Lennox Lewis: The Brit that conquered all Americans

Nice to see there are boxing fans who see through the Lewis mythology that gets thrown around by many. :good Lewis is so overrated by some it's not funny. When you look a little closer at what ACTUALLY happened in the 90s, you see that his reputation is grossly inflated.

He was a great HW, sure - but nowhere near as great as some assert. Both Holyfield and Tyson were better, and in their primes, they would have taken him out within a few rounds. Just like McCall and Rahman did.

 

Lewis was the best of the era... fights dont get made for a variety of reasons: someone loses, more money makes sense to fight a fighter at a specific time, contractual obligations, mandatories, etc.... Lewis stood the test of time even with his losses to Rahman and McCall... Bowe whom I believe had the most talent between Lennox and Holyfield proved to not be disciplined enough. Holy was too much of a warrior and didnt fight as smart as he could have, Lewis had the dodgy chin... all of these guys had *****s in their armor.. all three had unexpected losses...... Lewis was always my favorite and had the least amount of people cheering for him... he was not a big talker for most of his career and took a lot of schtick for being ordinary and a boring interview but he had the most of all the guys in his era

 

Some stark revisionism coming from some Lewis detractors here. The facts are that he was dodged by Bowe, Holyfield and Tyson, at some stage – All of this side-stepping requiring a payment to Lewis, either in cash or a belt, in order for them to do so.

Speculation about whether or not Bowe would have beaten Lewis is pointless. Bowe was the one with something to prove against his Olympic adversary and he failed to take his opportunity to do so. Bowe never really reached the same bar as he achieved the night he beat the 205lbs Evander Holyfield. I can't see that Bowe would have been the favourite to win a rumoured but ultimately scuppered bout, which would most likely have taken place in '95.


The fragility of the Lewis chin is also overplayed. They were huge punches that took Lewis down and the McCall stoppage was questionable, to say the least. Lewis was back on his feet by the count of six and the referee could well be considered as having been a bit hasty in his actions to call a halt to the bout. And yet this is often overlooked by those with a bias against Lewis.

In the case of Rahman I, the poor preparation of Lewis is well documented. When Lewis decided to actually turn up for the rematch, Rahman was reduced to a steaming pile of rubble – all too easily.

If and when Lewis decided to show up to his fights, the odds were very much in his favour to win against any heavyweight in the world. Hell, even when he was only half-present, he’d could mug the majority of the ranked fighters in the division.

There’s no mythology about Lewis. He is one of the most avoided Heavyweights I can think of, who ultimately defeated every man he ever faced.

To rely on speculation about the Lewis chin, in a wager on fights with so-called ‘Peak’ Holyfield or Tyson, would have led to a most miscalculated risk. Lewis was an exceptional heavyweight, with size, power, speed and agility, accompanied by a good deal of skill, which would have seen him competing at world-level, in any era.

 

Was Oliver McCall American?







Word.

 

Lennox Lewis defeated every man he faced, not just Americans

 

the conversation between you and Dino (the village idiot who never gets anything right) is a classic.

it's then topped off with your first sentence.

Thanks for the laugh. it's pure comedy gold. :deal

 

great post. :good

 

he was wasn't he?

if not, where was he from?

 

Wlad had topped many larger black and white men, all were said to even be longer and thicker then him. That is impressive. He prefers to pitch but at a leisurely pace, softening his man up before showing him the true power of the steel hammer.

Wlad is very comfortable against submissive men, he likes to pace himself, and work up a sweat, he has a history of blowing his load too early.

Lewis is all "wham bam" when he's in the mood but mostly liked to play catcher against smaller aggressive men. But he really wanted Johnson more than anything, he waited 12 months for a taste of Johnson, but all he got was a Klit, it must have been a huge disappointment.

 

I always felt LL was a bit overratted ...Holyfield was the best HW of the 90's The man fought anyone and everyone ! He didn't wait for a guy to get old like LL did !


Excellent post :good