Who was the best out of these heavies?

That's only if you place more emphasis is beating power punching Heavyweights over beating slicksters and stylists who are equally good fighters but present a different challenge.

But lets examine this even further: Add Vitaly Klitschko, Evander Holyfield, Frans Botha and Ray Mercer we get a better picture of the depth of his resume. And that would account for the Top 16 names on his resume.

Compared to Tyson: Williams, Ruddock, Smith, Golota, Holmes, Seldon, Tubbs, Nielson, Botha, Bruno, Berbick, Tucker, Thomas, Biggs, Stewart, Savarese.

Compared to Holmes: Cooney, Shavers, Witherspoon, Williams, Norton, Weaver, Mercer, Smith, Bey, Ocassio, Frazier, Berbick, Snipes, Cobb, Spinks, Ali.

Sometimes the question to ask when comparing stylists and punchers is who was the more effective fighter?

Look at David Tua and look at Chris Byrd; who's the better scalp?

While some might say instinctively that Tua would be the better scalp, it was Byrd who not only was better accomplished, but won their h2h match up when they actually faced each other.

Based on the man he faced at the time he faced them I don't believe that Lewis has a deeper resume than Tyson or Holmes.

 

Perhaps if Lewis didn't turn down Rock Newman's $11 million dollar offer to face Bowe and demanded more money then they would have fought in 1993. Bowe didn't throw the belt in the bin to avoid Lewis, he threw his belt in the bin because he was going to get stripped by the WBC for not having the fight set by a certain date.

Bowe's position was as the champion, he should be able to dictate the terms to the challenger. He was enraged that the WBC took Lewis's side and while negotiations were ongoing. In any case, the fight lost momentum when Bowe lost the rematch to Holyfield and Lewis got knocked out by McCall.

After the comeback for both fighters, the interest for the fight resumed. Tyson was being released from prison and he was the new target for all heavyweights. Bowe wanted a fight with Lewis or a Superfight with Tyson. Lewis wanted the same.

Invariably both fighters, took tune up fights to angle themselves for a Tyson or fight with each other. Lewis looked lackluster in a razor thin decision in a fight with an aging Ray Mercer and Bowe looked even worse in his tune up bout against unknown Andrew Golota. The Golota rematch effectively ended Bowe's career as a top heavyweight killing the fight for good.

 

When? Where? Source?

 

That's not ducking, Mark. You have managers and a whole team behind you for a reason. And every fighter on that dais said they fought who their managers told them to fight except for Lennox Lewis (and Buster presumably for his fight against Holyfield, and partially because he didn't want to rematch Tyson and deal with Don King). And as always Lennox is full of it. Still trying to look like he's some white knight and separating himself from the pack. Please.