Is Lennox Lewis underrated?

In my opinion, there's a fair few HW's who would have given Lewis big problems.


Vitali and Evander gave him big problems, and Evander was faded.

I think Bowe at his best would have caused him big problems.

I think a focused version of Mike would have been extremely dangerous.

I think a peak version of Ali would have caused him big problems.


I don't see how you can only name 3 fighters, when we know he struggled with guys like Mercer and he was wiped out by Rahman and McCall.

 

Lennox

Lennox said that he only trained for 4 weeks for the fight. He said that he wasn't in the best of shape. I can only go by his words.

 

Without any doubts, LL is the best HW in this century (considering all HWs active since 2000).
He was not perfect, but show me, please, the perfect boxer....
And, if he is boring to watch - I am Napoleon.

 

You do know that century is 100 years and that decade is 10 right?

 

And who did Holyfield beat in his HW campaign?

Moorer? Old Tyson? Went 1 in 3 with Bowe? Holyfield is great and all, he deserves all our love, but lets not act like Holyfield's HW career is 10x more impressive than Lewis! Please.

 

I mean XXI century...

 

Holyfield was the betting favourite to win so I don't think many expected him to win by KO. Lewis dominate him in the first fight but he was always a safety first fighter with devestatng power , don't forget who his trainer was!

For me one of the greatest things about Lewis is he was the old champ who beat the guy who went on to dominate after he retired . Normally the old champ gets taken out by the new blood .

 

tyson also has a terrible 30something career, that of a minor titlist. speaking relative to ATGness.


douglas was little different from rahman in terms of greatness.

 

still my favorite HW of the 90's, I really miss Lenny sometimes when I see the current crop of heavies

 

Didn't bowe duck lewis & didnt lewis destroy him to win the gold

Mike Tyson fought in a very weak era & his biggest win is michael spinks

Holmes struggled with some weak heavyweights during his rain

Frazier took huge beating in the first few rounds of almost every heavyweight fight he fought in he & imo he definitely wouldnt have survived vs lennox

All heavyweights i put him over

A focused lewis could potential beat every good to great heavyweight that has ever lived

 

Lennox Lewis was the best heavyweight champion since Muhammad Ali, who incidently is Lennox idol too
Lennox would have beaten Bowe easily. Rock Newman knew this & wisely kept well clear of Lennox

 

To casuals, yup. Here in ESB, no. We know he's a great.

 

Lennox would have beaten Bowe any day of the week Tyson ( King) ducked Lennox even paid him $4 mil
to step aside

 

Which fighters from the 60s and 70s could beat a Prime Lennox ??

I can only think of 1 or 2 at best .

 

I agree with Zakman.
Getting starched - one punch! - by a second-rater like Hasim Rahman disqualifies him from the top 5 all-time.
Lewis went 1-1 with Rahman, but even Oleg Maskaev went 2-0 against Rahman (2 KOs).
I mean, even "out of shape" you'd expect a "top five ALL TIME heavyweight" to do as well as Oleg Maskaev.

For comparison with a great heavyweight, look how 42-year-old Larry Holmes boxed against Ray Mercer, and look how 30-year-old Lennox Lewis did against Mercer.
Lewis barely won that fight, it should have been a draw.
Whereas Holmes outboxed Mercer clearly.