Now it is common to consider Lennox Lewis as a "great" boxer and to share the dubious idiom of the decline in the heavyweight. But is it really so? Or is this just the stereotype and the lack of independent thinking?

Recently I found a wonderful video of last Lewis' fight in the net. In my opinion, Lewis and his comments of the past fight are pathetic. So the question is: are retired boxers truly so "great" and their present colleagues so clumsy or we just tend to exaggerate and embellish the past? Everyone is free to make a conclusion for themselves.

<object style="height: 344px; width: 425px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_BH6LvUS__M"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_BH6LvUS__M" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></object>

Lewis in hes career, faught alot of over the top fighters and former champions. Here, he faced a man in hes prime and a fighter with good skills.-

Lewis in hes career, faught alot of over the top fighters and former champions. Here, he faced a man in hes prime and a fighter with good skills.-

Both fighters are a sad indictment on the quality of boxing in recent years. They don't rate alongside the top 10 heavyweights from the 1920s through to the 1970s.

They are just big lumbering behemoths with poor defensive boxing skills.

You clearly havent been into boxing long enough to question his greatness, every expert in the world puts lewis in their top 10 GOAT lists.

You clearly havent been into boxing long enough to question his greatness, every expert in the world puts lewis in their top 10 GOAT lists.
I dont think Lewis is rated that highly. His best wins are: past prime Holyfield*2, shot Tyson and Vitali

Both fighters are a sad indictment on the quality of boxing in recent years. They don't rate alongside the top 10 heavyweights from the 1920s through to the 1970s.

They are just big lumbering behemoths with poor defensive boxing skills.

But on what criteria this assertion is based - speed, strength, technique? Maybe it is just easier to idealize the retired boxers, because reality will not be able to disillusion us? Moreover, memory is selective and we remember only good moments. Who, for example, now remember that the great Ali was defeated by Ken Norton? Or that Lewis avoided fights with southpaws?

The past is easier to idealize than the present, which is fresh in memory and constantly subject to inspection by reality with great risk of disappointment. And we don't want to be disappointed so seeks our "heroes" in the past.

You clearly havent been into boxing long enough to question his greatness, every expert in the world puts lewis in their top 10 GOAT lists.

I'm not interested in so-called "experts" opinion. I asked your opinion.

I think whilst it is an interesting thread Norton you will find that the greatness or not of Lewis has been done to death and quite recently.

Lewis is one of the best ever.

You clearly havent been into boxing long enough to question his greatness, every expert in the world puts lewis in their top 10 GOAT lists.

please show some evidence of this accusation... i have never seen Lewis tanked in any ATG list

please show some evidence of this accusation... i have never seen Lewis tanked in any ATG list
Neither have I, but I have seen him ranked within the top ten hw of all time

But on what criteria this assertion is based - speed, strength, technique? Maybe it is just easier to idealize the retired boxers, because reality will not be able to disillusion us? Moreover, memory is selective and we remember only good moments. Who, for example, now remember that the great Ali was defeated by Ken Norton? Or that Lewis avoided fights with southpaws?

The past is easier to idealize than the present, which is fresh in memory and constantly subject to inspection by reality with great risk of disappointment. And we don't want to be disappointed so seeks our "heroes" in the past.

Just speed and technique. It's not necessary to be strong for boxing, although that would come into play in say a wrestling match for instance. But I do also factor in endurance, heart, chin, courage... you name it.

Lewis fought in a very poor heavyweight era, almost as poor as the one we are experiencing today. There aren't enough decent boxers around, and the fights are not frequent enough to instil any level of expertise. The heavyweights are all too big, and would be murdered by any decent middleweight from the 1920s through to the 1950s. This is not the era of the cheese champions, it's the era of the giant size tomato cans.

Just speed and technique. It's not necessary to be strong for boxing, although that would come into play in say a wrestling match for instance. But I do also factor in endurance, heart, chin, courage... you name it.

Lewis fought in a very poor heavyweight era, almost as poor as the one we are experiencing today. There aren't enough decent boxers around, and the fights are not frequent enough to instil any level of expertise. The heavyweights are all too big, and would be murdered by any decent middleweight from the 1920s through to the 1950s. This is not the era of the cheese champions, it's the era of the giant size tomato cans.

I disagree. Lewis's real reigns came at the end of a very good era. The Heavyweight division of the 1990s, with some occasional potholes, was one of the best decades the Heavyweights ever saw and Lewis was in the thick of that. The dropoff was happening big time by 2001-02, and has gotten worse every year, but most of his career was contested in a hot period.

Another pathetic excuse from Lewis. He has no courage nor honor.

