early. He was still dazed wobbling and stumbled twice, whether or not if you think it was questionable stoppage, it's certainly not one of the worst ones we've seen.

And in actual fact it was the best thing that could of happened to Lewis, he changed trainers after this fight, and went with Steward. and become a much better fighter. So in all in all it worked out best for Lewis.

 

It was one of the worst ones I have ever seen. When a champion is up at six and standing on their own power, you let him continue.

 

This list is by no means my definitive version, but just an example of how you can argue him not to be in the top 5 (whether you agree or not):

Louis and Ali are 1a and 1b really and of course can be switched. Pretty much equally great.

Then there’s a gap.

Holmes is number 3 for his consistency, longevity and going 48-0 until he met Spinks… and he had a decent argument that he should have won the rematch. But no embarrassing KO title loss there either. His only KO defeat was to a peak Tyson when Holmes was 38. And he still managed to beat Ray Mercer 4 years later and give a good account of himself against Holyfield at 42. Very happy with Holmes as my number 3.

Marciano - yes, competition wasn’t the stiffest and his best opponents were past their best but then so were Lewis’s. But he beat them all and went 49-0.

Dempsey - yes, highly debatable to be 5th and I can make arguments for others over him, including Lewis, but didn’t lose between 1919 and 1925 and when he did lose it was on points to an ATG… and he came close(ish) to regaining the title in the rematch.

I honestly don’t think there’s much between number 3 and number 10 in my list and you can argue it almost any way you want it and judge it on criteria that suits your case.

1. Joe Louis
2. Muhammad Ali
3. Larry Holmes
4. Rocky Marciano
5. Jack Dempsey
6. George Foreman
7. Joe Frazier
8. Mike Tyson
9. Evander Holyfield
10. Lennox Lewis
11. Jack Johnson
12. Ezzard Charles
13. Jim Jeffries
14. Sonny Liston
15. Wladimir Klitschko

 

1. Ali
2. Holmes
3. Foreman
4. Louis
5. Marciano
6. Liston
7. Lewis
8. Tyson
9. Holyfield
10. Dempsey

That’s my top 10. Although a few of them could swap places

 

you lost me at Dempsey.

“Didn’t lose 1919-1925”

We’ll sure. He ducked his number 1 contender for 7 straight years who was a hall of famer in his prime with a big size advantage!

He also defended his heavyweight title against several men who got creamed in title eliminators against the middleweight champion!

Furthermore, from 1921-1926 he fought only 2 times!!!

Lastly, you seem to put a lot of stock into a 238lb mountain of muscle Rahman knocking Lewis out, but fail to criticize Dempsey for being flattened in 1 round by 5’10 190lb Fireman Flynn

 

agreed. Poor stoppage. Lewis had his gloves up by his chin he wasn’t defenseless

 

Easily have him top 5.

 

Yeah he's definitely NOT a lock for top 5 whether you have him there or not (I personally have him just outside of it but I could easily see an argument for having him as high as 3).

 

Fixed it for you

 

For the love of God Suzie.

 

I knew you’d say that, which is why I qualified it. I could switch Dempsey out with any of the other guys from 6-9 and it’d be legit for Lewis not to be top 5. Calling him a lock for the top 5 is the point. I don’t think he is. In fact, I think the only locks for top 5 are Louis and Ali. Everyone else is arguable. That’s my point.

 

great champion of heavyweight
but in the top 5 of history all the time
no i would say this is too high rated
in the peak of Lewis he struggle 10 round with Ray ' the Merciless "" Mercer. looking even match
& who is to putting Ray Mercer on the list all timer greatness boxers? no he is certain of nowhere on list
&the 2 fight with smaller Holyfield impress persons of enough to achieve the top 5 of the greatness?
at then age of Holyfield? i think the top 5 of greatest heavy weight boxer will stop with brutal knock out. at least in 1 time of 2 fight.
maybe Lewis was too old also. or might be has not abiility to get to Holyfield for the K.o. ? without clear answer i think no top 5 of the list of greatness must be too much high

 

@SuzieQ49 - the loss to Rahman has to impact Lewis’s legacy a bit. Some people give him a pass because he avenged it but that loss (when combined with his earlier KO loss to McCall) makes him the only heavyweight to lose by KO to 2 fighters in his prime who is in the top 10. Frazier lost by KO to Foreman twice, yes, but I rank Frazier below Foreman because of it. And Rahman was not a good fighter to lose to. His record at the top leve outside that one win is poor.

Again, I have no personal problem with wherever anyone ranks Lewis from 3-10 but it’s a significant reason not to rank him top 5.