Why are Lennox Lewis losses to mediocre opposition swept under the rug?

Lewis avenged the losses, but both losses were almost identical despite getting a new trainer and sharpening his skills. They were also several years apart. This shows an obvious and consistent hole in his game plan.

That being said, it's guaranteed to be brought up in any h2h discussion. I don't even think his die hard supporters will claim he had some granite Chuvalo level chin, but at worst it was above average. Lewis main problem was that he had poor recovery which is a completely different stat altogether. He took single shots from other big hitters besides Rahman/McCall, the main issue was that he didn't see the shots coming and they timed him perfectly with right hands that he was vulnerable to because of his stance.

 

Rahman took advantage of an unfocused Lennox in the first fight. Lennox even smirked right before Rahman knocked him out. Rahman made a HUGE mistake by taking the rematch. If I remember correctly, he turned down $16M for a winnable fight against a past prime Tyson. Rahman tried to intimidate Lennox with Baltimore tough talk. Almost immediately, I think he realized he made a big mistake.

You're exactly right about McCall. The second McCall fight has to go down as a serious what-if type fight. Surely someone in this forum has created a mythical matchup of Lennox vs a focused McCall.

 

It’s been said above. He avenged both defeats. One in spectacular highlight reel fashion and the other conclusively despite the weird performance from McCall. Still the last man to be undisputed world heavyweight champion. Was a teenager during his reign and whilst not a Lewis fan, I’m recognising his place among the ATG.

 

To me, neither McCall nor Rahman was mediocre, both were 230-40 pound athletic, strong fighters. Lewis might have been the first champion who had to face that type of opponent consistently. Fighting boxers that big and that athletic, it's hard to win them all. If I was heavyweight champion, I'd much rather fight a Floyd Patterson or Zora Folley than McCall or Rahman.

 

That's a fair comment and I'd agree with that.

 

This. People throw around the term mediocre too easily.

 

That fight happened in 94, JJ. I don't think I have ever seen a fighter as focussed on the job in hand as McCall that night. He was almost manically focussed.

If you mean when both Lewis and McCall are focussed, I'm not sure if there has been a thread without checking. But I see a focussed Lewis, particularly in a rematch if he had been kayoed previously, fighting McCall like he did Tua, steadily racking up the points and keeping out of harm's way. If Oliver gets through on occasion, he'd weather the storm, tie him up and start again. It might be a slightly routine affair, certainly compared to how their fights panned out in reality.

 

Excellent analysis. I can definitely see it playing out the way you said, with Lennox boxing from distance and tying up on the inside for a reset. That said, do you really think that a physically prepared and mentally stable McCall wouldn't take a few calculated risks to thwart Lennox's plan and repeat his knockout victory? I realize that anything can happen. Therefore, I'm asking my question from the perspective of being able to repeat the scenario multiple times.

 

Hi JJ. Thanks for the kind words and in answer to your question, in a word, no.

Oliver reached a peak of readiness and followed Emanuel Steward's plan to the letter in 94. He was so in tune with what needed to be done that night, I don't think I've ever seen that level of focussed intensity before or since from anyone.

To achieve that time and again would be beyond anyone, particularly one as unstable as Oliver whose moods swang violently. Of course, without that unstable streak, Oliver never achieves that frightening focus that elevated his talents to carry out the Lewis fight game plan. In more stable mode, in rematches, Oliver feels the force of Lewis' blows and goes into survival, sparring partner mode. Like with Bruno, he might mount the occasional charge but, without the emotional fuel he had in the first fight, it's nothing Lennox can't deal with. And if Lewis is fighting cautious, as you'd expect him to, he's tall enough and sufficiently skilled to smother that intensity and take the heat out of the fight. The memory of the loss and how it came about would make Lennox an even tougher proposition.

Getting back to the first fight that actually did happen. So much is made of how Lewis was sloppy that night, poor footwork and balance, too reliant on the big punch etc that we can overlook how inspired McCall was. On that night, in that frame of mind, I think he'd have been a hard night for all the top heavies at the time. Put the Foreman, Bowe, Moorer, Holyfields of Sept 94 in with Oliver that night and I see him winning as many as he loses. I was honestly that impressed.

 

They aren’t… he’s been criticized mightily for them.

 

Correct , and on many a occasion, there is a more than a few Lewis detractors around, that are not slow to draw down on LL. stay safe buddy.

 

Your response is full of valid points. Thanks for taking the time to explain your rationale in such great detail. Honestly, I think you're spot on about Lennox being smart enough, tall enough, and well versed in the fundamentals to take the heat out of the fight with even the most focused McCall.

I look forward to exchanging opinions with you again soon.

 

They aren't swept under the rug. They are dealt with all the time.

 

Every fuking day!

 

Lewis never lost to mediocre opposition.