Who ranks higher all time Lennox Lewis or Joe Calzaghe?

tough one but lewis edges it, if joe can beat dawsn he takes it

 

Lennox easily for me, his early career is better than Calzaghe's.

 

Lewis for me, but that's no slight on Joe. I rate Lewis very highly - one of the top 5 heavies of all time.

 

Lewis easily.

I like Calzaghe a lot though, but his first 35 fights aren't a patch on what Lewis did.

 

massive calzaghe fan, but its got to be lewis simply on resume, always fought the best out there, noone can deny that

 

Lewis.

 

Why the **** do you start a thread like this?

 

Spot on.

Lewis is the greatest British fighter of all time, I just don't see the arguments for anyone else coming close (certainly post-war). His chin's shaky, is that the best people can come up with? So what, that just shows how good his defence was then... To do what he did with a glass jaw (which I don't think he had) would mean what he achieved was even more extraordinary.

calzaghe will retire undefeated in the consensus top 3 pfp, a ring champ at two weights and being one of only three men (I think) to have held the big four versions of the belt in a division once WBO joined the other three. it's a fabulous career, no matter what people think of the standard of his opposition - and the truth is he beat pretty much all of the best there was available to him. Even if you think his opposition was poor (I sympathise with that, but don't quite agree), that doesn't take away from the fact that JC was the best of his time, in his division and dominated.

 

I was thinking the exact same thing.... its like some people on here have dedicated their life to campaign against Calzaghe.

 

You say it like its not a noble calling.

There's no lesser dedication, devotion and singlemindedness required than for someone who devotes their life to finding a cure for cancer, really.

 

Calzaghe has really upped his game in the last few years...but he hasn't upped-it that much. Its still Lewis for me.

 

Lewis.

The last 2 years have been great for Joe, and he has some good if faded names in the past like Eubank, Woodhall and Reid...but too many years spent in a Warren Wonderland repetatively defending the lesser WBO belt rather than pushing for big names outside his comfort zone costs him.

Calzaghe's undefeated, but he didn't face so many opponents that could defeat him, that's the key.

 

Of course they could beat him. He hasn't been fighting 1-20 bums every time. It only takes one off night to lose, one dodgy training camp, one time where you lose sight of your opponent, no matter who you are facing. Very good fighters lose fights they shouldn't, its never a win by default. Lennox Lewis would know this of all people.

There is something in Calzaghe's unbeaten record. Is it the same as going 46-0 including wins over 10 great fighters? No. But its still remarkable consistency I think.

Too many people are too quick to shun an unbeaten record. It's almost as if had Joe been 45-1 it would be better.