What would have happened if Lewis had turned pro in `84?

Lewis picks up the WBA belt from Spoon then enters in to a unification match with Tyson. Tyson puts on one of the best display s of his career to stop a ,to brave for his own good Lennox in 7 round s .

 

It wouldn't have gone well. Certainly not as good as it did in real life when he waited until after the 1988 Olympics and turned pro in England with the push a gold medalist gets.

If he turned pro at 18 after the 1984 Olympics, he likely would've done so in Canada. His trainer likely would've been his amateur coach Arnie Boehm, who Lennox's mother didn't like. Boehm didn't have a lot of connections and didn't have a great gym (he lost government funding in 1983). Boehm also trained Canadian Olympian by way of Poland Art Binkowsky, who also didn't medal. He didn't do so well steering his career, even though Art was living in Chicago a lot of the time (not Canada).

Lennox also lost at least six times after his fight with Biggs and before he won the gold medal in 1988, so it's easy to imagine the skinny, young Lewis, with Boehm guiding his career, not getting quality training or sparring and getting put in early with veterans in Montreal and maybe losing a couple times.

It's also easy to see Lewis get thrown in with Razor Ruddock around 1987 or 1988 for the Canadian title, and maybe losing that fight to the more experienced Ruddock (before Ruddock's wars with Tyson).

It probably doesn't go well for Lewis at all unless he could've gotten out of Canada and moved back to England or come to the U.S. in the late 80s. But even then, he wouldn't have gotten the special attention he did get as a gold medal winner. He'd have been known as the guy Biggs dominated at the Olympics (and Biggs was considered damaged goods by 1987/88). And Lennox may have gotten thrown in unprepared and lost a couple then, too.

I think Lennox Lewis is one of the few fighters who made nearly ALL the right moves. He had as close to a perfect career as you could want.

He won the gold medal (from a future hall of famer and future world heavyweight champ himself).

He beat every man he faced as a pro.

He became the undisputed heavyweight champion and he retired on top with tens of millions in the bank and he never came back.

Lewis just wouldn't have been the same if he hadn't waited, matured, and started off his pro career with the gold medal in his pocket.

His career is a great example of timing means everything.

 

Well said, Dubble. Great post

 

Errrr if Lewis turned pro in 84 Bowe probably wins gold. Are you even capable of following your own thread?

 

Great post, and Lewis indeed was smart enough and lucky enough to build perfect boxing career.

Lennox has started at the right time and with a gold medal, he hired great Emmanuel Steward after the loss to improve his skills, and Lennox after all retired at the right time, unlike Holyfield, Tyson, Holmes and many others.