Tyson Fury > Lennox Lewis

Fury has size, strength, speed, reflexes, agility, stamina, recovery, confidence, psychological warfare, showboating, ring IQ, skill, slickness, switch-hitting, unpredictability and unconventionality advantages over every other elite SHW in history, was born into a fighting family, is the most modern athlete, is as strong or stronger in terms of heart, determination, belief, composure and fighting instincts, has a wealth of experience in dealing successfully with radically different body types/styles, adjusting and coming out victorious in wars, overcoming the odds (which he’s done four times to Lewis’s once) and of winning fights on the grandest of stages. Lewis had lots of title defences but 11 year unbeaten, 22 win streak Wlad had more and 11 year, 43 fight unbeaten Wilder had more consecutive title defences than any post-85’ heavyweight aside from Wlad, so the “defences” argument (which is rarely made against Liston or Foreman) is irrelevant. Either of Fury's top two wins (beating two reigning 10+ consecutive defence world champions: never done before in boxing history and collecting every belt in the process) away from home, as the B-side, in dominant fashion, are better than any win on Bowe, Lewis, Vitali or Wlad's collective ledger, which is a more accurate test of absolute ability than knocking over a bunch of Ruddock’s, Briggs's, Schulz’s and Chagaev’s.

The taller heavyweights who Lewis went on the offensive against were a cowardly Akinwande, a washed up, coke addicted Biggs coming off a KO loss, a mediocre and chinny Grant and a mental and chinny Golota. Lewis struggled with tough crackhead Tucker and was frequently on the defensive against Vitali, who was pushing Lewis back in the clinch more often than not despite being 8.5 lbs lighter and excessive aggression against a superior talent results in getting countered and gassing out. Jeff Ford KO’d the 6’8, 265 lbs Tye Fields in 1 round, Donovan Dennis KO’d the 6’8, 256 lbs Cojanu in 2 rounds and Alex Garcia did the same to the 6’10, 284 lbs Mike White but neither Ford, Dennis or Garcia would have even a remote puncher’s chance against Fury because there are many levels between the giants beyond their superficial similarities.

Fury is 3 inches taller, naturally 20-25 lbs heavier (Lewis was as light as 221 lbs at 25, Fury was never lighter than 245.5 lbs at 23) and a more versatile inside fighter (Chisora 1, Cunningham, Wallin, Wilder 2, Wilder 3) with a superior engine, a stronger chin and incredible powers of recovery. Lewis couldn’t get the better of Bruno until Bruno’s engine and chin predictably gave out the 7th, he couldn’t get the better of greenhorn Rahman 1 prior to getting KO’d in the 5th and he was clearly outboxed by Vitali after 6 when the fight was stopped on cuts. The short and stocky warhorse fringe contender Mercer (12 months inactive, 0-1-1 and robbed a 7-9-2 journeyman in one of his two fights in the previous 30 months, knocked down in his previous fight, in the midst of a 0 KO’s in 6 fights streak) outjabbed “prime” Lewis and fought him to a MD, with no rematch materialising. Fury by contrast schooled Wlad from the outside, who was more athletic, experienced, fundamentally skilled, much more powerful and far less injury prone than his brother, as well as more athletic, experienced, fundamentally skilled, powerful, intelligent and naturally bigger than Lewis according to Emmanuel Steward. In terms of boxing ability from distance Fury is more elusive, co-ordinated, longer, faster and ambidextrous.

Despite turning pro at 23 (to Fury’s 20) after 91 amateur bouts (to Fury’s 35) and primarily being a boxer-puncher, Lewis couldn't beat 10 of his opponents inside the distance (4 loss streak short notice Ocasio, chinny journeyman Billups, crackhead Tucker, crackhead McCall 1, winless in 30 months inactive Mercer, journeyman-basher vegetarian Mavrovic, faded Holyfield 1, faded Holyfield 2, 20 lbs overweight inactive 5’9 Tua, 8 years boxing experience Rahman 1) and only dropped one of them (Tucker) with 10 of the 34 he beat inside the distance being sub-220 lbs, he never stopped an opponent after the 8th round (strongly suggesting that his stamina/pacing was lacking) and he had less power than 6’5+ KO artists Wlad and Wilder, fighters Fury has proven he can dominate (either by schooling or schooling plus KO/TKO, which is why Fury has been Ring’s fighter of the year twice to Lewis’s zero).

