His fight with Tyson reportedly generated the 2nd highest revenue of any fight, ever, up to that point. Tyson vs Holyfield was no. 1, so LL needed the right dance partner to generate that level of interest, but he was, at worst, one of the biggest draws in world boxing at that time.
Lennox Lewis was a better side kick then a main act. Garnered popularity as the opponent I think, but correct me if I’m wrong.
That's correct. I was an avid boxing fan throughout that era and both Holyfield and Tyson, particularly, were far more popular. So was Riddick Bowe before he fell off a cliff. And even second tier guys like Tommy Morrison and Andrew Golota put more fannies in the seats.
According to this link, Lennox earned the 6th most of any fighter in history - https://m.goliath.com/sports/the-10-boxers-who-have-made-the-most-money-in-the-ring/ Not bad for a fighter that retired 20 years ago.
I remember reading an article while Lewis was an active fighter, that said that Mike Tyson could make more money fighting James Toney, than Lewis could make fighting an opponent whose name I forget, but who was a very qualified challenger.
3 others that jump straight to mind with that talent, or close to it Burley, Pryor and McCallum all left holding the shortest straw
