Lennox Lewis in Today's Heavyweight Division

The real point is that you seem to think Lewis' career trajectory, across the '90s, would be mirrored, if he were plying his trade, today. It's quite doubtful that would be the case, given the shallowness of today's division.

 

Thus if we assume a similar career trajectory today he probably fights someone highly ranked late in 2016 and then fights Joshua in 2017 or 2018. He would not be able to face Fury anytime before mid 2018 due to Fury's suspension and drug issues but a fight might be possible in late 2018 or 2019.

 

Shallowness according to who? I don't think the evidence points to the division being shallow. Moorer and old Foreman would be extremely unlikely to become champs today. Can you imagine would Joshua would do to both guys? It would be ugly.

 

It's shallow. Just because you have one guy in this era, who you think would beat a couple of other guys from a different era, doesn't change that.

 

The top 10 as of last year was roughly as follows
1.Anthony Joshua
2. Tyson Fury
3. Deontay Wilder
4. Alexander Povetkin
5. Kubrat Pulev
6. Dillian Whyte
7. Jarrell Miller
8. Joseph Parker
9. Luis Ortiz
10. Dominic Breazeale

That doesn't seem especially weak to me.

 

We have the evidence of the Ring who ranked him in 91. You have now amended your statement to" consistently faced".That's entirely different to what you originally said,ie " He didn't step up in competition until late 1992".
In fact he stopped a top ten ranked heavyweight in March 91,over a year and a half before he ko'd Ruddock in Oct 92.

 

Which top ten ranked heavyweights have
Pulev
Miller
Parker
Ortiz
Breazeale
Beaten?

 

I don't view Mason as a top 10 heavyweight and the Ring Magazine yearly rankings for 1990 and 1991 don't list Mason in their top 10.

At the time Lewis faced Mason the division included
Lennox Lewis
Riddick Bowe
Evander Holyfield
Mike Tyson
Donovan Ruddock
Tim Witherspoon
Tony Tucker
Tony Tubbs
Oliver McCall
Ray Mercer

I would put all those guys ahead of Mason and probably also Carl Williams and maybe Damiani and old Foreman.

 

Ring Magazine ratings at the end of 1990 are
1. Evander Holyfield
2. Mike Tyson
3. Razor Ruddock
4. James Douglas
5. Tim Witherspoon
6. Carl Williams
7. Francesco Damiani
8. Riddick Bowe
9. Ray Mercer
10. George Foreman

Mason doesn't feature in the top 10, he seems to have been ranked number 10 in 1989 but then fell out.

 

Dang Ortiz gets older everyday on this forum. He must have a rare aging disorder

 

Mason briefly retired after sustaining a detached retina against Everett Martin,that's why he fell out of the ratings,after returning to action he was restored to the rankings for the beginning of 91 and was 33-0-0 when he challenged Lewis for both the British and European titles.

 

Where you put Mason is an irrelevance ,I'm saying he was ranked at the beginning of 91 when Lewis beat him in defence of his national and European titles.

 

Lewis would be Undisputed Champion by a mile. Much more skilled and a BIG hitter.

 

Mason was highly regarded at the time and there was a view from some that Lewis was taking him on too early.

 

Lewis inevitably will have his McCall/Rahman moment fighting in the current division, guaranteed.