Most overrated HW of all time.

Lewis was a 3 time champion who had 14 title defenses. He beat names like Tua, Holyfield, Mercer, Rahman, Klitschko, McCall, Briggs, Tyson. He is a lock for the top ten of all time, and most people dont think he is the best ever or anything.

 

Leiws was three time title holder, two time Champion as Mr Ali will point out as the only three time champ, there is a big, big difference!

 

Ok 2 time champion

 

Thank you

 

Agreed. A true ATG HW champion does not lose his title in the prime of his career to a single punch early in a title defense from a mediocre challenger. It didn't happen to Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Larry Holmes, Joe Frazier, Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali, or any other prominent champion in the division's history, except Lennox Lewis, and it happened to Lewis not once, but twice. (Where Floyd Patterson is concerned, Ingo and Liston both needed considerably more than one punch to dethrone him. Rachman and McCall are not in the same class as Ingo and Sonny.) Yes, Lennox may have been the best of his day, but an ATG? He invites comparisons to Big John Tate, moreso than the HW division's true elite. (Except that it took Weaver and Berbick several more rounds to eliminate Tate than it took McCall and Rachman to take out Lewis.)

 

Also, does Tate have anywhere CLOSE to the resume that Lewis has?

You are taking Lewis' worst fights and saying that he isnt great just because of them. Do you ignore the rest of his career?

 

Lennox Lewis - only top level ATG HW to get starched in the early rounds by second-rate HWs when he held the title. THe ONLY one.

 

I really dont care what L.Lewis stats are, I just think he's overrated and doesnt belong in the all time greats when it comes to HW Champions.
Just my oppinion.

 

Subperb post. You have really captured just how overrated Lewis is. I love the john Tate comparison, btw - kind of what Rahman did to him. And Rahman was no Mike Weaver either.

 

Once is a fluke. Twice is a pattern. Lennox would have lost Larry Holmes's title defenses to Weaver, Shavers, Snipes and Witherspoon. Larry would have gotten off the deck against Rachman and McCall, won the remainder of those rounds, and then taken them out. (And in McCall's first match after starching Lennox, old fat Larry Holmes very nearly did dethrone McCall. Old fat Larry Holmes was also far better against undefeated Ray Mercer than Lennox was later.)

 

Mercer completely overlooked Holmes and thought he would steamroll him. He wasnt in good shape, while when he fought Lewis, he was in great shape and it was his peak performance.

 

Nor did Holmes, except in the very questionable minds of the judges. (I won't discuss Holyfield/Lewis.)