Ike Ibeabuchi vs Lennox Lewis

[StarshipTrooper]

Maybe it's best talked about in a new thread, but what makes you think I'm not giving Lennox his due?

I don't like to put any fighter down, but this is a guy that I just can not stand and I think I have good reason. He was KO'd by 2 nobodies, in the prime of his career when he was as good as he ever was. He never beat any top contenders in their prime in a convincing fashion.

The Tua he fought would have been KO'd by any ATG or Near great - Lewis took him to a decision - in my eyes he didn't get the job done right.

Lennox' resume can be picked apart so easily in the worst way. And while you can do that with any fighters resume, even my all time favorite Mike Tyson, at least Tyson did his job right by KO'ng almost all of his opponents in a very convincing way.

Lennox has never been impressive in the way he's won his fights, and I know to you that doesn't matter, but to me and many fans it does. I've heard you say PBF potshots his way to victory and that takes away from his greatness - the same should hold true for the Overrated Lennox Lewis.

I'm curious to know what I am missing when it comes to the career of Lennox Lewis.

As you say you can do that to any fighters resume and I have many times. I never said Lennox wasn't boring to watch but entertainment value isn't a measure of how great a fighter is. I personally don't rate a KO any more than I do a decision: A win is a win in my book. I don't my personal disdain for a fighter color my views on his abilities: I rate Mayweather as an ATG fighter, just not as high as his rabid fan-bois do. My criticism of his pot-shotting has everything to do with his extremely low work-rate for his weight-class. In Lennox's case, his work rate wasn't really out of line for your typical Heavyweight. I actually give Tyson extra credit for HIS workrate early in fights.

As for Tua, I seriously doubt he would have stopped by "any great" given that his chin is a proven commodity. Out pointed certainly, in which case Lennox did what was expected, but stopped? I doubt it. Remember, a fighter is only under an obligation to win, not to entertain us. While a high work-rate is more entertaining than a low-work rate, it isn't the entertainment factor that makes a higher work-rate desirable: It's the fact that you have to score to win, and a low-work rate makes winning against against great or near-great opponent problematical.....hence my criticism of Mayweather compared to other greats.

Poet

[sonnyboyx2]

i get amazed at times with how highly Lennox Lewis is rated by some people, i have seen Lewis fight on several occasions and will never forget the night McCall levelled him, The McCall team of Don King, Eddie Mustapha Muhammad, Emanuel Stewart & Greg Page was incredibly confident that McCall would beat him, Don King stood in the ring before the introductions showing a huge cheque from William Hills bookmakers of the bet he had wagered of £100,000 at odds of 5/2 McCall to win, every single person (myself included) in the 14000 crowd was booing and chanting Lewis Lewis Lewis, yet McCall silenced every single person in that arena with one devastating punch at the start of the 2nd round, i have heard many fans claim that Lewis was on his feet at the count of 6 and the fight was stopped to quickly, yet everyone at ringside (myself included) and all Lewis fans was shouting,"Stop it, Stop it" because McCall would have ended Lennox career if that referee had let it continue... McCall & his team went into wild celebrations in the ring as the entire crowd of 14000 sat in stunned silence, after about 8 minutes Lewis left the ring, yet had to be helped down the ring-steps by his brother and handlers, as they passed by me (6ft away) i could see that Lennox was on unsteady legs and that his eyes was still `Glassy`.. in my Hotel room that night i knew that Lennox Lewis was Not the real deal.. from that night onwards Lewis chose his opponents very carefully, he made sure that they was exposed fighters on the downside of their career and not at the top of their game, i wanted Lewis to prove me wrong and fight the best in the world but he never did, he always avoided the fighters who was on the up as well as the top contenders... i have no animosity towards Lennox Lewis as i seen him the night he destroyed Razor Ruddock at Earls Court as well as Derek Williams & Gary Mason, i seen him struggle badly with Frank Bruno yet put it down to the cold night air, yet the McCall fight answered all the doubts in my mind and told me that Lennox Lewis is nothing special.

[Jim Jeffries]

I would be grateful if someone could provide me with a list of all these people that Lennox supposedly "ducked."

[CarlosG815]

I would be grateful if someone could provide me with a list of all these people that Lennox supposedly "ducked."

