Which fighters did Lewis fight who was at the Top of their Game

[Heru]

Vitaly Klitschko. And it was a past prime version of Lewis that beat him. So that kills any argumant that Lewis couldn't beat a prime fighter. It's not Lewis fault that Bowe avoided him. Add David Tua and Michael Grant too. Grant was unbeaten and considered a good shot to upset Lewis at the time. It's easy to forget that now.Lewis fought who he could. And Lewis wasn't in his prime for either Holyfield or Tyson either.

Complete and utter bull****... it's like saying Wladimir Klitschko isn't in his prime now because he's 34.

[Jim Jeffries]

Complete and utter bull****... it's like saying Wladimir Klitschko isn't in his prime now because he's 34.

Yeah I'm pretty sure it's common knowledge that Lennox's prime was in his early to mid 30s. He didn't get ahold of Steward till he was 30. When he retired as 37, he was starting to slip, but that was due more to letting himself get out of shape/losing the fire to train.

[Calilloyd]

Complete and utter bull****... it's like saying Wladimir Klitschko isn't in his prime now because he's 34.

The Lewis that fought Holyfield was not the prime Lewis and did not have the same legs. Something he said himself .What the hell does Klitschko have to do with it? You don't compare two fighters when talking about their primes as if they are exact. And Wladimir is not in his prime, whether you realize that or not. There's a difference between technique and physical prime.

[Calilloyd]

Yeah I'm pretty sure it's common knowledge that Lennox's prime was in his early to mid 30s. He didn't get ahold of Steward till he was 30. When he retired as 37, he was starting to slip, but that was due more to letting himself get out of shape/losing the fire to train.

No it was due to being 37.

[Jim Jeffries]

The Lewis that fought Holyfield was not the prime Lewis and did not have the same legs. Something he said himself .What the hell does Klitschko have to do with it? You don't compare two fighters when talking about their primes as if they are exact. And Wladimir is not in his prime, whether you realize that or not. Don't mistake technique for physical prime.

While older than Tyson, Lewis was a hell of a lot closer to prime.

Wlad is in his prime, which doesn't always coincide with physical prime, unless you're talking about a fighter that relies more on athleticism than technique, like Ali or Roy Jones Jr. Because of his fragile chin, Wlad had to spend more time working on his technique, which is why he's still at the top today, despite being considered washed up about 6 years ago.

[Calilloyd]

UOTE=Jim Jeffries;8926759]While older than Tyson, Lewis was a hell of a lot closer to prime.

Wlad is in his prime, which doesn't always coincide with physical prime, unless you're talking about a fighter than relies more on athleticism than technique, like Ali or Roy Jones Jr. Because of his fragile chin, Wlad had to spend more time working on his technique, which is why he's still at the top today, despite being considered washed up about 6 years ago.[/QUOTE]







I'm talking about Lewis. At 36 he was NOT in his prime which is why he only had one other fight after Tyson. Sure he was better off than Tyson but that doesn't change the facts. And physical prime is what I'm talking about because a poster mentioned that Holyfield was past his prime at 36 against Lewis. And I already said that Wlad has a superior technique which should not be confused with physical prime. Lewis technique improved as well which is why he also flourished under Stewart.

[-CANE-]

Complete and utter bull****... it's like saying Wladimir Klitschko isn't in his prime now because he's 34.

Lewis was definately not in his prime when he fought either Holy or Tyson fact.

But he wasn't as far past his prime as either of them two fact.

[Heru]

Yeah I'm pretty sure it's common knowledge that Lennox's prime was in his early to mid 30s. He didn't get ahold of Steward till he was 30. When he retired as 37, he was starting to slip, but that was due more to letting himself get out of shape/losing the fire to train.

Exactly...

The Lewis that fought Holyfield was not the prime Lewis and did not have the same legs. Something he said himself .What the hell does Klitschko have to do with it? You don't compare two fighters when talking about their primes as if they are exact. And Wladimir is not in his prime, whether you realize that or not. There's a difference between technique and physical prime.

Exactly... Which is why it's the time when physical prime and best technique/experience converge. Basically the finished product.

You don't compare 2 fighters when talking about primes as if they're exact?

Nobody was comparing them as if they're exact, it's an example to my point. I give Wlad as an example because there situations are similar even them being Olympic Gold Medalist with long amateur careers.

The longer your physical prime lasts, the more in your 'prime' you are likely to be because, unless you're not training and/or slipping into bad habits, your technique and experience are getting better.

[kenso]

vitali is the best name on his resume IMO. tyson was on too much of a decline to be considered, and holyfield was getting up there as well.

i hate the controversy surrounding the vitali fight. vitali was clearly winning the fight but it was stopped due to a cut. usually when a fight is stopped on a cut that bad, the guy who had it was getting his ass whipped, but i thought vitali was on his way to putting lewis out.

lewis wasn't at his best that night, but he shouldn't have been stepping in the ring if he wasn't in shape. lewis opted to retire instead of fight vitali again. i do wish he would have fought him, but i guess lewis fans can rest easy on that one. it was a great fight, but if people claim it was a clear victory for lewis, how come vitali left with all of the glory?

[sonnyboyx2]

vitali is the best name on his resume IMO. tyson was on too much of a decline to be considered, and holyfield was getting up there as well.

i hate the controversy surrounding the vitali fight. vitali was clearly winning the fight but it was stopped due to a cut. usually when a fight is stopped on a cut that bad, the guy who had it was getting his ass whipped, but i thought vitali was on his way to putting lewis out.

lewis wasn't at his best that night, but he shouldn't have been stepping in the ring if he wasn't in shape. lewis opted to retire instead of fight vitali again. i do wish he would have fought him, but i guess lewis fans can rest easy on that one. it was a great fight, but if people claim it was a clear victory for lewis, how come vitali left with all of the glory?

Well said Kenso... So after all these replies to my question the clear majority say that Lewis never fought any fighters who was "At the Top of their Game" other than

McCall (1) -- mediocre journeyman
Rahman (1) -- mediocre journeyman
Vitali -- unfortunate loser

Yet there are some who claim Lewis to be ATG Top 3 with a resume as good as Muhammad Ali`s... the truth is that Lewis was an oppotunist who was not an ATG and was about as good as Frank Bruno