Both were knocked out - as in laid out - once. Lewis against Rahman. Holmes against Tyson. Lewis knocked out Rahman with one punch in the return. Holmes didn't fight or beat Tyson again.
I think there's a difference between being knocked out by a dominant ATG in his prime when you're 38 years old and being retired for two years, and being knocked out by a fringe contender while still being the reigning heavyweight champion
Rahman wasn't a fringe contender. He was a top rated contender when he faced Lewis. And he would become the undisputed world champion and a two-time heavyweight beltholder. Lewis was going on 36 and nearing the end of his career. Lewis was no young man himself.
He most definitely was fringe. Two of his last three wins were against Frankie Swindell and Marion Wilson, and he had a recent KO loss to a 17-2 Maskaev. His win over Corrie Sanders is what got him back in the rankings, but if you're trying to make a case for him being a solid #1 then good luck at that endeavor. Ring Magazine had him ranked at the bottom of their top 10. And he became undisputed world champion BECAUSE he knocked out Lewis, which is great for HIM, but doesn't much help Lewis's case. There's no argument which can effectively harbor comparing Holmes' KO to a prime Mike Tyson while being on the comeback trail to Lewis being knocked out by fringe Rahman and while being the reigning champ... None..
Rahman wasn't fringe. He was rated in the top 10 by everyone, including Ring. Remember, when Lewis knocked out Rahman to regain the title, Lewis was the fourth-oldest man to win the title ... behind only George Foreman (45 against Moorer), Jersey Joe Walcott (37 against Charles) and Ali (against Spinks), who was also 36 but a few months older than Lewis was. He wasn't a kid. He was one of the oldest heavyweight champs in history at that point. Who held the heavyweight title past the age of 35 to that point? You can count them all on a couple fingers. And you're holding that against Lewis? Please. Lewis faced bigger punchers as an amateur and pro, and he held up better than Holmes did (who fought lesser competition overall). Lewis' chin was fine.
Rahman was the definition of a fringe contender...........every time he stepped up he was either laid out or went life and death..........watch him against Obed Sullivan and you know right there and then that he was/is fringe. This thread is just another Lemmie apologist essay............while a capable Heavyweight he is the ONLY reigning Champ in ANY weight class in the history of the sport who was stopped not once but TWICE by ordinary ham and eggers with ONE punch...........undeniable fact not fiction.....as a matter of fact in a prime H2H contest his achilles heel will always be his sub par chin and it will betray him accordingly in some fights. For reference , nobody in their right mind would believe that Lewis would take the flush bombs that the washed up shell of a shell Tyson impersonator took in their mis match..........he would have been counting stars after the first max leverage right hand he landed on Tyson if it would land on him .
Lewis was knocked out twice by single punches from mediocre heavyweights. Holmes was only knocked out at the age of 38 by a prime Mike Tyson. And it was no single punch that did the deed. Who the **** cares about Kevin Isaac knocking Holmes down? Did you even see footage of that knockdown, which by the way was his seventh pro fight? Just by watching film you can tell that Holmes took better shots. Compare their performances against mutual opposition. Holyfield and Mercer wobbled Lewis multiple times. Couldn't put a dent in Holmes. Oliver McCall knocked out Lewis wih one punch. Or at the very least hurt him badly. He did no such thing to Holmes. And Holmes was much older than Lewis for all of those fights, and fought better versions of said opponents on top of that! Lewis was sent flying by a left hook tap from Briggs. Badly stunned by a right from Vitali. Even Bruno at some points had him dancing around the ring like a chicken. Outside of a few isolated instances (Snipes knockdown), Holmes was very rarely hurt and showed a great chin on most occassions. Lewis did not.
1. Barely being ranked on the "fringes" of the top 10 = fringe. 2. True but irrelevant. That has nothing to do with the chin argument. 3. No I'm not holding it against him any more than you are for holding Holmes accountable for losing to one of the deadliest punchers of all time when he was pushing 40 and coming out of retirement. Do you really think that Lewis being KO'd by Hasim Fvcking Rahman is even comparable??? 4. Agree and disagree. Lewis took some big shots from some hard hitting men and I said earlier in this thread that he wasn't chinny. But I'm not convinced that they were any deadlier than some of the men Holmes survived. Do you think Lewis would have risen off the canvas from the very same shot that Shavers dropped him with?
He beat everyone he fought as a pro and retired the heavyweight champion. How many heavyweight champions won the Olympic Gold medal, the world heavyweight championship AND BEAT everyone they fought as a pro? There's nothing to apologize for. You can't be chinny and accomplish that.
Lewis went down TWO TIMES total in his amateur and pro career from head punches. You could watch film of 150 fights where Lewis didn't go down. You can watch TWO where Lewis did go down. How many times was Holmes down again? More than two, right?
The fact that you're making references to the ultimate low points in one man's career to make your case is practically admission of your being wrong..
Is being knocked down the only indication of having a bad chin? Lewis suffered 2 knockdowns in his career and both resulted in a knockout. Holmes was knocked down thrice by Shavers, Snipes and Isaac (if you really want to count that) and got up every time. Holmes was starched by a full-power right hand by Mike Tyson and got up with no issue. It took Tyson a minute to finish the job afterwards. Lewis was starched by a full-power right hand by Hasim Rahman and remained on the floor looking like he got hit by a mack truck. Lewis was badly hurt on multiple ocassions by Holyfield and Mercer, and got knocked out by McCall. A 40 year old Holmes fought the same fighters and took their punches a lot better. When nobody among experienced boxing fans agrees with you, maybe you need to reevaluate your opinions a little.
I'm not wrong. I'm pointing out facts. You're the one going "you can tell" he took a better shot ... based on, apparently, how "you" feel watching an old tape. Lewis got hit thousands of times. He got hit in the head all the time. He was a longtime amateur and pro. He fought the top guys. He went down TWICE. That's it. And he beat every man he fought as a pro. Those are the facts. Your counter to that is "well it looked like Holmes took a jab better against this guy or that one" ... because the facts don't support you. Again, Lewis was no chinnier than Holmes. If Lewis was, I'm sure he'd have come across someone he couldn't beat as a pro (like Holmes did). But he beat everyone he fought. And they were some of the biggest punchers of his era. And I don't recall a single fight Lewis had with a top heavyweight where a guy landed NO HEAD punches against Lewis. Do you?