You're worthless, as you can not even contribute to the original thread. You want to come in and defend your idol Lennox Lewis, and then you'll try to drag the K brothers in and try to glorify them and make others see them in the same light as you. Nobody cares.

And the Lewis debate you're looking for has already been had - do a search.

[sonnyboyx2]

I would be grateful if someone could provide me with a list of all these people that Lennox supposedly "ducked."

Lewis was champion in 1992 and a top fighter through to he retired in 11yrs later.. during those 11yrs we had several fighters hold versions of the heavyweight title, Bowe, Holyfield, Tyson, Holmes, Foreman, Moorer, Hide, Jones jr. Sanders, Wlad Klitschko as well as many top contenders like Mercer, Witherspoon, Ruiz, Byrd yet Lewis spewed out garbage to the British press that they was all afraid of him, yet he accepted step-a-side-money rather than say "NO THANKS" and have a career highest purse and guaranteed title fight with Tyson in 96, he turned down £10 million in 95 to fight Rid**** Bowe, he priced himself out of fighting Bowe in 93, he turned down a huge British fight with Hide in late 95/96, he was eventually stripped of every belt for refusing to fight the No1 contenders in Ruiz (WBA) Byrd (IBF) Vitali (WBC) he turned down an offer from HBO of a staggering $36 million +PPV to fight Roy Jones claiming he had nothing to prove by fighting a former middleweight.. if Lewis ducked only one fighter i could understand it, but ducking every fighter who was at the top of their game is another story.. Lennox hand-picked his opponents for harmlessness in Botha, Akinwande, Fortune, Jackson, Butler, Morrison, Tua, Grant, Golota, Briggs he chose them because they had been exposed by other opponents as on the slide or not top class.. Lewis eventually fought Tyson & Holyfield when they was way past their best days and even tried to take Tyson to court to try to make him fight him again knowing that he was a shell of the once great champion he had been 13yrs earlier...This is the reason that Lewis has never been accepted by the USA boxing public, they seen right through him and his tactics at avoiding the top fighters.

[Holtol]

Ike Ibeabuchi could have maybe beat Lewis if he was not insane. But if Lewis had an Iron chin and Ali's boxing ability he would have destroyed Ike easy.

[Tommo1]

Ike Ibeabuchi! What an absolute tank! What tremendous stamina and output in his action packed battle with Tua. And his tracking down of the Byrd was terrific as well!. 20 straight wins zero losses. How good could have he been!? What a damn shame. Personally I think he could have been a great champion. Perhaps even THE greatest who knows. Few could withstand such an assault.

I chose Lewis by decision. Lewis is the elite proven beyond all doubt. But really anything could have happened. It's no far stretch of the imagination for it to go anyway. But I think it's only reasonable to make Lewis the betting favourite. Tua was their common opponent. They both beat him but Lewis performed better.

The 90's HW scene had so much depth.

[Sugarj]

Ike Ibeabuchi! What an absolute tank! What tremendous stamina and output in his action packed battle with Tua. And his tracking down of the Byrd was terrific as well!. 20 straight wins zero losses. How good could have he been!? What a damn shame. Personally I think he could have been a great champion. Perhaps even THE greatest who knows. Few could withstand such an assault.

I chose Lewis by decision. Lewis is the elite proven beyond all doubt. But really anything could have happened. It's no far stretch of the imagination for it to go anyway. But I think it's only reasonable to make Lewis the betting favourite. Tua was their common opponent. They both beat him but Lewis performed better.

The 90's HW scene had so much depth.

I too rated Ike and I honestly would have put money on him to beat Lewis. He will go down in history as one of the biggest missed opportunities in heavyweight history.....

[Tommo1]

It's the sort of fight you would put money on the challenger for. I am a Lewis fan, I think when Lennox is on he is right on. But yeah if Rahman and McCall can KO Lennox, Mercer, Vitali and Holyfield can stretch him and Briggs can almost KO him, there's good reason to believe Ike would have got him.

Then again there is still the flip side of the coin, that he was only proven against Tua and Byrd, not the others. I think at the level of development he was at, by about 30 fights he could have been unstoppable. Sadly we'll never know!

[Sugar Adam Ali]

I think lewis would be very leery of Ike's power,,,

I always favor skills and technique and Lewis has it over Ike,,,

Ike would chase lewis, but i think lewis does enough to squeak past ike in a very close fight,,,
I can see it being like the mercer fight for lewis