Lennox Lewis is great but

Tommy Morrison beat Foreman....

Lewis fought plenty of big punchers, it wasn't an issue for him.

He couldn't have taken the shots Tua landed on Ruiz either, but it didn't matter cause he wasn't able to land them.

 

Nothing here changes what I said, you do you though.

 

I appreciate and respect your point. I guess mine was Lewis certainly wasn't avoiding George for fear of him. Foreman, especially the old, old guy that fought Savarese and Briggs was made for him ... I can also remember there was zero demand for such a match up at the time as it would have been considered a horrible mismatch. George looked very old and slow vs Schultz, Grimsely, Savarese and Briggs , barely edging a few while Lewis was at the top of his game .. I'm happy it was never made as a huge part of George's second career legacy was that he did not end up flattened .. he was edged but unbowed.

 

The only thing about Lewis that confuses me (in regards to people on the forum) is his first title.

-Lewis was elevated to champion after beating #1 contender Ruddock because the champion Bowe refused to fight him.

-But for some reason, when Norton was elevated to champion after beating #2 contender Young because the champion Spinx refused to fight Norton, Norton is criticized and not even acknowledged as a real champion/called a paper champion by some people.

 

It appears that way. Lewis also got out of the game on top. He didn't get carried out on a stretch. That's kind of rare.
Lennox. Imo did everything he was supposed to do.

 

He did, absolutely.
I really think that's what sticks in people's throats, that he didn't leave the game beaten up and constantly losing.

 

Lewis was indeed a paper champion during his first stance as a WBC titlist. He is regarded higher than Norton however as he at least defended the paper title 3 times. Norton is the only heavyweight "champion" who never won a title fight.

 

Lewis is one of these guys that attracts irrational hate, for a variety of reasons. For some it's his heritage stories, for others it's his arrogance and confidence, for still others he beat mikey mike on them. Some don't like to see him rated above their fave heavies of around that time i.e. Mikey and Evander. Fans of Bowe might be triggered as well for bingate.

He's a bit like Leonard/Hopkins/Foreman/Ali and quite a few others in that regard.

 

Definitely , Sugar Ray Leonard really cops it on here by some lol.

 

Absolutely. Heavyweights are really prone to it, Tyson and Liston should have been on my first list. Hell, even poor old Cleveland Williams cops it, mainly due to Liston tho LOL

 

It can't be helped I suppose, John.
It's human nature to feel jealous or hate.
It's just how far some go on here to put them down or discredit them.
It's all fun and games anyway matey.

 

Okay but if the champion literally refuses to fight the challenger, what exactly is the challenger supposed to do? Find out where his favorite bar is and punch him in the nose?

The sanctioning bodies did their job and granted them belts because the champion didn't do his job, but the challenger gets roasted? How does that make sense?

 

He can fight the champion in the future. Ali deserved the rematch with Spinks and nobody wanted to see Spinks vs Norton. Lewis' situation is different however, as the hype for Bowe vs Lewis was big, and Riddick ended up fighting Dokes and Ferguson instead of him. Norton ultimately lost his first defence which proved that his claim to the championship was as weak as it could be. At the end of the day, in my eyes, they are both paper champions, as you need to beat the man to be the man.

 

Lewis is an ATG whose legacy may be better if he wasn’t avoided his whole career. His team def steered him away from certain fighters but there was no world beater there.

on a style note he’s a lot sloppier then people remember. I watch his old fights and he’s a bit sloppy consistently. He made up for it w great power great jab and decent footwork. He wasn’t invincible in prime which kind of hurts him legacy wise. But he was capable of beating anyone.

 

Lewis was not avoided. In fact he refused career highest purses everytime he was "ducked".