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Lennox Lewis might be the most overrated boxer in history.
His key fights all came against men who were no longer in their prime and/or on top.
Lennox waited for Tyson to go to jail, get out, lose and THEN he finally fought him.
Lennox waited for Holyfield to have heart problems, retire, get healed by his faith in Jesus, and THEN he finally fought him.
Lennox was a boring opportunist who got knocked out by C fighters in his prime. The was no greatness in Lewis' career. In fact, Lewis retired because he was getting his ass handed to him by the elder Klitschko, and the judges saved him from yet another embarrassing loss.
Lennox was simply a tall man in a time when heavyweights did have his height, reach or weight. His jabbed and hugged all night until he bored his competition into be reckless. After Lewis retired, Steward was in hurry to get another tall, rangy boring fighter and he ended up with the Klitschko brothers.
Aside from the formula from having fighters who are taller, heavier and have longer reach, Steward's resume as a trainer has really been **** since Tommy Hearns. And even then you saw Hearns, who was another tall and rangie fighter, get clobbered at times where he wouldn't have had he had a different trainer. Hearns only did as well as he did because of his god given punching power. Lennox didn't have that and that's why his fights were boring as hell.
I don't like Haye at all, but I won't condemn his legacy on the say so of Steward, who knows his man fought big names of guys who were shadows of their best days. Steward has got nerve to ever say something like that when he knows that Lennox never fought the best either. Hell, Lennox might as well have gotten Ali in the ring and beat him in the 90's to say that he fought and beat a guy that some believe was the best of all time! The name recognition would be on his resume .. and that seems to be all they care about.
What many people don't factor in is that Lennox is the guy who put Steward back on the map as a trainer. So Steward is always going to speak of Lennox as if he were one of the greats instead of a big guy who sought fights with over the hill legends who were smaller men.
I personally think that Steward stays relevant because of years involved and a reputation predicated on Hearns. He's worked with a lot of guys but no one stays with him because he tries to make them all fight like tall guys like Hearns and Lewis. Its all the guy knows!
The Klitschkos aren't much better. Steward seems to have tried to get them to emulate what he did with Lennox, but they are more European in their movements ... meaning stiffer, straighter and with less body and head movement. Wlad has been flattened following Steward's methodology before by D fighters like Ross Purity and C fighter Lamon Brewster.
Its easy to create a long list of fighters that he's worked with, but how many found a home under Steward's tutelage?
Now THAT'S a very short list.
Watch for Cotto to get demolished very soon. And then watch for Cotto to be looking for a new trainer soon as well.
His key fights all came against men who were no longer in their prime and/or on top.
Lennox waited for Tyson to go to jail, get out, lose and THEN he finally fought him.
Lennox waited for Holyfield to have heart problems, retire, get healed by his faith in Jesus, and THEN he finally fought him.
Lennox was a boring opportunist who got knocked out by C fighters in his prime. The was no greatness in Lewis' career. In fact, Lewis retired because he was getting his ass handed to him by the elder Klitschko, and the judges saved him from yet another embarrassing loss.
Lennox was simply a tall man in a time when heavyweights did have his height, reach or weight. His jabbed and hugged all night until he bored his competition into be reckless. After Lewis retired, Steward was in hurry to get another tall, rangy boring fighter and he ended up with the Klitschko brothers.
Aside from the formula from having fighters who are taller, heavier and have longer reach, Steward's resume as a trainer has really been **** since Tommy Hearns. And even then you saw Hearns, who was another tall and rangie fighter, get clobbered at times where he wouldn't have had he had a different trainer. Hearns only did as well as he did because of his god given punching power. Lennox didn't have that and that's why his fights were boring as hell.
I don't like Haye at all, but I won't condemn his legacy on the say so of Steward, who knows his man fought big names of guys who were shadows of their best days. Steward has got nerve to ever say something like that when he knows that Lennox never fought the best either. Hell, Lennox might as well have gotten Ali in the ring and beat him in the 90's to say that he fought and beat a guy that some believe was the best of all time! The name recognition would be on his resume .. and that seems to be all they care about.
What many people don't factor in is that Lennox is the guy who put Steward back on the map as a trainer. So Steward is always going to speak of Lennox as if he were one of the greats instead of a big guy who sought fights with over the hill legends who were smaller men.
I personally think that Steward stays relevant because of years involved and a reputation predicated on Hearns. He's worked with a lot of guys but no one stays with him because he tries to make them all fight like tall guys like Hearns and Lewis. Its all the guy knows!
The Klitschkos aren't much better. Steward seems to have tried to get them to emulate what he did with Lennox, but they are more European in their movements ... meaning stiffer, straighter and with less body and head movement. Wlad has been flattened following Steward's methodology before by D fighters like Ross Purity and C fighter Lamon Brewster.
Its easy to create a long list of fighters that he's worked with, but how many found a home under Steward's tutelage?
Now THAT'S a very short list.
Watch for Cotto to get demolished very soon. And then watch for Cotto to be looking for a new trainer soon as well.
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