Two fighters who he TKO'd are fighting for a World title and neither are as good as they were when they were beaten off Lennox This illistrates either the high standard of Lewis's ability or the overall decline in the standard of the heavyweight division.
Agreed. When Lewis retired in june of 03, the division fell apart at the seams. Legends of yester year, like Holyfield and Tyson were also on the way out (Holyfield should of retired around that time anyway). Now the division is in utter shambles, to the point where heavyweight championship fight aren't even televised until a day later or not at all. I can't wait until new blood comes in.
i just said that to a friend of mine this week. i honestly believe this statement is true. why become a boxer when you can be a Football/Basketball/Baseball/MMA player/fighter and make More money (only top tier boxers make gwop) be more famous and be healthier. Plus we got all these stupid belts who even ****ing knows the champs anymore, being World Champion in 2010 is not what it used to be.
Certainly at heavyweight but there is some excellent talent in the lower divisions. Pacquiao and Mayweather, Amir Khan, some great fighters at super-middle.
I agree to an extent. Though if you look at how much the UFC fighters make, you would be shocked to see how little it is. I would bet their are posters on here that make more money in a year than those outside the top 5 of their respective divisions. Dana White makes Don King look like a saint.
Yeah, ive never been a huge fan of Lewis, but this is true. The heayweight division is comprised of comebacking old heavyweights, overblown light heavyweights and cruiserweight at the end of their careers, young overweight and inexperience heavyweights with no work ethic, and the occasional genetic freak. In the 90s we had a division full of competitive, in shape athletes. Now we have a division full of non-competitive out of shape athletes. It is sad what the division has become.
Vitali is a better technical fighter than he was then. He wasn't experienced in big fights at the time. Let's also not act like Vitali wasn't winning his fight against Lewis.... and sent Lewis into retirement. Probably not a fight that Lewis fans want to brag about. Briggs is just getting a title shot given to him. It isn't like he has beaten the top contenders or anything. Also... remember that this isn't even for the True Heavyweight title. There is only one real heavyweight Champion right now. Wladimir Klitschko.
Yet consider Muhammad Ali, Manny Pac & Roberto Duran - they had/have whole countries/continents behind them, the likes of which others sports can only dream of. Maybe Argentina & Maradona would be a good football/soccer comparision
Definitely a decline in standards. But, to be fair, I do believe Wladimir Klitschko is a lot better in 2010 than these two guys (his brother and Briggs). I dont believe today's Wlad is that far off from where Lewis was at age 33/34.
To think that so many years after Ali retired.... A man that he knocked out won the World Title at 45 years of age. During the prime years of Lewis, Tyson, Holyfield, and Bowe. Puts things into perspective.
Wlad is good... but I think Vitali is still better than Wlad. He is a more complete fighter. Vitali can punch and move, he can brawl a bit, does not resort to borderline illegal amounts of clinching, has a higher work rate. Wlad just hits harder...that is, when he actually throws punches. Lewis was way ahead of where Wlad is now.