Why Lennox Could Be Ranked Top 3 (snapshot of an era)

[Joeyzagz]

Ali and Joe Louis rank #1 and #2 on the majority of HW lists and with good reason. When you list the top 10 names of opponents they defeated, you get a who's who of the era:

The Louis Era
1. Max Schmelling
2. Max Baer
3. Jersey Joe Walcott
4. Primo Carnera
5. Jack Sharkey
6. James Braddock
7. Tommy Farr
8. Billy Conn
9. Abe Simon
10. Buddy Baer

The Ali Era
1. George Foreman
2. Sonny Liston
3. Joe Frazier
4. Floyd Patterson
5. Ken Norton
6. George Chuvalo
7. Jerry Quarry
8. Earnie Shavers
9. Jimmy Young
10. Ron Lyle

They beat the top fighters within age range and captured a snapshot of their respective era's. Now for Lennox:

The Lennox Era
1. Evander Holyfield
2. Mike Tyson
3. Vitali Klitschko
4. Riddick Bowe
5. David Tua
6. Razor Ruddock
7. Tony Tucker
8. Frank Bruno
9. Ray Mercer
10. Tommy Morrison

How many other HWs can produce a snaphot of their era that is both complete and impressive? Using only resume' victories?

[Barn]

Ali and Joe Louis rank #1 and #2 on the majority of HW lists and with good reason. When you list the top 10 names of opponents they defeated, you get a who's who of the era:

The Louis Era
1. Max Schmelling
2. Max Baer
3. Jersey Joe Walcott
4. Primo Carnera
5. Jack Sharkey
6. James Braddock
7. Tommy Farr
8. Billy Conn
9. Abe Simon
10. Buddy Baer

The Ali Era
1. George Foreman
2. Sonny Liston
3. Joe Frazier
4. Floyd Patterson
5. Ken Norton
6. George Chuvalo
7. Jerry Quarry
8. Earnie Shavers
9. Jimmy Young
10. Ron Lyle

They beat the top fighters within age range and captured a snapshot of their respective era's. Now for Lennox:

The Lennox Era
1. Evander Holyfield
2. Mike Tyson
3. Vitali Klitschko
4. Riddick Bowe
5. David Tua
6. Razor Ruddock
7. Tony Tucker
8. Frank Bruno
9. Ray Mercer
10. Tommy Morrison

How many other HWs can produce a snaphot of their era that is both complete and impressive? Using only resume' victories?

The thing is he didn't beat Riddick Bowe. Tyson and Holyfield were past it. There's what I think the 3 best fighters on your list gone already.

[Joeyzagz]

The thing is he didn't beat Riddick Bowe. Tyson and Holyfield were past it. There's what I think the 3 best fighters on your list gone already.

Really?

The bottom line is they didnt/couldnt beat Lennox.

[Barn]

Really?

The bottom line is they didnt/couldnt beat Lennox.

The same way Pryor beat Hearns.

Same way Ali couldn't beat Berbick.

[The Surgeon]

The same way Pryor beat Hearns.

Same way Ali couldn't beat Berbick.

BOOM! There it is, the truth!

[sonnyboyx2]

Holyfield, Bowe, Hide, Moorer, Foreman, Wlad, Sanders, Holmes, Ruiz, Byrd, Jones Jr. Tyson all held versions of the Heavyweight Title during the 1990s and Lewis refused to fight any of them.. Lewis was a paper-champion on two occasions during the 90s and won the undisputed title late in 1999 on a very dubious verdict over an aged Holyfield he then had every belt stripped from him for refusing to fight the No1 contenders..... Now like it or not these are facts about how Lewis career unfolded and to claim otherwise or ignore these points is massaging the truth..

On a head2Head basis Lewis would not make the Top 15

[CarlosG815]

Any thread started by Zags is a bait thread that should be ignored and not taken seriously.

[Joeyzagz]

Holyfield, Bowe, Hide, Moorer, Foreman, Wlad, Sanders, Holmes, Ruiz, Byrd, Jones Jr. Tyson all held versions of the Heavyweight Title during the 1990s and Lewis refused to fight any of them.. Lewis was a paper-champion on two occasions during the 90s and won the undisputed title late in 1999 on a very dubious verdict over an aged Holyfield he then had every belt stripped from him for refusing to fight the No1 contenders..... Now like it or not these are facts about how Lewis career unfolded and to claim otherwise or ignore these points is massaging the truth..

You expect Lennox to fight every possible contender at the exact point in their career when they are peaking. THis is logistically impossible, and Lennox would need 100 fights and a time machine just to satisfy your ridiculous requests. No fighter has accomplished what you ask of Lennox.

Here is what a reasonable man had to say about Lennox's career in an interview done THIS YEAR(2011) by boxingscene. Hint: he is one of the fighters you named above.

"There were some good boxers around who could floor me too though! Lennox Lewis before he retired was one tough cookie. Lennox is an all time great. It didn't matter who beat him he would come back and was brave enough to fight them again and beat them. Some fighters when you beat them you would never see them again. Lennox did not care. He would come back and try you again."

http://www.boxingscene.com/george-fo...ts-more--35557

The same way Pryor beat Hearns.

Same way Ali couldn't beat Berbick.

It would be funny if Hearns hung out at 140 chucking belts to avoid Pryor. Id be taunting him just the same...
Ali/Berbibck? Are you serious? you do realize Lennox never fought anyone older than 37? Nor did he face anyone rotting away from parkinsons...try again

[sonnyboyx2]

You expect Lennox to fight every possible contender at the exact point in their career when they are peaking. THis is logistically impossible, and Lennox would need 100 fights and a time machine just to satisfy your ridiculous requests. No fighter has accomplished what you ask of Lennox.

Here is what a reasonable man had to say about Lennox's career in an interview done THIS YEAR(2011) by boxingscene. Hint: he is one of the fighters you named above.

"There were some good boxers around who could floor me too though! Lennox Lewis before he retired was one tough cookie. Lennox is an all time great. It didn't matter who beat him he would come back and was brave enough to fight them again and beat them. Some fighters when you beat them you would never see them again. Lennox did not care. He would come back and try you again."

http://www.boxingscene.com/george-fo...ts-more--35557


It would be funny if Hearns hung out at 140 chucking belts to avoid Pryor. Id be taunting him just the same...
Ali/Berbibck? Are you serious? you do realize Lennox never fought anyone older than 37? Nor did he face anyone rotting away from parkinsons...try again

my point is that all those fighters who held a version of the title during the 1990s was "At The Top of their Game" and Lewis was offered career highest paydays on many occasions to fight many of those fighters yet he refused and instead he fought a bunch of exposed fighters who was all on the downside of their careers and was exposed.. yet you are claiming his resume to be the equal of Muhammad Ali's which is ridiculous..

[Wild Blue Yonda]

Any thread started by Zags is a bait thread that should be ignored and not taken seriously.

It is hard to look at this any other way if he is including Bowe on his list of Lewis victims.

That's a shame, because while I think Lewis in the top-3 of all-time is reaching fairly heavily, there is at least some support for it. Listing Bowe is not included in that.