How Great Is Lennox Lewis's Resume?

[CarlosG815]

Al Malcolm - Black - Journeyman
Brian Johnson - White - Journeyman
Andy Gerrard - White - Journeyman
Steve Garber - White - Journeyman
Melvin Epps - White - Journeyman
Greg Gorrel - White - Journeyman
Calvin Jones - Black - Journeyman
Mike Simulelo - Black - Journeyman
Jorge Dascola - White - Journeyman
Dan Murphy - White - Journeyman
Ossie Ocasio - Black - Former CW champ - PAST PRIME
Mike Acey - White - Journeyman
Jean Chanet - White - European champ - PRIME
Gary Mason - Black - European Champ - PRIME
Mike Weaver - Black - Former world champ - PAST PRIME
Glen McCrory - White - Former CW champ - PAST PRIME
Tyrell Biggs - Black - Olympic champ - PAST PRIME
Levi Billups - Black - Journeyman
Derek Williams - Black - European Champ - PRIME
Mike Dixon - Black - Journeyman
Razor Ruddock - Black - Contender - PAST PRIME
Tony Tucker - Black - Former HW champ - PAST PRIME
Frank Bruno - Black - Contender - PRIME (ISH)
Phil Jackson - Black - Contender - PRIME
Lionel Butler - Black - Contender - PRIME
Justin Fortune - White - Journeyman
Tommy Morrison - White - Contender - PAST PRIME
Ray Mercer - Black - Contender - PAST PRIME
Oliver McCall - Black - Contender - PRIME
Henry Akinwande - Black - Contender - PRIME
Andrew Golota - White - Contender - PRIME
Shannon Briggs - Black - Contender - PRIME
Zelko Mavrovic - White - European champ - PRIME
Evander Holyfield - Black - World champ - PAST PRIME
Michael Grant - Black - Contender - PRIME
Frans Botha - White - Contender - PAST PRIME
David Tua - White - Contender - PRIME
Hasim Rahman - Black - World champ - PRIME
Mike Tyson - Black - Former world champ - PAST PRIME
Vitali Klitschko - White - World champ - PRIME

BLACK = 23
WHITE = 17

PRIME = 15
PAST PRIME = 11
JOURNEYMEN = 14

This is all to the best of my knowledge.. TBH, I wasn't 100% sure about Calvin Jones and Melvin Epps, so i've called one of each.. Please correct me if I'm wrong..
Noel Quarless was of mixed race, but I've put him down as white..
David Tua is a Samoan, and Jorge Dascola is Hispanic, but both are down as white.

Golata, Tua and Bruno weren't prime for their fights with Lennox.

And as far as the rest of those guys being "prime..." It doesn't really matter if they're not good. When it comes to the big names on his resume, they were way past prime or SHOT.

[msagrain]

Evander Holyfield and Tyson are the biggest names there but of couse they were at the worse end of there careers.

[mickey malone]

Golata, Tua and Bruno weren't prime for their fights with Lennox.

And as far as the rest of those guys being "prime..." It doesn't really matter if they're not good. When it comes to the big names on his resume, they were way past prime or SHOT.

Bruno was a tadge past his best at 32, hence the (ish) but was still able to give Lewis a bit of a fright.. Tua had just turned 28 and Golota was about the same age and coming off the Bowe fights.. How can they not have been prime?.. If your referring to Tua's weight gain; he bulked up intentionally to face the much bigger Lewis.. Golota, I can only put down to having one of his funny turns, because he'd had the beating of Bowe in his last 2 fights..

Excluding Vitaly, I agree with regards to the big names all being pp.. The one huge void is Rid**** Bowe. Had Lewis lost to Bowe he would have been thrown into the mix with a much younger Mike Tyson and a prime Holyfield.. It's a real shame we had to miss out on that.

[paul750]

Mercer and Bruno fought arguably their best ever fights against Lewis. Mercer had given Holyfield a very tough fight the year before.

[Joeyzagz]

Golata, Tua and Bruno weren't prime for their fights with Lennox.

And as far as the rest of those guys being "prime..." It doesn't really matter if they're not good. When it comes to the big names on his resume, they were way past prime or SHOT.

Golota was 28 and his only losses were by dq against Bowe, but whatever...

By your ULTRA strict definition of prime: Big name, Young, current/future champ, never been brutally ko'd, never got knocked down, not the heaviest of his career etc etc etc

Dempsey has beaten 0 prime Heavyweights
Marciano has beaten 0 prime Heavyweights
Tyson has beaten 0 prime Heavyweights
Bowe has beaten 1 prime Heavyweight(Holyfield)
Holyfield has beaten 1 prime Heavyweight(Bowe)
Lennox has beaten 1 prime Heavyweight(Vitali)

You cant kill Lennox's resume' without stomping on other top 10 Hw's. Ali is the only guy who is going to survive that test, which is fine since we all agree his resume' is top shelf. You cant criticize Lennox for not sprouting wings when none of his contemporaries have them either.

[mickey malone]

Mercer and Bruno fought arguably their best ever fights against Lewis. Mercer had given Holyfield a very tough fight the year before.

Mercer was nigh on 30 when he turned pro, so his prime can be argued to an extent.. Bruno gave his best performance against Lewis and at 32, shouldn't be considered over the hill..

