What is your opinion of Lennox Lewis?

[Joeyzagz]

@sonnybox

I got this Quote from one of IronMikes links:

“That was a great time in my life,” McCall said of his brief, emotional roller-coaster title reign. “But when you become heavyweight champion, it comes with expectations. There were things I really wasn’t prepared to deal with.

You know what his situation reminds me of? The curse of Lottery winners and One-hit wonders! Mccall definitely had talent considering he was never knocked down, and gave a prime Tyson trouble in sparring, but being champ requires more than just talent.

A great businessman like Donald Trump can go Bankrupt twice during his career(he did), and regain back his wealth each time. But Lottery winners rarely if ever make it back from bankruptcy. Mccalls story is that of the typical lottery winner. Mccall did not have the discipline to handle the pressures of being a great boxer before, and he certainly didnt have it before after he hit the jackpot, he is not in the same class as Lewis..

Lennox is one of the few to face and successfully avenge all of his bad losses but he gets rapped harder than anyone else in boxing. Leotis Martin, Leon Spinks, Fireman Flynn, Meehan, Jimmy Young and Buster Douglas, are never put above ATGs, but somehow flukey Mccall does? Its ridiculous.

[sonnyboyx2]

@sonnybox

I got this Quote from one of IronMikes links:



You know what his situation reminds me of? The curse of Lottery winners and One-hit wonders! Mccall definitely had talent considering he was never knocked down, and gave a prime Tyson trouble in sparring, but being champ requires more than just talent.

A great businessman like Donald Trump can go Bankrupt twice during his career(he did), and regain back his wealth each time. But Lottery winners rarely if ever make it back from bankruptcy. Mccalls story is that of the typical lottery winner. Mccall did not have the discipline to handle the pressures of being a great boxer before, and he certainly didnt have it before after he hit the jackpot, he is not in the same class as Lewis..

Lennox is one of the few to face and successfully avenge all of his bad losses but he gets rapped harder than anyone else in boxing. Leotis Martin, Leon Spinks, Fireman Flynn, Meehan, Jimmy Young and Buster Douglas, are never put above ATGs, but somehow flukey Mccall does? Its ridiculous.

again i cannot agree with you... McCall was no more than a journeyman i have his fight with Buster Douglas and its plain to see that Douglas was a world-class operator who knocked McCall from `pillar-to-post` with McCall being in fantastic shape and really applying the pressure yet to no avail against the much better skilled Douglas, i also have Douglas v Berbick, Ferguson, Williams, Page, Halstead & Jaco and its clear that when on song he was a tremendous fighter who never in a million years should have been a 47/1 dog verses any opponent like he was against Mike Tyson.... yet Oliver McCall KOd Lennox Lewis which is a huge black mark against Lewis, i would also bet my house on it that McCall would KO Hasim Rahman within 4rds yet Rahman poleaxed Lennox Lewis, so you then have to ask the question WHY?....why was these two mediocre journeymen able to KO Lennox Lewis and the theory which i have came too is that, "They was at the top of their game".. even tho they are both very limited... which then raises questions about the rest of the fighters Lennox Lewis fought and when looking at his record you can see that McCall & Rahman along with Vitali Klitschko are the only fighters on the record of Lennox Lewis who was "At the Top of Their Game" when they fought Lewis.. Yet Lewis in your eyes is this mythical destroyer who you claim would beat every heavyweight champion in the history of the sport, which is why i totally disagree with almost everything you try to claim... IMO if Lennox Lewis was to fight every heavyweight champion in history when they was all at "The Top of their Game" Lennox would have at least 14 KO losses on his record.. Ali, Louis, Liston, Frazier, Marciano, Johnson, Bowe, Holyfield, Tyson, Dempsey, Baer, Charles, Walcott, Jeffries, Tunney, Patterson, Foreman, Holmes, Norton would all defeat Lennox Lewis with most scoring KO victories..

you make the claim repeatedly that Lewis avenged his defeats, yet he was a huge favorite to win in the first encounter with McCall & Rahman as well as a huge favorite to win the return fights si it is no `Big Deal`... Do you believe McCall or Rahman would KO any of the great fighters listed above?.... not a chance!

[geribeetus]

tyson and holyfield are the best names on his resume, one was shot one was appreciably past it. he's great, but not top 10

[edgarg]

Lennox every man he ever faced in his prime: (age 27-32) and every man when he was past his prime: (age 32-37). He is one of the few Heavyweights in history to accomplish this feat. (EDITED FOR BOWE, he also defeated everyone he ever faced but never defended a title past the age of 32)

Most guys laying unconscious from a punch will retire like Ricky Hatton (30) or the "great" Michael Spinks at age 31. What does it tell you that at age 36, Lewis was able to get off of the mat and absolutely dominate his opponent the 2nd time to regain his title?

I find it hilarious how the "Shot" rule applies to every single boxer that ever existed except for Lennox Lewis. Mike Tyson is shot after getting ko'd by Douglas at 23, but Lennox is expected to make a full recovery at 36 against Rahman. Your basically saying that Lennox is capable of overcoming a punishing match and guys like 29 Bowe and 32 year old Dempsey are not.

Boxers are defined as "shot" not by their ages, or even their losses. Fighters who ARE shot have been known to win fights. A fighter is regarded as "shot" according to his performance and how his movements and reflexes operate. When Castillo was beaten by Hatton, it was obvious that he was shot, his leg solidity was non-existent, as was his resistance, and his reflexes. Yet, carefully matched, he can still win some fights, as he is presently doing.

Maskaev is shot, as was evident in his second Rahman fight, and which was confirmed by his Peter fight, and of course Rahman, after that fight, was recognised to also being shot- not in that fight although he was KO'd, but in his next fight, or next but one.

Just my opinion.

[edgarg]

Record
By record I mean Win/loss ratio and avenged losses. Gene Tunney, Marciano, Joe Louis, Ali and Lennox all have good heavyweight records. Tyson who never avenged a single defeat, most notably against fluke champ Douglas, has a not-so-good record.

Belts
There are more than 4 belts out there, and with the politics of boxing it is extremely difficult for one man to grab all of the major belts. Lennox held on to 3 of the 4 belts(WBC/IBF/IBO) for 3 years, and decided to take on the more exciting David Tua 37-1 (ranked #1 challenger overall in 2000), over the wba challenger John Ruiz who had 3 losses including a KO to David Tua.

I wont fault a 36 year old man for not chasing the different contenders of each sanctioning body. The fact is, Lennox was the first to unite the WBA/WBC/IBF in 7 years! A major accomplishment. No one has unified them since 1999, and as of today they are worn by 3 separate individuals.

Re major "belts"; the IBO, is not really a major belt. It's always hanging around the fringes whenever a promoter needs a "belt" to put an extra lustre on an otherwise "beltless" contest. The major belts you omitted are the WBA and WBO.

Sorry for butting in.

[edgarg]

It is well known that McCall was coming through rehabilitation from crack .
Lewis knew that as well as he knew his physical advantages over McCall and the fact Steward was in his side that time and who knows what more and therefore had no reason to fear . He also did not fear in their first fight , did he ? so fear was not a factor so why mention it ?

I was always under the impression that McCall was still in the rehabilitation system, and came out of the Home, or Half-Way-House in which he was living, for the fight.

Am I wrong""'d appreciate knowing.