Lennox Lewis

He was technically excellent, although his jab which he made great use of was not as technically good as others. But Lennox had horrible technical lapses, his chin wasnt bad he just went to sleep horribly at times

The way Lennox dominated 1 of the best eras in HW boxing history makes him 1 of the most underrated HWs ever

 

Him getting brutally KOed when he shoulfdn't have will always play into his rating. That's a hard one for Lennox to avoid.

Even so, his chin wasn't bad, as you said.... I think it was more a lack of respect than anything else.

 

I thought the question was a good one... although there are snobs on this forum

 

He's both underrated and overrated but I feel the gap between the two will close as years go on.

He was horribly sloppy early early in his career but somehow got away with it... for the most part.

 

He was also one of first giants to fully exploit his size. He was always fighting downward, smothering his opponents, using the jab as both offense and defense. Add to this that his size actually translated to power and you have a potent combination of assets and skills to utilize them.

He did, however, have lapses which in the HW division can cost you in an instant.

 

Speaking of using his size, he was adapt throughout his entire career at leaning on his smaller opponents.

Hell, even his larger ones. Pulling their heads down and leaning on them

That's energy sapping.

 

It seems to me you're basing this on the first McCall fight and perhaps the Bruno one. That's a mistake, Lewis improved when Steward got hold of him. but he was far from 'horribly sloppy' beforehand. He'd have been knocked out long before 1994 if that were the case.

 

He just seemed awkward, off balance a lot, sloppy to some degree.

Knew the fundamentals but seemingly preferred to just use his size sometimes.

 

His pre-McCall resume is better than any HWs resume today, look at it:

ruddock - top 3 contender
tucker - ex titlist
bruno - future titlist
mason - unbeaten 35-0 top5 contender
Weaver - ex champ, 40 past his prime but ripped to shreds
Biggs - ex title challenger
MCrory - Cruser Champ
Chenet - Euro Champ

 

His footwork/balance could be off at times, other times it could be wonderful

The older Lewis '99 onwards, was far slower and more lethargic and not the same athlete

 

As good as he was, Lewis often looked awful until he got his act together under Steward. Even when he looked very impressive for most of the fight, like against Gary Mason, occasionally he would come dangerously close to knocking himself down with his own punches when he got tired. The Dascola fight as well was uglier than a bowling shoe.

Lewis was certainly a scientist. While Ali and Robinson had that creative flair and spontaneity, Lewis was a thinking heavyweight who was always strategising and calcutating. His technique was perfectly suited to his dimensions. His combination of strength, power and technique meant that in his prime he was almost impossible to deal with.

I rate Lewis very highly (#3) and I think that as people start to appreciate the 1990s, his reputation in the eyes of others will rise.

 

The Lewis from 99 onwards had a more varied arsenal IMO. He wasn't as athletic and nimble as the one who faced Ruddock, but he was better.

 

Lennox Lewis is a gentleman of the sport and a very good technician. Steward had him boxing well with nice combinations. I appreciate the fax that a lot of times throughout his career, Lewis chose to use his jab and set up nice right hand counters. He had the potential to knock Tyson out very early in his fight ala Foreman vs Frazier, but he backed off, and used his mind and his legs to finish Tyson.