Lennox Lewis: The Brit that conquered all Americans

Lewis is one of the more overrated HW champs in history - and he's become more overrated with time. His record is built up on facing the second-tier fighters in the division at that time - guys like Tony Tucker, Razor Ruddock, Oliver McCall, and later Michael Grant and Hasim Rahman - some of whom shattered his shaky mandible to boot!

Lewis never faced any of the other great fighters of his era when it counted, and he didn't face Bowe at all. Lewis myth-makers like to treat the propaganda that the Lewis camp put out about this as if it were fact - that Bowe was somehow "afraid" of facing Lewis - but the bottom line is that a Lewis fight wouldn't have made much money in the early 90s because Lewis wasn't known or rated by American boxing fans. Consequently, Bowe's team correctly reasoned they could make more money taking a few easy defenses and then rematching Holyfield for far more money. Meanwhile, maybe Lewis would be able to build himself into a greater attraction. They didn't bargain on losing to Holyfield in the rematch.

And in fact, a Lewis fight WAS all but made in 1994, to be signed and fought in early '95. But then Lewis' questionable chin failed him against McCall and that was off.

Lewis also never fought Tyson when it mattered, basically waiting until he was washed up to fight him. He also faced a greatly faded version of Holyfield. And these are his only victories over top tier opposition - when they were washed up, or close to it!!

When you add to this that he is the only - the only - top tier HW champ that was taken out twice in the early rounds by second-rate fighters when he held the title, it is pretty clear just how overrated Lewis is. He isn't even the best fighter of the era (that's Holyfield), let alone a clear top ten HW. Borderline at best - and highly overrated by those partisans who are desperate for a HW hero, as this tread so clearly demonstrates.

 

Born to Jamaican parents, raised in Canada, represented Canada at the Olympics and now lives in Jamaica.

 

**** post full of half truths and your usual epic bias for Holyfield. Have you found Holyfield's prime yet or does it still come and go depending on your mood?

Fark this site has fallen far.

 

Lennox was born and bred in East London, he wasn't moved to Canada until he was in his teens. Carefully designed charade... atsch

 

The butthurt is hilarious

 

Lennox KO1 Wlad

 

Can I ask you a question?? How old are you? Were you around when the Lewis Bowe saga was going on??? I seriously doubt it. Well I was.

I was there at ringside when Lennox, accompanied by a young girl in a chicken suit with CHICKEN BOWE on it, triedto embarrass Bowe into agreeing to honor his word
Deal was Bowe fought Holyfield then Lewis fought Ruddock. The two winners would then meet to decide who the real champ was. Bowe beat Holyfield fair & square last time he looked good in a fight by the way.
Lennox demolished Rudduck ,who at the time was favorite to win thewhole thing. When it cane time for Lewis-Bowe Bowe renaged on the deal He wanted none of what Ruddock received lol. This lead to the dumping the WBC belt in a garbage can.
I cornered Rock Newman in Dallas a while after & asked him why Bowe had renaged on Lewis. His answer was " When folk will pay to watch Riddick take on Jesse Ferguson & Michael Dokes why risk it all against Lewis" My reply was " Then Bowe is not a real champion is he " Newman laughed & said " Who has the belts" ?? We do Nuff said

 

The whole point of Lennox Lewis fighting Razor Ruddock was to increase his profile in America and set up a fight with the winner of Holyfield/Bowe. This mini-tourament was an agreement between all men that the winner of Holyfield/Bowe would defend the WBA, WBC and IBF Titles against the winner of Lewis/Ruddock. Bowe reneged on this agreement. Whatever he and his team might have "reasoned" the fact remains that he was the one who broke this agreement and for that he is justly and rightfully scorned and mocked.

Lewis profile, or lack thereof, in America should have had sod all to do with it. Bowe agreed when he signed to fight Holyfield that if he won he would make his first defence against the winner of Lewis/Ruddock, that agreement did not become void and worthless just because one those fighters might not be well known to an American audience.

Tyson was sent to prison before Lewis even reached the world stage making it impossible for Lewis to fight Tyson before 1995/96. When Tyson came out of prison and was bumped ahead of Lewis for a shot at the WBC Title and beat Bruno, Lewis chased him for a fight. Lewis took Tyson and King to court to try to force them to give him his fight or else drop the title, he won but they dropped the belt and went to fight Holyfield instead, and King was forced to pay $4million for doing it. It is more Tyson's fault that the fight didn't happened "when it mattered" than it is Lewis's.

And when Lewis fought Holyfield, Holyfield was rated #3 P4P. Nobody thought he was "greatly faded", he was still considered the best Heavyweight in the world and one of the best fighters across all divisions. Then when Lewis dominated him and was robbed Holyfield suddenly became washed up and old and diminished and anything else just so long as Lewis didn't get the credit for beating a fighter rated so highly.

 

lewis probally one of the best heavies ever
those 2 guys woulda got hurt

 

Friend, I'm well into middle age, and not only lived through the 90s era as an adult, but the "lost generation" era of HWs pre-Tyson. So I have been following boxing a long time (35 years or so) and remember this era very well.

Yeah, Lewis had somebody dressed in a chicken suit running around, which is a nice publicity stunt, sure, but it proves nothing about why Bowe and Newman actually decided to go in a different direction.

In fact, your post basically corroborates my point that they wanted to make more money at less risk. They wanted to allow a Lewis fight to "percolate" - for Lewis to build into a more financially lucrative defense by becoming better known and regarded by U.S. fans, while they made some money on an easy defense or two and then fought Holyfield for big bucks. They didn't bank on losing to Holyfield the 2nd time.

Bowe is hardly the first champ to break an agreement or take a "gimme" defense. And, as I said, after the Holyfield loss, there were serious negotiations to fight Lewis in 1994, but then Lewis went and got himself knocked out by McCall, scuttling that one.

Do I wish, like you, that a Bowe-Lewis fight happened in '92-93. You better believe it, because I think Bowe would have exposed Lewis's suspect chin long before McCall or Rahman did. But it it didn't happen, and what prevented it was what usually scuttles fights fans want to see, financial matters.

 

Lewis was working with Don King and Jose Silliman when he priced himself of the Bowe fight. He knew Bowe would be stripped. They knew how to get the title the easy way. Both camps knew after he Fought Tucker that Bowe would of beaten him.
Lewis wanted nothing to do with Bowe or any other prime top name fighter in the 90's.

 

Great for the Canadians to get one over America.

 

Exactly. He always found ways to get out of these fights, and then to spin it to blame it on the other guy.

Isn't it interesting that while Lewis and his supporters try to blame the other guy for all these fights not happening, THEY managed to fight one another when it mattered. Lewis, on the other, basically waited for them to get old to fight Holyfield and Tyson, and never faced Bowe at all.

Maybe the reason is found in those quickie blast-outs by second-raters McCall and Rahman. Imagine what a prime Holyfield, Tyson or Bowe would have done with those fragile whiskers, eh???:deal

 

75/25 was the split when Bowe fought Holyfield the Champion. Lewis wanted a 50/50 split and options , knowing Newman would never agree to that they waited till Bowe had no choice but to give it up.
Lewis still had the WBA and IBF belts a year later when Newman offered Lewis 12m to fight. Lewis didn't want to know again.
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1993-05-14/sports/1993134195_1_lewis-newman-dan-duva

Lewis claims Tyson ran from in the 90's.Tyson had no fear of Lewis in 96 who was fighting jorneymen, going life and death with old Mercer and getting startched by Tyson's own sparring partners.