Who is the greatest HW of the last 25 years?

Lewis...

Actually I am relieved noone has mentioned wlad in this thread...
Theres still hope I guess.

 

Lennox Lewis.

 

Finally, someone distuingishes 'best' from 'greatest'. Well done.

 

I'd life to know how Larry Holmes has escaped criticism for HIS quality of opposition.

He beat some good fighters no doubt, but look at the following:

Alfredo Evangelista
Ossie Ocasio
Lorenzo Zanon
Old, faded Ali
Randall Cobb
Leon Spinks
David Bey
Scott Frank
Marvis Frazier

That's NINE gimme title defenses. These guys were no good, never were. Ali was so washed up that it's sad to think about. If some other champs had to face this crowd in title defences they'd be laughed out the ring. How did Larry get away with it all those years?

In addition, Larry faces Witherspoon when Tim was just out of the novice stage (only 15-0) and is given a hell of a fight.
The Carl Williams fight is another where he fought a green kid. (Only 16-0)

He also never fought Greg Page, Gerrie Coetzee or Pinklon Thomas, all who at some stage were worthy opponents. Maybe politics had more to do with it than anything, but the fact remains that Larry didn't beat a great fighter at any point in his career (do not include Ali please) and he didn't fight at least 3very good opponents who deserved a fight.
If you're the cynical type, you could argue that the first great fighter he met - Spinks - he lost to. The second great fighter he met - Tyson - he lost to again.

To me, you could include Larry's entire body of work and he still ranks behind the other three.

 

Oh, and to add he also barely squeaked past 34 year old past-his-best Ken Norton.

 

First of all, it's NOT 2-0 according to the record books, AND the second fight was so competitive that many ringside journalists thought Holyfield should have gotten the decision. And that was when he was 37 and CLEARLY on the downside of his career.

Oh, and you seem to be a little sketchy on your boxing history. Ever heard of Rocky Marciano? He actually DID beat every guy he faced, without having to do re-dos either.

Bottom line - Holyfield faced the two of the other four top guys in his era when it mattered, instead of waiting til they were on the downside to take them on, and he was never taken out early by second-raters. He's the best HW of the era.

 

you talk more and more rubbis by the minute, lewis waited till the fighters where on the downside, atsch , like tyson paying him money and ducking him, riddick' chicken' bowe throwing his belt in the bin :nut

 

Lewis took the money to NOT face Tyson, friend, it takes two to tango. And, if your man could have drawn flies to a funeral in the early 90s, maybe the Bowe fight would have happened. One WAS supposed to take place in '95, but Lewis went and got himself knocked out by McCall.:yep

People make all these excuses for Lewis - but the bottom line is he faced old versions of Holyfield and Tyson, and didn't face Bowe at all. Those are the FACTS.

 

you know the bowe fight didn't happen becuase he wanted nothing to do with lewis, he thought he would fight easier guys like that overated holyfield.
In regards to tyson that wasn't the only time he ducked lewis so perhaps you should look into it abit more, instead of looking through your holyfield tinted glasses.

 

Sure, sure, everybody "ducked" Lewis. Simply because you guys say it doesn't make it true. There are millions of reasons why fights don't happen when they should - including, by the way, that BOTH fighters may not be too eager.

I've always found it curious that the OTHER guys were able to find ways to fight EACH OTHER, but somehow Lewis didn't. Until they were ready to be taken, that is.:yep

 

youhonestly think in regards to bowe that lewis had any part of ducking him, he called him chicken bowe, offered him out on live tv and you could see that bowe feared lewis after the beating he took in the olympics.

 

There are many reasons why fights don't happen when they should, most of which have do with issues of finances and boxing politics, typically. I just love how people engage in all this unsubstantiated speculation about who "feared" who, which is really nothing more than recycled Lewis camp-propaganda that is, at best, unproveable.

Bottom line, however, is that they DIDN'T face each other, whatever you may think the reason is.

 

you just have to wach the video and see how confident lewis was and how bowe didn't llok like he wanted any of lewis. Lewis said bowe would duck him that night and it seems pretty clear that happened.

 

I assume you mean Lennox and Bowe (post-jail Tyson was on the downslide.... actually so was Bowe in two of the 3 Holy fights, but that's another story. :yep )

Holy's record against those two?

1 win, 3 losses, 1 draw. And the draw was one of the most controversial decisions in boxing history.

 

No, the 1996 Tyson was still a formidable, and dangerous, opponent. Not the washed up shell Lewis faced.

Holyfield has three victories out of five against him and Bowe - and that is more than Lewis has against top level versions of ANY of these guys.:yep