Lennox Lewis, Greatest Heavyweight of all time

You do realize that nobody else does, however? If you do and you're comfortable with that, more power to you, but Lewis ducking Byrd is, as far as most of us are concerned, a far-out crackpot idea and not some weighty viewpoint of a large minority.

 

Yeah but why though? It's Chris Byrd; not some monster who was tearing up the division banging on the door for a fight with Lewis. Lewis fought much better boxers during his career.

There's no clear evidence of a duck no matter how many meaningless espn polls you dig out.

Byrd was at best a slightly awkward fight stylistically for Lewis at that point of his career. It's not as if you can realistically make a case for favouring or even giving Byrd much of a shot against Lewis. Based either on what he had achieved up to that point or what he did in his career afterwards.

 

I certainly didn't invent the Lewis ducked Chris Byrd accusation and if I'm in the minority in a classic thread on ESB, so be it. Am I supposed to bow down to the will of this thread or something? I don't get, what's got you acting so weird, your normally an easy going fellow.

You know I was even fine with dropping the subject but than I had some crazines throwing xenophobic slurs and challenging me. I responded and others gained interest..what's the problem?

 

And he abandoned the title. He was still the heavyweight champion of the world. By pressing the issue Byrd could've, I don't rematched Klitschko and beat him. That's how you press the issue.

 

-Why not?

-Like Tua? Vitali? Old Holyfield? Guys Byrd beat?

-Only meaningless because you don't like their results.

-I disagree.

 

-You don't think Byrd tried get the Klitschkos back in the ring? He certainly did, along with Roy Jones Jr, Sanders..etc. Byrd was avoided. Even Holyfield admited he ducked him for as long as he could.

 

I was talking about Wladimir.

 

From 2001-2002, Byrd was sitting on the #1 IBF spot after beating Tua and had to tread carefully. He still believed he was in line for a shot at Lewis or Tyson. He took one busy fight in this timeframe and understandably so.

Wlad didn't seem to be in a hurry either, he was taking his time and beating up fringe guys like Jefferson, Mercer, and Botha.

Once Lewis vacated the belt, a big payday against Holyfield for the IBF belt naturally took priority.

Right after Byrd fought Holyfield for Lewis' trashed title, Wlad got trashed by Sanders, and Byrd took the #1 spot.

So I don't think Wlad vs Byrd II is a realistic expectation in this scenario. Maybe if Lewis said "I'm not impressed with Tua, beat Wlad or I'll sell my title." But instead Byrd was led on for a year only to be ruled completely out as an opponent, by which time Wlad became an overnight punchline for the next two years.

 

You are a Walter Mitty fantasist plain and simple. You quote newspapers as reliable sources, are you a teenager?

Either show a copy of the $10 mill offer made to Lewis to fight Byrd, or stop lying.

Lennox is not a personal friend of mine, but I have met him more than once, and I can assure you he considers Don King to be a moronic clown, to be avoided like a disease. The last time I saw Lewis was in February at Upton Park because he is also a West Ham fan. Contrary to false American opinion he is not a Florida, or Jamaican sun worshipper, and is quite happy to brave the British winter to support the team where he was born and brought up.

Now if you want to try to convince yourself that anything that comes from the mouths of garbage like Rock Newman, or Don King is more credible than the word of Lennox Lewis, crack on, but you'll find the rest of the planet more than probably disagrees with you.

Only a fool would claim LL ducked Byrd, and I have to admit you are making a very good job of portraying yourself as one.

You have the gall to mention Xenophobia, but I suspect when a loud mouthed Yank fighter like a Mayweather or a Hopkins claims such and such a fighter is unworthy of sharing a ring with them you would leap to their defence spouting PPV sales, site attendances, blah, blah, blah, yet when Lewis, who isn't American says Byrd isn't worth bothering about, you get your little panties twisted.

 

-No.

-I don't believe that quoting sourced newspaper articles makes me a liar. But I'll fax you a copy of the offer tommorrow, I'll also have Byrd and King do a musical reinactment on your doorstep, complete with can-can girls, fireworks, and perhaps a juggling clown.

-Can't say I blame Lewis, I wouldn't want a friend that calls me a liar and talks xenophobic trash in my name either.

-I'm very hurt that you feel that way.

-You write "gall to mention Xenophobia" than go on yet another Xenophobic rant. You can't be serious?

 

"The last time I saw Lewis was in February at Upton Park because he is also a West Ham fan."


Stalk much? ...

I'm sorry but with the way you speak for Lewis' personal opinions and than write stuff like this, you just come off like you have a very creepy obsession with the man in addition to a disturbing deep seeded hatred for America. Are we going to have to worry about you?

Seriously, I can't share the contract on a public forum, I could be arrested, you know us Yanks with our facist laws and all. Give me your fax or email address, and I'll hook you up. I promise.

 

He took two beatings for Wlad, one of them a pretty serious ****-kicking, and barely won a round.

He hardly took more than a round or two from Vitali, and only won technically.

And you think Lennox was concerned that he'd lose to him ?


Chris is a likeable lad, even if his wife grates my nerves, but he would have had little chance against LL.

You mentioned that "... a duck is a duck."

Well since we don't have an agreed definition of the term, that's mostly bull****.

In the absence of an agreed-upon definition, a duck becomes what the consensus of opinion says it is.

So, to summarize this sub-topic of the thread, Lennox did not duck Byrd.

 

-Yes. That possibility has been mentioned, and it was suspected at the time. Or he would at least be made to look foolish.

-In your opinion, he did not. Thanks for stopping by and sharing.

 

Superb video. Best I've seen on Lennox Lewis.

No.2 for me but I won't argue against him being No.1.

 

I think a fair compromise to this debate ( which has gone on long enough ) is that Lewis steered clear of Byrd making it "somewhat" of a duck. But it can't be a valid enough claim to compare it to the duckings of Riddick Bowe's refusal to fight Lewis, Holmes avoiding Greg Page or Dempsey ducking wills. Mongoose has made a strong case backed with periodicals that Byrd was an IBF contender and with an argument for being the #2 best challenger in the world, while others have legitimately pointed out that the IBF was doing corrupt business and that Byrd was not much of a public draw... As for myself, I would have preferred to see Byrd fight Lewis and while I still would have picked Lennox to beat him, it might have been a tough fight for declining Lewis at that stage.. Doesn't hurt his legacy much that they never met in my opinion, but it might have been stronger had he fought and beaten him..