Lennox Lewis, Greatest Heavyweight of all time

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by barneyrub, Mar 3, 2014.


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  1. The Mongoose

    The Mongoose I honor my bets banned

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    -You could describe every so called "duck" in such a way, even Bowe/Lewis. And after Bowe/Holyfield II nobody cared.

    -Byrd would have been the only Lennox Lewis title challenger coming off a win over a RING top 5 opponent. That's a strong case and pretty startling fact at that.

    -Nah, trashing the title when your mandatory happens to be a deserving leading contender is a red flag anyway you cut it. This is a duck if there ever was a duck. It's not like Byrd didn't already have a reputation as being an avoided fighter.
     
    The Mongoose, Mar 6, 2014
    The Mongoose, Mar 6, 2014
    #181
  2. LittleRed

    LittleRed Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    I don't remember much clamber for Lewis-Byrd. I mean he could have fought Byrd and Marciano could have fought Valdez and on and on. But it wasn't a duck.
     
    LittleRed, Mar 6, 2014
    LittleRed, Mar 6, 2014
    #182
  3. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    Yes, technically, but the difference is clear. The demand for Bowe-Lewis was far higher than the demand for Byrd-Lewis, by memory - and did you say after the Holyfield fight nobody cared? Nobody cared about it happening then, but Bowe-Lewis remains one of the most fiercely discussed "ducks" on the forum. Not top tier but second tier. Byrd? This is the first time i've really seen it discussed with any passion.

    Yes, people still cared.

    It doesn't startle me. When you see the number of top five contenders full stop guys like Wladimir Klitschko or Larry Holmes met, extending it to include guys who beat a top five guy right before they fought the #1 guy isn't that interesting. A lot of guys who are "on a title shot" take a soft one before the champ.

    The IBF title is utterly meaningless.
     
    McGrain, Mar 6, 2014
    McGrain, Mar 6, 2014
    #183
  4. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    Yeah.
     
    McGrain, Mar 6, 2014
    McGrain, Mar 6, 2014
    #184
  5. IntentionalButt

    IntentionalButt Guy wants to name his çock 'macho' that's ok by me

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    There was none, except in the History According To Mongoose. :lol:
     
    IntentionalButt, Mar 6, 2014
    IntentionalButt, Mar 6, 2014
    #185
  6. choklab

    choklab cocoon of horror Full Member

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    Nobody cared who Byrd was. Lewis was only reluctant to fight him because he was not a big fight. If Lewis was looking past Byrd it was for a bigger fight or a better challenge. Grant was seen as ten times the fighter that Byrd was by the American press. And Grant is just one example. What was the great Byrd win that was forcing a Lewis challenge?

    Was Lewis the best of all-time? No. But not many champions sought so many high profile fights, nor could many champions have beaten the best version of a fired up Lewis.
     
    choklab, Mar 6, 2014
    choklab, Mar 6, 2014
    #186
  7. The Mongoose

    The Mongoose I honor my bets banned

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    -Nah, it gets brought up alot. Reason I'm well prepared.

    -No, ever. Grant, Tua, Botha, and Rahman never claimed a top 5 scalp and Tyson was 7 years removed from his last one. Byrd did.

    -He didn't trash the title when the IBF made Tua his mandatory. Funny that.
     
    The Mongoose, Mar 6, 2014
    The Mongoose, Mar 6, 2014
    #187
  8. The Mongoose

    The Mongoose I honor my bets banned

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    David Tua. Which available challenger has a better scalp at this time?

    Ruiz maybe but he still had unfinished business with Holyfield.
     
    The Mongoose, Mar 6, 2014
    The Mongoose, Mar 6, 2014
    #188
  9. The Mongoose

    The Mongoose I honor my bets banned

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    Sorry sir, have I offended you?
     
    The Mongoose, Mar 6, 2014
    The Mongoose, Mar 6, 2014
    #189
  10. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    Well, i'll keep an eye out for it.

    Well, unfortunately for contender Byrd, all-time-great Lennox Lewis was the heavyweight champion of the world.

    Right. Because Tua was seen as far less dangerous than Byrd.

    I guess you could talk about this all night, but i've stated my position and it's reasonable. This was no more a duck than a hundred other tasty HW contests that could have been made between champion and top five contender. Or the dozens that could have been made between champion and top two contender.

    Byrd did enough to deserve a shot, I think. But he didn't do enough to force a shot - or a duck.
     
    McGrain, Mar 6, 2014
    McGrain, Mar 6, 2014
    #190
  11. The Mongoose

    The Mongoose I honor my bets banned

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    -There wasn't much clamber for Lewis vs anybody in the US to be honest.

    -Valdez lost to Moore in what I've seen described before as an official eliminator. Byrd won an official eliminator.
     
    The Mongoose, Mar 6, 2014
    The Mongoose, Mar 6, 2014
    #191
  12. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    Tyson was a huge fight. From Wiki:

    It was the highest-grossing event in pay-per-view history, generating US$106.9 million from 1.95 million buys in the USA, until it was surpassed by De La Hoya vs. Mayweather in 2007.[2] It remains, however, the highest-grossing heavyweight pay-per-view event in boxing history.

    SO that dog won't hunt.

    Bowe and Holyfield were seen as big fights. Even if you're right there was more noise about these fights than there was about Byrd.

    An IBF title eliminator. Absurd to expect a true champion to be held to that nonsense.

    All Byrd won was a right to fight for the belt.

    This had nothing to do with Lennox Lewis, really.
     
    McGrain, Mar 6, 2014
    McGrain, Mar 6, 2014
    #192
  13. The Mongoose

    The Mongoose I honor my bets banned

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    -And pity Byrd didn't get to give it a go against the Heavyweight Champion of the World despite winning the fight that guarenteed him a shot.

    -Bingo!

    -I disagree because unlike some of those fights, this was on a platter served up hot, it was up to the Champion to make it and he said "NO! not this one." to paraphrase of course...

    -Well, techincally he did force a duck.
     
    The Mongoose, Mar 6, 2014
    The Mongoose, Mar 6, 2014
    #193
  14. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    I can remember vividly lying in bed the morning after Lewis stopped Tyson, and listening to a sports commentator on channel 4.

    Interviewer – Whats next for Lewis?

    Comentator –

    Not much realy.

    There is Chris Byrd, who is a strong contender, that he has been accused of ducking.

    There is also this guy called Klitschko, who is a Ukrainian operating out of Germany.

    Apart from that, he is just rounding up the best of a bad bunch.
     
    janitor, Mar 6, 2014
    janitor, Mar 6, 2014
    #194
  15. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    I'm quite happy for the champion to have that right, aside from in cases that i've laid out above.

    The situation EXACTLY as you describe it - if I agree, or allow it - is not a duck as I see it.
     
    McGrain, Mar 6, 2014
    McGrain, Mar 6, 2014
    #195
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