Lewis names his toughest opponents

Vitali landed far more shots than Tyson did and won more rounds, Vitali would have destroyed that vdersion of Tyson, Tua didn`t do much though.

 

Holyfield was more tougher than Tyson.

 

Is he in fact saying that?

It seems to me that he has put Holyfield at #1 (reasonable call), and not made clear who his #2 is.

 

Holy as his toughest opponent and Mercer as his toughest fight makes sense. He was at his peak against Holy and probably felt he performed about as well as he could and Holy still gave him problems in the rematch.

I see nothing about him naming Tyson second.

 

The toughest fight of his career was against Ray Mercer. He won a razor close UD over him, and some people thought he drew or lost that fight. I scored it for him by 1 point.

His actual 2 losses were both one punch knock outs, against opponents he was clearly superior to. Opponents he easily beat in rematches.

If we look at it objectively his toughest opponents were actually Ray Mercer, Vitali Klitschko and Evander Holyfield.

 

I think he has talked in the past about not rating Vitali has high because he (Lewis) wasn’t in the best of shape and had a shortened camp and his heart wasn’t in it by that point. He attributes Vitali’s success to his own lack of focus and readiness and not to Klitschko’s ability.

Right or wrong, I understand that. Exaggerated case, but I bout Ali would have rated Trevor Berbick up there with Norton, for instance, taking his own level going into that fight into account.

If he says Tyson was tough, he might literally mean he was tough to take the beating but not that this particular Tyson gave him a tough fight.

 

He said toughest as in took the most punishment and toughed it out. He says Mercer was his toughest fight

 

Yeah, for example McCallum rated Toney as the best he fought and that might seem a bit dishonest since he also faced RJJ. But I can understand his thinking, that he was so far past his best against Roy that he really don't know what to make of that fight.

On the other hand, DLH named Pac as the best he fought. Even though he was years past his best and fighting at a weight that didn't suit him that well anymore he must have been impressed by the shellacking he was given.

 

Ray Mercer gave Lennox Lewis his toughest fight, but I am surprised that he did not mention Hassim Rahman and Oliver McCall. Those two kayoed him in their first fights, I know the rematches were a breeze.

 

Anyone who fought him in his prime would say that Evander Holyfield would be their toughest opponent.

 

Evander was 37 when Lewis beat him in 1999. Still a very capable fighter but some year past his prime. Arguably Riddick Bowe is the only heavyweight who can say he got the better of a prime Holyfield.

 

By far. I'm wondering if he listed Mike simply because Mike has said very gracious things about him, and they seem to be at least somewhat friends.

Mike might have won the first round of their fight...maybe. After that it was mostly an exhibition of futility...that fight could have been stopped three rounds early, easily.