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Ask any boxing fan about Lennox Lewis' ATG status and you'll generally get the same answer : Most people have him on their top 10 Heavyweight list of the greatest to ever do it.
Ask that same boxing fan about the Klitschko brothers' reign and the result will be.....Well, not exactly the same.
Throughout his career Lewis was generally looked upon with disdain by most in the boxing public : He fought once a year, he dominated his division, but yet people still defined that era as "post Tyson". Not to mention embarassing knockout losses to 2 contenders of his era : Hasim Rahman and Oliver McCall. Lewis would go on to avenge both of those losses by knockout. But the damage to his reputation was already done.
In the years since Lennox has retired, a begrudging amount of respect has been bestowed upon the former Heavyweight kingpin : Most people now recognize his talents, and give full credit to his accomplishments.
Now look at the Klitschko brothers Era : They took the reigns after Lewis' retirement and have pretty much dominated it ever since. Vitali was looked upon as the stronger of the two for a while, but a 4 year retirement and numerous failed comebacks (thanks to repeated injury) thrust his brother Wladimir into the spotlight.
Wlad is a fighter very similar to Lewis : He's technical in his approach, not one for taking unnecessary risks in the ring, and he's pretty much dominated every opponet put infront of him. To top it off, he also has 2 embarassing knockout losses to contenders of his era Lamon Brewster and Corrie Sanders on his record. Unlike Lewis, Wladimir avenged only one of those losses, scoring a 6 round RTD over Lamon Brewster.
When casual boxing fans think of the Heavyweight division now, they generally say it's "gone south". Or that it's not nearly as good as eras past.
But was Lennox Lewis' era really that spectactular by comparison? What's the difference between Corrie Sanders and Oliver McCall? Is there one?
When it comes to the issue of legacy, most people consider Lewis to be the greatest of his era, and they list him as an "All Time Great" Heavyweight Champion. Fans and experts alike
When it comes time for Wladimir and Vitali to step aside, they can rest assured that they will go down as the greatest Heavyweights of their era.
But when it comes to "All Time Great" status, one must ask oneself: Would Lennox Lewis get the same amount of respect he gets today, if during his era, there were TWO Lennox Lewis' who fought in a similar style, dominated their opposition, but refused to face one another?
Ask that same boxing fan about the Klitschko brothers' reign and the result will be.....Well, not exactly the same.
Throughout his career Lewis was generally looked upon with disdain by most in the boxing public : He fought once a year, he dominated his division, but yet people still defined that era as "post Tyson". Not to mention embarassing knockout losses to 2 contenders of his era : Hasim Rahman and Oliver McCall. Lewis would go on to avenge both of those losses by knockout. But the damage to his reputation was already done.
In the years since Lennox has retired, a begrudging amount of respect has been bestowed upon the former Heavyweight kingpin : Most people now recognize his talents, and give full credit to his accomplishments.
Now look at the Klitschko brothers Era : They took the reigns after Lewis' retirement and have pretty much dominated it ever since. Vitali was looked upon as the stronger of the two for a while, but a 4 year retirement and numerous failed comebacks (thanks to repeated injury) thrust his brother Wladimir into the spotlight.
Wlad is a fighter very similar to Lewis : He's technical in his approach, not one for taking unnecessary risks in the ring, and he's pretty much dominated every opponet put infront of him. To top it off, he also has 2 embarassing knockout losses to contenders of his era Lamon Brewster and Corrie Sanders on his record. Unlike Lewis, Wladimir avenged only one of those losses, scoring a 6 round RTD over Lamon Brewster.
When casual boxing fans think of the Heavyweight division now, they generally say it's "gone south". Or that it's not nearly as good as eras past.
But was Lennox Lewis' era really that spectactular by comparison? What's the difference between Corrie Sanders and Oliver McCall? Is there one?
When it comes to the issue of legacy, most people consider Lewis to be the greatest of his era, and they list him as an "All Time Great" Heavyweight Champion. Fans and experts alike
When it comes time for Wladimir and Vitali to step aside, they can rest assured that they will go down as the greatest Heavyweights of their era.
But when it comes to "All Time Great" status, one must ask oneself: Would Lennox Lewis get the same amount of respect he gets today, if during his era, there were TWO Lennox Lewis' who fought in a similar style, dominated their opposition, but refused to face one another?
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