Lewis, overated or a true Heavyweight great?

[markosg19]

easily top 5!!!! Holyfield would never have beaten him!!!!

[jabsRstiff]

Jack dempsey had a lousy reign as heavyweight champ.

People talk about the inactivity of today's fighter.

Check the record...Dempsey was champ for 7 years, & made 5 defenses.
That's inexcusable.

He was a phenomenal fighter, who fought with a modern style...but I have problems with his title reign.

[triggerhappy]

he is very overated plus he has a glass jay. but he dose have power.

[jabsRstiff]

What makes you think people on a boxing forum want to see your jerk off material ?
Get that pic outta here, *****.

[dempseyfire]

Demspsey does not belong that high or maybe not even top ten. He shamelessy avoided all black fighters during his day thats why he was so inactive. When forced to fight a black fighter he would choose to just sit out rather than fight.

Schmeling is laughable.

and Lewis' loss to McCall didn't have anything to do with a fight with Bowe. The loss to McCall happend a few years after Bowe had already pulled out of the contract and by 94 Bowe wasn't even champion anymore.

Bowe ducked him in 92 when HBO set up the heavyweight tournement

Bowe vs Holyfield
Lewis vs Rudock

The winners were suppossed to fight Bowe and Lewis both won and that right hand Lewis landed on Rudock started giving Bowe flashbacks. Bowe ran like a school girl pulling out of the contract and instead chose to fight Jesse Ferguson and Micheal Dokes.

As far as calling it a "bad stoppage" I always judge it by looking at the fighter who was stopped. I'll tell you didn't think it was a bad stoppage and thats Ri**** Bowe he didn't complain or anything he knew he was beat.

Bowe-Lewis is universally agreed on as a bad stoppage. You are in the small minority on this one.

I know about the 1992 deal, but the truth is that the Bowe and Lewis camps WERE already in negotiations in 1994 for a fight, with Lewis's title on the line. Whether he was clearly ducking Lewis earlier is kind of mute since he signed on to fight him at a later date . .
Schmeling is 'pathetic' . . . how about knowing something about the man and his era before you post such nonsense.

As for Dempsey, yes it was political and economic reasons he didn't fight Willis, and Willis was the ONLY black HW of the time who deserved a title shot. The fight scene was not like it is today, most of the best HWs (and fighters in all of the weight classes) were white. Don't look at history through 2004 goggles b/c you will never comprehend what was going on . . . .and Dempsey yes didn't fight often during his title reign (which was due mainly b/c he was doing Hollywood pictures and living the good life after the Firpo fight) but his resume before the Williard title shot is outstanding, and is where he should get most of the credit as a fighter.

[LuKahnLi]

If Lewis is top 10 all time, he is definitely in the lower half of that top 10.

Top 5 is occupied by
Ali, Louis, Holmes, Foreman and Frazier.

Lower 5 is occupied by
Lewis, Holyfield, Dempsey, Norton and Marciano

Though Marciano could probably be in the top 5 over Frazier.....

[triggerhappy]

dont envy my great body

[pinkpanther]

Lwis is about 8 all time in my opinion

1. Louis
2. Marciano
3. Ali
4. Liston
5. Fraizer
6. Dempsey
7. Forman
8. Lewis

[SonnyG8R]

Top 20 Heavies

Muhammad Ali

Joe Louis

Jack Johnson

Rocky Marciano

George Foreman

Larry Holmes

Jack Dempsey

Evander Holyfield

Sonny Liston

Joe Frazier

Lennox Lewis

Mike Tyson

Ezzard Charles

Jim Jeffries

James J. Corbett

Gene Tunney

Bob Fitzsimmons

John L. Sullivan

Jess Willard

Jersey Joe Walcott

[J !]

nice work sonny, i dont agree with all the positions but its a pretty conclusive, i dont do lists of heavies by the way nor all time p4p, find em futile and pointless but as lists go thats a goodie.