Does lennox Lewis get the credit he deserves?

LOL, Fergy, i havent got the energy ( or time ) for this one, we are gonna go through all the stuff from the other thread. I will throw in my bit now.

No ,i dont feel he does.

Has as deep/ if not deeper resume than any modern day HW champ.

Terrific fighter when fully on.

Great guy also.

Nobody he EVER fought was better than him ( think about that ) thats some achievement.

He avenged his 2 loses in conclusive style (see above point)

His weaknesses,

Came in a bit too heavy at times

Could be lethargic

Those 2 knockouts

Missed his defining fight ( Bowe ?)
Missed Holyfield/Tyson when they were more prime. ( these things weren't his fault, but they detract slightly)

He made harder work than he should of one or two fights.

Conclusion.
I think he was a better fighter and achieved more than some others who seem to get more Kudos.

 

He's virtually a lock for top 5 HW and I've seen some argue that he could be #1.

I don't see how he doesn't get any credit.

 

Lennox is great HW who is also one of the very few HW greats to retire at the right time

I think he ranks pretty high h2h too.

I know many people dislike Lennox for some reasons, but he has many hardcore fans too

I rank him top-10 at HW all-time and top-5 head-to-head.

If I had to pick Lewis' 5 best fights, there'll be Ruddock (pre-Steward), and Golota, Holy 1, Tua, Rahman 2 (Steward version of Lennox)

Why do some people rank him lower? Maybe cause he's Brit (or Canadian I don't know)

 

Totally agree.
Rahman 2 was my favourite.
I also loved the way he won when it wasnt necesarily his best night, he still managed to dig out a win ( Mercer,Tucker or even Bruno).

 

Like any Heavyweight Champion, he wasn't held in the highest esteem during his own time, but since he retired, he gets placed in top 5 frequently or higher.

 

Like any champion he has his fans and detractors. There are some who rate him the greatest of all time and others who sum up his whole career to the Rahman and McCall defeats. I'm in neither camp. I think he was an exceptional champion who could sit anywhere from about #3-#6 All time. But not the greatest.

 

Yes Mercer fight was great and people often forget it. Tucker and Bruno were entertaining, too

 

The other Lennox thread on the front page has people thinking he'd go 69-0 over Wlad's comp, which would give him a reign about 50% better than Joe Louis in both number of defenses and championship reign length, 20 more wins than Marciano's unbeaten mark, and a title reign longer than his entire career lasted in real life.

I'd say he's getting plenty of credit.

 

i think he has many fans here and gets the deserved credit, and maybe even more. unlike big daddy who was a better and more complete fighter at his peak.

lewis has a great record and ability, ranks very high in h2h, but those 2 one punch knockout loss damages his h2h ability.

maybe the weakest chin of all atg hw champs, i don't know any other who got knocked out cold by one punch twice?

 

I think so. It took a while for some historians and serious boxing fans to acknowledge this, but he should be viewed as a top ten all time heavyweight in accomplishments and a top 8 head to head guy.

I view Lewis as a top 5 all time great.

His biggest problem is he got starched quickly based on one big punch, not sustaining much damage prior. So he multiplies the puncher's chance more than most greats, but he also has a unique blend of size, ability, length, and power, with in-fighting and outfighting skills to compromise. Lewis fought many punches, but his skill set neutralized their ability to land the bomb.

 

Definitely top 5. His losses to Rahman and McCall diminish his legacy but not too much as he avenged both emphatically.