"Lewis spoke about how he is “always” asked why he never came back to fight Klitschko again, and he gave his reasons for not returning to give us the fight some fans (and Vitali himself) have obsessed about ever since 2003.

“People always ask me why I never came back to fight [Vitali] Kitschko [again],” Lewis said to Sky Sports. “The reason was, I had no hunger for Klitschko - he never said he wanted to eat my children, he never bit me in the leg (as former opponent Mike Tyson had done). He never did anything like that.

“So, when it came time for me to see if I should fight Klitschko again, I thought - at my worst, at my worst! I beat Klitschko and look what I did to his face! I was at my worst - just think [what would’ve happened] if I’d trained just a little bit harder. I didn’t need to fight him again.”

Indeed, fans do tend to forget that Lewis, who had originally trained for a fight with Kirk Johnson the June night he met late replacement Klitschko, had only a limited amount of time to get ready for “Dr Iron Fist” and his style of fighting. Yet still Lewis busted up Klitschko and won via TKO.

Lewis was asked if he feels he would have won had the fight not been stopped due to the quite horrific cuts Klitschko suffered in that great action fight.

“Of course,” Lewis answered. “What I did to Klitschko was, I brought him into the deep water. After five rounds, that was it - the same as it was with Frank Bruno. That’s the problem today with the heavyweights, they only train for a five round fight, and that’s why the Klitschkos beat them, because they are in such great condition.”

Pathetic excuse ?, but he's right.

Pathetic excuse ?, but he's right.

He just comes up with excuses again. Watch the video and listen to commentators and Larry Merchant at the thread start. It differs from what Lewis tells now.

Pathetic excuse ?, but he's right.

This, only a nutthugger would call that a pathetic excuse. Anyone with eyes can see that the fight was even on the cards, and Vitali was absolutely out on his feet before the final bell sounded. Whereas Lewis....well he had his knees buckle in the second but was still their, still fighting just as hard as Vitali was. No contest. Maybe the Vitali of today could pull it off, but not that joke of a fighter he was back then.

He just comes up with excuses again. Watch the video and listen to commentators and Larry Merchant at the thread start. It differs from what Lewis tells now.

What was Joe Louis's excuse for losing to young Marciano? What was Ali's excuse for losing to a younger Larry Holmes?

Lennox actually won his last fight against a young, prime ATG, and all he gets is complaints about what he said in the post fight interview.

Do you realize no other Heavyweight has gone out on top in the manner Lennox did? The guy he sparked up ended up becoming the future dominant champ of the next era. Lennox at his worst was on par with the young hungry challenger at his best.

Its never been done in boxing, probably never will again.

What was Joe Louis's excuse for losing to young Marciano? What was Ali's excuse for losing to a younger Larry Holmes?

Lennox actually won his last fight against a young, prime ATG, and all he gets is complaints about what he said in the post fight interview.

Do you realize no other Heavyweight has gone out on top in the manner Lennox did? The guy he sparked up ended up becoming the future dominant champ of the next era. Lennox at his worst was on par with the young hungry challenger at his best.

Its never been done in boxing, probably never will again.

I agree, look at what he did to ATG Vitali Klitschko in his prime while at his worst (Lewis' worst, but still awesome).

Lennox actually won his last fight against a young, prime ATG, and all he gets is complaints about what he said in the post fight interview.


Vitali is an ATG ?, :thinking:.

Hes a top ten ATG imo,but i can see why people dont rate him quite as highly as i do

Now it is common to consider Lennox Lewis as a "great" boxer and to share the dubious idiom of the decline in the heavyweight. But is it really so? Or is this just the stereotype and the lack of independent thinking?

Recently I found a wonderful video of last Lewis' fight in the net. In my opinion, Lewis and his comments of the past fight are pathetic. So the question is: are retired boxers truly so "great" and their present colleagues so clumsy or we just tend to exaggerate and embellish the past? Everyone is free to make a conclusion for themselves.

<object style="height: 344px; width: 425px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_BH6LvUS__M"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_BH6LvUS__M" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></object>

of course nostalgia plays the biggest role.they act like joe louis would k.o any heavy in history and seem to forget joe has been k.o'd and beaten in his prime and has been dropped and hurt by inferior fighters.its nice to hold on but some of these people just need to join the 21st century.every era has great fighters and bums

Vitali is an ATG ?, :thinking:.

All time great? Maybe not.

Future Hall of Fame inductee? Absolutely.

You clearly havent been into boxing long enough to question his greatness, every expert in the world puts lewis in their top 10 GOAT lists.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f142/bigbadvoo/NotSureIfSerious.jpg

I view Lennox Lewis as quite a bit under-rated for most of his career, acknowledged suitably in the latter stages of it, & genuinely becoming over-rated in the current.