Here is your chance to convince me lennox lewis is a top 10 heavyweight of all time

It's been all of 45 minutes on a worldwide site. Give it a full 24 hours and i am sure things will expand if the usual suspects can be bothered any longer.

 

Tsk, tsk.

 

I would state a case for Lewis being in the Top 10...but I really don't care if you place him outside of your top 10 or not, Suzie. The difference between #11 and #10 is often how you feel about a fighter on a certain day.

 

If Johannson had fought old Marciano, won the trilogy with Patterson, beat Liston, Williams and the rest of the 50s contenders you may have an argument :hey

So we only have Marciano and Johanssen within 100years, glad we clarrified that 1 :hey

 

Lewis is one of the all-time greats.
Whether or not he appears in your top 10 list is down to personal preference. There's only 10 places and there are lots of great heavyweights, so some guys need to be sidelined unfortunately.
Lewis has plenty of supporters who rate him in the top 10, probably because he's fresh in the memory.
It's the old-timers like Sam Langford and Harry Wills who get too often forgotten in the all-time ratings.

 

A lot of questions there I'll give me 2cents at some

1 I can't think of any top shelf boxers Lewis beat either, maybe some solid ones but not great ones. At the end of the day though, you judge him by who he did beat not who he didn't face. A number of high ranking heavies missed beating certain styles as well, ie Marciano and 220+ heavies.

2 Those 2 losses hurt Lewis and his all-time standing, no question. W/o those 2 losses you might be looking at the #1 heavyweight of all-time.

3 His recovery powers seem fine, not Holmesesque but fine. His chin is better than its reputation as well.

4 Some, like maybe a peak Witherspoon or Thomas might have given Lewis a run for his money, but I'd definitly favor Lewis.

5 Lewis-Wlad would have been big, I wanted it at the time too. There was only a 2year window or so when it could and should have been made. Lewis fought Grant and Tua instead, only with hindsight do we really question that, at the time Lewis was facing the best. The Tyson fight is obvious, any heavy would have taken it. Maybe, instead of facing Rahman could he have faced Wlad, but after Grant and Tua, 2 high ranking conteners, Rahman was seen as a well earned soft touch. The Botha fight was a pure homecoming fight.

6 Lewis rolls over Jones in under 3-4, and it adds little to his resume.

7 Mercer, Vitaly(when Lewis was old and out of shape), and Bruno seemed like very tough fights to me, I see zero reason to question him in those departments.

8 I had the rematch 7-5 Lewis I think, Holy had a great chin.

9 Not sure but there is some truth there.

10 No but those fights could have changed how we see all of them ifthey happened at the right times.

11 Not sure, maybe Holy or Vitali.

12 Doesn't hurt him, and I'd take Briggs over a few others such as Burns.

13 Hard call maybe late 90s.

14 Helps

15 I think he fought Grant instead of the underserving Ruiz, totally legite call. I think he didn't fight Byrd because it didn't bring in the big money and thats what he was after at that point in his career.

 

Fair Questions

1. Lennox also possibly beat the best set of jabbers from any HW. Holyfield had skill, Vitali had unorthodox skill (I'm sure Mendoza will tell you how many rounds he lost). Bruno, Mercer, Vitali, Golota had escellent jabbing ability.

2. Lennox was no more hurt against McCall than Holmes was against Shavers. In the rematch McCall was getting punnished, McCall wasnt at his best in the rematch but remember Lennox wanted an immediate rematch so it isnt his fault McCall

Rahman loss was past prime and unprepared at high altitude. Rahman was prime in the rematch and got destroyed quite easily

3. He showed recouperative abilities against Briggs, Mercer, Holyfield and Vitali

4. No, this was an off night and a bad fight plan and this was really the only time he struggled to win. Lennox may nto beat every ATG

5. Which win earned Wlad the shot? Lennox was talking about retirement in 2001 and was only holding out for fights with Tyson that meant 20-30million

6. Did RJJ really want the fight? He said he wanted 50million for it or something equally as outragous. Could RJJ keep Lennox off him? I doubt it

7. He showed toughness against Briggs, Mercer, Holyfield and Vitali

8. 8-4 or 9-3 Lennox from memory, not as emphatic as the first 1 but still wide. Why didnt Lennox floor Holyfield? Holy had an iron chin. But Holy was hurt a few times from memory.

9. He had trouble but he won, I think Lennoxs jab wasnt that great and he was susceptable to the jab. But as I mentioned Lennox fought some of the better jabbers with the longest reaches in HW history, those sort of jabbers are bothersome

10. Lennox chased the big 3 and fught everyone he could. Bowe ducked Lennox in 1992-1993. Holyfield wouldnt fight Lewis until 1999, that was the first chance Lewis got. Tyson dropped the WBC rather than face Lewis in 1996. When Lennox he faced them he won decisively. AND he ko'd Golota in 1 who had just retired Bowe. Plus he beat Bowe in 2 rounds albeit in the olympics

11. Rudduck/Holyfield, Holyfield was younger than Jersey Joe who Marciano faced and on a tonn of steroids for boot

12. Lennox beat everyone it doesnt matter who he won the linear title from.

13. Physical prime 1993, Mental and physical prime 1998-2000

14. Physically he was at his best at around 26-28, so the fact he went onto be champ until he was 38 says allot for him

15. Lennox fought the heir apparent in Grant instead of Ruiz, everyone rated Grant above Ruize. Lewis got paid by Don King to give 1 of his titles up (byrds title). Lewis basically fought Tyson in a huge fight instead of Byrd in a nothing fight. Byrd also lost to Golota who LEnnox dumped in 1

 

From a historical perspective Lewis has a solid case.

He is one of a handfull of heavyweights to dominate a definable era.

1. John L Sullivan.

2. Jim Jeffries.

3. Jack Johnson.

4. Jack Dempsey.

5. Joe Louis.

6. Rocky Marciano.

7. Muhamad Ali.

8. Larry Holmes

10. Lennox Lewis.

Honourable mention, Sam Langford, Harry Wills, Sonny Liston, Mike Tyson.

I often use paper resume to defend old timers at the expense of modern fighters but this is a case where it cuts the other way.

 

What the hell does a fighter have to do to convince you? How can you be any more superior to the opposition in your division to warrant consideration?

 

If Mike Tyson, when he was at the height of his reign had fought the Lennox Lewis of the Rudduck fight, his reign would have ended right there.