Lewis never fought a sniper (Wilder x3 away) or a southpaw (Wallin) even dropping the IBF belt to sidestep Byrd. He beat late replacement B-side contender SHW Vitali but he was down on the cards 4-2, fatigued, absorbed 156 punches according to Compubox, did not win conclusively and reneged on his post-fight promise to give Vitali a rematch, whereas 24-0 Fury outclassed the long reigning, previously never outpointed in 67 fights A-side three belt unified champion P4P No.2 KO artist SHW Wlad in Wlad’s backyard as a 4/1 underdog (recognised by Ring as the upset of the year) in his first world championship fight, absorbing just 52 punches (the fewest ever in a victorious 12 round heavyweight championship fight against a champion: especially impressive considering that Fury landed 86 himself and Wlad was 8-0 against undefeated fighters in world title fights).

Fury went on to destroy the long-reigning 42-0-1 A-side champion KO artist Wilder in 7 rounds in Wilder’s backyard in the rematch (despite most claiming that an aggressive strategy was suicidal) again as the underdog and B-side, coming back from being knocked down heavily in the 12th round of the first fight, rising miraculously to take the fight to Wilder, getting an unfortunate draw and ultimately knocked Wilder out for a second time in the brutal third fight, which was instantly regarded as a modern classic and one of the best heavyweight fights of all time, concluding a historic trilogy. “Prime” Lewis by contrast opted to pointfight again for 12 rounds (having a much more competitive fight in the rematch) after his unfortunate draw with light punching former 190 pounder Holyfield, who had been KO’d by a faded Bowe 4 years prior, betraying a lack of confidence in his ability to successfully take the result out of the hands of the American judges who had denied him the first time.

It stands to reason that if two fringe contenders could bomb a 29 and 35 year old Lewis out with one punch (a fate befallen by no other reigning champion in any weight class before or since and repeats of his KO3 defeat to Abadzhan at 21 in the amateurs, whereas Fury has never been stopped and at 17 went 4 rounds against the 22 year old SHW power puncher David Price) while shorter, slower and less powerful, then a taller, faster and more powerful 10 consecutive defence world champion in Wilder, 18 consecutive defence world champion in Wlad or 2x Ring world champion in Fury would have great chances of doing the same. It’s unlikely that Lewis would come through three fights with Wilder away and a fight with Wlad away without at least two losses, particularly if he’d been inactive for 31 months, chronically depressed, consumed industrial quantities of junk food, booze and drugs, shed 10 stone in as many months and completed 14 rounds against two journeymen as his preparation for the first Wilder fight at 30, which took place within 6 months of Fury being back in the ring. Yet despite all of this, Fury has remained undefeated in his 14 year, 33 fight pro career.

2015 Fury wins by UD

2020 Fury wins by KO

 

TLDR:

Lewis has two top wins (Vitali by cuts, outboxed former 190 pounder Holyfield) to Fury's three (Wlad schooling, Wilder by KO x2) and counting, whereas Lewis was one-shotted twice by wide underdogs/fringe contenders.

 

"lewis , prime wlad , vitali all beat Fury."

All at least half a level below.

If you're going to make a moronic "resume" argument then why even mention Vitali? Are Chisora and fat inactive Sanders supposed to be amazing wins?

 

McCall is only known as a puncher because he shattered Lewis's china. Fury could beat Lewis in any number of ways.

 

"I don't see why you have to keep discrediting Lewis all the time to make a point"

These threads always gain a lot of traction. Also, modern fighters are underrated around here, so I like to make the opposite case.

"The fact is Lewis fought everyone in his era, and never ducked anyone."

Incorrect but I don't think it matters that much.

"we could easily do the same for Fury aswell but what's the point"

To some degree yes but it's far easier with Lewis due to his KO defeats.

"let's see if Fury can do the same vs Usyk."

If Fury didn't fight Usyk I would be the first to condemn it as a blatant and shameful duck. However, if Fury beats Usyk in clear and convincing fashion I will acknowledge it as one of the great heavyweight wins.

 

What will you say if/when Fury beats Usyk? Will Usyk go from "one of the most talented boxers ever" to a "bum"? Or will you give Fury credit for a great win?