Lennox Lewis best win?

I definitely wouldnt put vitali as his greatest win, he was on his way out of the sport, he was old and too happy about the fight getting stopped on a cut.

When I think of Lennox at his best im thinking of the lennox that erased doubt in the opening rounds vs grant and golata.

 

Tua came in out of shape but that was a legit good prime contender.

 

Mason
Ruddock
Bruno
Mercer
Morrison
Grant
Golota
Tua
Rahman
Vitali

Take your pick. Not all ATG s obviously but the top names of the division at the time, probably a few names I've missed out to.

 

Riddick Bowe in the Olympics. The Gold Medal hanging in the balance. Bowe reaching for it, No! Denied.
Like the equalizer said 'there is pain that hurts and pain that alters' that altered Bowe and Lewis's career trajectory.

 

Ruddock was hyped as an absolute monster and real heavyweight threat based on the two Tyson fights and Lewis wrecked him. A great coming of age fight for him.

Golota was similarly hyped on the strength of his showings against Riddick Bowe (the folly of hyping someone from losses) and Lewis obliterated him.

Michael Grant was hyped as the next big thing at heavyweight (in fact I think Ring magazine tipped him to beat Lewis) but Lewis exposed and pulverised him.

When Lewis was facing a supposed threat he was absolutely lethal.

 

I mean look at the context of each win:

Gary Mason - considered top 5 in rankings IIRC, so a good early win

Rudduck - there was supposed to be a 4 way fight for undisputed with Lennox, Rudduck, Holyfield and Bowe. Many people thought Rudduck would win out. But Lennox shocking at the time took him out in 2 rounds

Bruno - generally considered top 5

Morrison - fresh off a Foreman shut out (who was lineal) and Rudduck KO win (with a KO loss in between). Dominated and dispatched

McCall - something to be said for overcoming a KO loss

Golotta - probably the most underrated win. Golotta had beaten up Bowe twice while getting DQ'ed. Lennox takes him out in a round.

Briggs - Lineal champ off a controversial win over Foreman - easily dispatched

Holyfield - now past off as old, but Lennox wanted Holyfield or Bowe for years and finally got him and dominated. Lennox was only 3 years younger himself.

Grant - hyped by the American media as the heir apparent, dispatched quickly

Tua - a resume coming including wins over Ruiz, Maskeev, Rahman and would beat Moorer and Oquendo while having a close loss to Ibeabuchi. Lennox wins a shut out

Tyson - past his best, but still Iron Mike and Lennox was a year older.

Vitali - alongside his brother the next dominant champion. The win is somewhat unsatisfying to many, with no re-match to consolodate this.

Overall a great career, beating every man he faced

 

Without doubt: Holyfield

 

The revenge win over Rahman is one that I'll remember. Lennox was unprofessional in not preparing properly for the first fight and he, quite rightly, beat himself up over it. He was desperate to get Hasim back in the ring and the finish was absolutely spectacular.
Does anyone remember the last press conference before the fight ?
American Reporter - Lennox, Rahman says you don't want this fight, that you're scared of him. What do you say to that ?
Lewis - Icy stare. Long silence. I say good luck to him.

 

His best win was Bowe in the olympics but professionally his last fight against Vitali was his best prime opponent. Although it can be argued he got lucky in that one to get the cut stoppage. Besides that Tyson and Holyfield were way past it. Tua was a dominant win as well. Unfortunately we didn’t get a Byrd fight.

 

His win over Ruddock blew me away in that Tyson went the distance and Lennox sent Razor to sleep on the ref's shoes within a couple rounds IMO made a statement I"m here!

Golato took that 1st place when he overwhelmed Andrew-had him hyperventilating. Up to that point Andrew's loss was based on DQ. To see him go rounds with Riddick...and then got clobbered by Lennox...it became my personal fav of Lewis. Until!!!

He took on M. Grant. 30-0, showed courage to get up against Andrew. I don't view Grant in present tense...yeah he was overhyped. But it took someone to prove it. That was Lennox..and man he was mean. even did a dirty move and held that neck down when he launched that uppercut. Foreman made it seem worse when he hollered "whew!!! he broke his leg!" That became my best Lewis fight- beating an undefeated hyped fighter by stoppage. Brutally.

David Tua fight impressed me in that I never seen such a careful Tua. He totally punked out- I credit Lewis for that.

The fight that surpassed that for me was Vitali.
Few if any HW's would take on a top ranked fighter as a fill in. Lennox did not have a great foe exchanged for a fat foe like AJ got for Ruiz. NO sir...Vitali asked this dude to take him on instead of ..damn...whats his name? Kirk Johnson?

I came to this conclusion- Lennox did NOT want this fight. Manny Steward stated the same. Problem was promoters and HBO didn't want anyone else..& when they asked to get a different date-to prepare for the WBC's No. 1-rated heavyweight contender- they were told no. Dates booked up. Pass the fight up and look like a cherry-picking ducker...OR...man up.

Here is a guy in his 14th pro year against a guy who is moving into his prime in his 7th year.
Round 1-5 Vitali out jabs Lennox & then out throws/land in power punches. But something happened that a lot of Lewis-haters refuse to point out.
Punch stats for as accurate as they are showed Vitali's output & connect rate falling from round 4 on..MEANWHILE...Lennox punch output nor connect didn't rise...nor fall. His numbers stayed the same - & that meant something to me. Why is the younger guy throwing less?

Then another thing happens.. Lennox slashes his face wide open. I never saw a man bleed like that then walk around the ring throwing a damn temper tantrum. They have stopped a whole mess of fighters with a lot less blood...this was a 3rd round gushing- geyser! 4th round, 5th & 6th....Vitali was given a chance to redeem that Ginsu knife wound. He couldn't draw that kind of blood in return.

So How am I not supposed to give credit to a 14 year vet for giving the largest amount of stitches ever received to the #1 ranked challenger?
Lennox forced this younger foe to drop his output, drop is connect rate & bleed like a damn rare steak cooked for 2 minutes?

As Vitali said post fight-- he felt Lennox conditioning fading...that tells me he was dealing with an old dude who didnt have the stamina, yet he had the power to bust his face open. Or as Jim Lampley said 2nd round..."we are witnessing a fighter get old in the ring."
That's what I felt too!
So to hear Jim confirm what I saw...then to watch him stay consistent in output while Vitali's stats dropped..man what a way to to end a career!!! To beat the next generational champ via 60 stitches is a record that may hold for quite some time!

We give credit to Vitali for his whining & crying. Serious. Had he accepted his loss like a man...would we really be downing the winner who didnt bleed like a hog on the chopping table?

 

While at his oldest [age 37 yrs and 9 months] and rustiest and heaviest he beat prime Vitali [age 31] who went on to be the next recognised champion [and to never be beaten again] holding the WBC and Ring titles and who beat the WBO champion Sanders who had just beaten Wladimir [WBO belt was not on the line however since the WBC did not recognise WBO as legit at the time so unification was impossible].

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W12 Tua

Tua was still prime and dangerous. He was expected to test Lewis's once dented chin.

But, although Tua did himself no favors coming in way above his best weight, Lewis fought a smart and disciplined fight to get an easy decision win.

KO 2 Razor Ruddock

This was anticipated to be a tough, competitive fight, but Lewis destroyed Ruddock with brutal right hands.

 

I'd say the Holyfield win in 1999 is still Lennox's best single victory.