Who was Lennox Lewis's best PRIME opponent

Sheer fantasy of a post. Life and death with Mercer, Mavrovic, Vitali, Holyfield among others and chin smashed to pieces by Rahman and McCall. The guy was no superman and was a pretty dirty fighter with hit and hold being his speciality.

 

Mercer was prime. He turned pro way late and had learned to commit to a jab by then.

 

109–119, 111–117, 112–117. Yes that was the life and death score of one of those fights. atsch

 

It's Bulls hit. He looked like a monster against Phil Jackson before fighting Lewis.

 

HIV has an acute phase. If he were in the acute phase leading up to Lewis, he would've been weak but he would've tested sky high for the virus. If he were past the acute phase, his health would be normal and the virus would've been suppressed. He also would have normal health prior to acute phase. I don't think he had it for the Lewis fight.

 

You're way off on this one. Morrison and Ruddock were both past their best when they fought each other and Morrison fought Lewis after that.

Of course, you tried to argue 38 and 43 year old Holmes was better than in his prime in the early '80's.

 

The "acute" phase is after initial infection when the virus uploads into your body and rapidly multiplies giving the infected party symptoms similar to an intense flu. After that subsides however, early infection is hard to detect with a standard medical blood test for 3-6 months.
People forget that Morrison fought Lennox Lewis in Atlantic City NJ, which did not test for HIV in October of 1995. Only with a boxer's consent could they test for such a disease. However, only three months later in January of 96 Morrison was going to fight on a Bernard Hopkins undercard in Phoenix Arizona which I believe did test for HIV and he withdrew claiming it was against his religion. (I forget what denomination he claimed). Three weeks later he was scheduled to fight Arthur Stormy Weathers February 6th on a Felix Trinidad card with the promise that if he won he would fight a come backing Mike Tyson in his next bout. I think the lure of the $ and glory forced his hand as he knew Nevada unlike New Jersey did test for HIV without consent. When he tested positive he handled the situation very cordially and relaxed and blamed it on a reckless lifestyle. It was not until a year later that he began to retract his statements and claim he was clean. (I suspect he needed money or needed something positive like getting back to the gym as he was spiraling out of control). While I have no proof he was positive for the Lewis bout there is a lot of circumstantial evidence that suggests he may very well have been infected. Remember Duva asked for Lewis to be tested when they found out that Tommy had tested positive.

 

Razor Rudduck
Golota
Mercer slightly past prime
Rahman

Vitali not yet prime, Tyson, Holyfield past prime

 

Agree.. And I think Andrew Golata is being overlooked as well. Lewis dispatched him right after Andrew had just battered bowe from pillar to post.

 

well not completely pillar to post but i know what you mean

and yes Lennox walked right threw Golata :bbb

 

Ray mercer shouldn't even be mentioned. By 1996 He was 35 years of age, off for a full year and hadn't beaten a reputable opponent since he sparked Morrison in 1991. In the interim he had compiled defeats to a 42 year old Holmes, an aging Holyfield on the rebound, and Jesse ferguson. Not to mention a draw with Marion Wilson and a close outing with mark wills. He still managed to give Lewis a tremendous fight. But part of that was the fool hardly nature in which Lennox chose to execute that match.. That and you two guys who knew each other since the amateurs with one of them having an iron chin...

 

Sorry but I still shutter at the memory of those two fights. I honestly thought bowe was going to die in there. Bowe was a great fighter and Andrew disgraced himself with his dirty tactics.. But nevertheless, big daddy was getting demolished on both occasions.. It was sad to watch but it's the truth.

 

yes we all or at least me expected Bowe to give Golata a boxing lesson, i kept waiting but it never happened, what was the weirdest to me was how well Golata did before he disgraced himself with dirty tactics.