[mickey malone]

Dempsey has beaten 0 prime Heavyweights
Marciano has beaten 0 prime Heavyweights
Tyson has beaten 0 prime Heavyweights
Bowe has beaten 1 prime Heavyweight(Holyfield)
Holyfield has beaten 1 prime Heavyweight(Bowe)
Lennox has beaten 1 prime Heavyweight(Vitali)

And that puts the cap on it..

[sonnyboyx2]

Al Malcolm - Black - Journeyman
Brian Johnson - White - Journeyman
Andy Gerrard - White - Journeyman
Steve Garber - White - Journeyman
Melvin Epps - White - Journeyman
Greg Gorrel - White - Journeyman
Calvin Jones - Black - Journeyman
Mike Simulelo - Black - Journeyman
Jorge Dascola - White - Journeyman
Dan Murphy - White - Journeyman
Ossie Ocasio - Black - Former CW champ - PAST PRIME
Mike Acey - White - Journeyman
Jean Chanet - White - European champ - PRIME
Gary Mason - Black - European Champ - PRIME
Mike Weaver - Black - Former world champ - PAST PRIME
Glen McCrory - White - Former CW champ - PAST PRIME
Tyrell Biggs - Black - Olympic champ - PAST PRIME
Levi Billups - Black - Journeyman
Derek Williams - Black - European Champ - PRIME
Mike Dixon - Black - Journeyman
Razor Ruddock - Black - Contender - PAST PRIME
Tony Tucker - Black - Former HW champ - PAST PRIME
Frank Bruno - Black - Contender - PRIME (ISH)
Phil Jackson - Black - Contender - PRIME
Lionel Butler - Black - Contender - PRIME
Justin Fortune - White - Journeyman
Tommy Morrison - White - Contender - PAST PRIME
Ray Mercer - Black - Contender - PAST PRIME
Oliver McCall - Black - Contender - PRIME
Henry Akinwande - Black - Contender - PRIME
Andrew Golota - White - Contender - PRIME
Shannon Briggs - Black - Contender - PRIME
Zelko Mavrovic - White - European champ - PRIME
Evander Holyfield - Black - World champ - PAST PRIME
Michael Grant - Black - Contender - PRIME
Frans Botha - White - Contender - PAST PRIME
David Tua - White - Contender - PRIME
Hasim Rahman - Black - World champ - PRIME
Mike Tyson - Black - Former world champ - PAST PRIME
Vitali Klitschko - White - World champ - PRIME

BLACK = 23
WHITE = 17

PRIME = 15
PAST PRIME = 11
JOURNEYMEN = 14

This is all to the best of my knowledge.. TBH, I wasn't 100% sure about Calvin Jones and Melvin Epps, so i've called one of each.. Please correct me if I'm wrong..
Noel Quarless was of mixed race, but I've put him down as white..
David Tua is a Samoan, and Jorge Dascola is Hispanic, but both are down as white.

Jean Chanet at 36yrs old was certainly not in his prime, Briggs, Tua, Bruno, Butler was all way past their best.. Golota was destroyed by Lewis after taking a panic attack yet old Tyson also destroyed Golota... i think the bottom line is that Lennox Lewis is most certainly missing a big name win on his resume, Holmes beat Norton, Ali beat Frazier, Frazier beat Ali, Holyfield beat Bowe, Tyson beat Spinks etc etc etc Lewis has a dubious win over Vitali.

[sonnyboyx2]

Golota was 28 and his only losses were by dq against Bowe, but whatever...

By your ULTRA strict definition of prime: Big name, Young, current/future champ, never been brutally ko'd, never got knocked down, not the heaviest of his career etc etc etc

Dempsey has beaten 0 prime Heavyweights
Marciano has beaten 0 prime Heavyweights
Tyson has beaten 0 prime Heavyweights
Bowe has beaten 1 prime Heavyweight(Holyfield)
Holyfield has beaten 1 prime Heavyweight(Bowe)
Lennox has beaten 1 prime Heavyweight(Vitali)

You cant kill Lennox's resume' without stomping on other top 10 Hw's. Ali is the only guy who is going to survive that test, which is fine since we all agree his resume' is top shelf. You cant criticize Lennox for not sprouting wings when none of his contemporaries have them either.

your assumption is ridiculous and flawed..

Dempsey beat prime Jess Willard, Fred Fulton, Carpentier, Gibbons, Firpo, Miske, Levinsky. Sharkey.

Tyson beat prime Michael Spinks, Trevor Berbick, Tony Tucker, Bruno, Ruddock, Tubbs.

Marciano beat prime Rex Layne and Harry Mathews who was a top contender on a 9yr win steak of over 50 fights

[mickey malone]

Jean Chanet at 36yrs old was certainly not in his prime, Briggs, Tua, Bruno, Butler was all way past their best.. Golota was destroyed by Lewis after taking a panic attack yet old Tyson also destroyed Golota... i think the bottom line is that Lennox Lewis is most certainly missing a big name win on his resume, Holmes beat Norton, Ali beat Frazier, Frazier beat Ali, Holyfield beat Bowe, Tyson beat Spinks etc etc etc Lewis has a dubious win over Vitali.

Yep you're right about Chanet, I forgot to check his age. He looked about 50 though..

I think it all hinges from not fighting Bowe, and i'm sure with the exclusion of the WBC's influence, the fight would have happened.. This is the crux of it, because like you, I think Bowe would have won.. This would have turned Lewis's agenda from a progressive rise through the division, into a slugfest for supremacy.. In effect, it would have thrown a much greener version of Lewis in with other lions, ie; much better versions of Holyfield and Tyson, which would have either made him or broke him..