Lennox Lewis is now a Boxer of the Past

[crooked nose]

So he's retiring. Where does he rank among all-time heavyweight champs? I would have ranked him in the top six or eight but for the memory of him being starched by McCall and Rahman.

[Eric the Viking]

I have him somewhere in the 10-15 range, the precise spot depending on my mood. Note that my definition of All-Time Great is not in the head-to-head sense, which (especially at heavyweight) penalizes the old-timers who tended to be smaller - it's about how you rate based on how you did against the best of your era, factoring in the perceived strength of that era. Lewis was definitely the best of his era, but it was a relatively weak one, especially compared to (say) the 70s. I don't think Holmes' era was particularly stronger, but Holmes didn't lose his first fight until he was nearly as old as Lennox is today. And the 2 KOs to big-punching journeymen definitely knock Lewis down a few places from where he might otherwise be, even though he avenged both losses convincingly.