Where Do You Rate Lennox Lewis?

Because losses count, go and check his record and come back to me.

 

So, Vitali, yes.

Ruddock was considered the most dangerous heavy in the world not going to jail. He was the favorite in his fight against Lewis.

You seem to insinuate Lewis ducked some competition. Care to say who? And please don't mention Byrd.

Lewis fought the deepest run of powerpunching heavies of any champion. It bears repeating because of its quality and depth... Mason, Ruddock, Butler, Morrison, Mercer, McCall, Briggs, Grant, Golota, Tua, Rahman, Tyson, Vitali...

 

I can definitely see it happening to Louis who I have at 1. Steve Bunce has him at 4 or 5 I believe. I don’t doubt Bunce’s knowledge of the sport since he’s been in the business, but I’d love to debate him on that placing.

 

But he evened the bleamishes out with victories over both via rematches, Louis lost to schmeiling and avenged it and gets rated above Lewis for whatever reason

 

No, I made it fairly clear that I wasn’t making that insinuation. I think Lewis generally fought the guys who were available to him at the time.

That list of opposition you compiled is telling. A number of those guys were either bang on average, or in the nadir of their careers.

Listen, I rate Lewis. He was a very good boxer for many years. I just don’t think he accomplished enough to be rated on the same level as a Muhammad Ali or a Joe Louis.

 

Ehhh not his fault but he missed the best of his day because they avoided him. Wouldn’t call it deep quality. With the exception of Vitali and that win had its asterisks. To be fair I think he beats Tyson and Holy and Bowe in their primes which would have bumped him into the two spot for me.

 

He does? Use the same criteria for everyone. Who was prime when Joe Louis beat them? Lou Nova?

Because Sharkey (53rd and last fight), Carnera (90th pro fight), Max Baer (49th pro fight), Braddock (84th pro fight and second-to-last bout), John Henry Lewis (116th and last fight), Schmeling (63rd and all but the last - except for a comeback 10 years later), Billy Conn (74th pro fight), Jimmy Bivins (his 100th pro fight) and Walcott (35 years old and 57 fights into his career) were not exactly just entering their prime fighting years.

None were exactly the "new faces" on the block. Walcott was a few months older than Louis and had the same number of fights. And Louis was considered to be at the end.

 

You make some silly remarks on here but this one takes the biscuit

 

Avenged his loss to McCall how? He hit him with uppercuts, overhands and straights for 5 rounds and McCall didn't even blink. And please don't tell me that ridiculous story about how he didn't want to hurt because he didn't seem okay or other sh*t. After the match both Lewis and Steward said that they both thought that McCall was plotting something. I don't want to change the subject but Lewis didn't avenge anything against McCall.

Imho Lewis is overrated, he is clearly top 15 but calling him top 3 is too much. He fought whoever available but most of his big wins are semi shot fighters. Holyfield was 36 and went to lots of wars, Tyson wasn't even half of what he was in his prime, Vitali was green and if not for the cut he would win that fight. As for the Bowe, whether he ducked Lewis or not, prime Bowe would just demolish Lewis. He had better inside game, a comparable jab and had a better chin than Lewis.

As for some of the other fights, he barely beat Mercer, Golota was very skilled but had mental problems, Akinwande was meh, Briggs was outboxed and classed by a 46 year old Foreman. Basically his best win might be Ruddock and that tells much imo.

 

OK. I remember the feelings at the time. Few thought he was legit going into the Ruddock fight. I remember well because I mad a mint on him stopping Razor. After that, top heavy's management got real cold feet.

Note that I said powerpunchers and all were that. Extremely dangerous, hard punchers, a list of depth in wins that no heavyweight matches. And most of those guys were near prime. I could have brought up Weaver but he qualified as being in the nadir of his career.

I don't think we are far apart in our thinking. He is not on the level of Ali and Louis. He is on that next level, along with Holmes and no one else.

 

Bowe would demolish Lewis because he had a better inside game?? He had barley a better inside game and Lewis was far better on the outside, Bowe used no feints he didn’t change the speed of his jab and was predictable from the outside, the complete opposite with Lewis, he would’ve figured out bowe early on, outbox him and stop him late
And it ain’t Lewis’s fails McCall had a breakdown in the ring, he would’ve beat him regardless, Lewis was clearly outboxing him and was far to focused and switched on to get caught with that right again

 

Yes they do.

They just put you on equal footing with the perpetrator?

 

Now do the versions of Carnera, Braddock, Sharkey, Bivins, Arturo Godoy, Tommy Farr, John Henry Lewis, Lou Nova and Conn who Louis fought. (LOL)

Golota probably beats all those guys.

 

If Lennox Lewis had no losses, arguably #1 right now.

Lewis did avenge both losses. Ali and Louis did not avenge all of theirs. Ali and Louis also didn't finish their amateur careers with a win over a future World Heavyweight Champion, either.

Lewis left the amateurs on top and left the pros on top, beating the man who would succeed him as the #1. Beat everyone he fought as a pro. Retired with lots of money. Has all his wits about him. He had about as perfect a professional boxing career as you could want. It wasn't, but it was close.

That's why I agree with the poster who thought Lewis may end up being viewed down the road as the top guy. He very well could.