Is Lennox Lewis A Top Ten Heavyweight?

[TheOneIsHere2008]

And if he fought in the glorious seventies how would he have fared against

Joe Frazier

Ken Norton

Muhammad Ali

George Foreman

Earnie Shavers

Jimmy Young

Larry Holmes

[bennie]

He would have beaten Young and Shavers. That's it.

[yancey]

He would have beaten Young and Shavers. That's it.

and Norton.

[jimglen]

NO he's English, I mean Canadian or is it Weat Indies... I don't know, but to call him a Top 10 or all-time great, Sorry completely wrong Nationality!

[SteveO]

IMO Ali would outpoint him. He would have beaten Young and Norton. Shavers and Frazier would have had a punchers chance, but I think he would have beaten them too. Foreman and Holmes are harder to judge - would have been great match-ups though.

[dempseyfire]

He would have beaten Young and Shavers. That's it.

I agree.

Norton style-wise would be a bad style-matchup for Lewis. Lennox is not an aggressive puncher like Foreman or Cooney when he faces guys who can punch and box (see his two fights vs a lethargic Holyfield), and Norton would be able to time and outjab the Briton and come on strong late as Lewis faded. Of course a big Lewis uppercut or right cross could end matters but I think Norton wins 2/3.

[observer1]

He would have beaten Young and Shavers. That's it.

Agree.

[Ross]

He would have beaten Young and Shavers. That's it.

Agree.

ANd so do I

[Grimm]

Top 10? Not in most people's or mine but close.

I say he would have a chance with almost everyone on that list but Ali and Holmes give him the toughest matches.

[Ross]

Top 10? Not in most people's or mine but close.

I say he would have a chance with almost everyone on that list but Ali and Holmes give him the toughest matches.

Lewis would be between 10 and 20 at best,

[rob h]

Lennox is def top ten material.

He could beat any of these names on a given night. Didn't George say you would have to be crazy to get in the ring with Lewis?

Lennox was very reckless in his younger days (reminds me of Haye) and most definately a slugger,but a 33year old Lewis is well in my top ten.

[oliverfennell]

As Lewis only lost to inferior boxers when he was complacent and/or unfit, it would be unfair to say, for example, Frazier would definitely beat him, because Rahman and McCall did. Assuming Lewis was at his best, I think he would get the following results:

Joe Frazier - W PTS

Ken Norton - W KO 6

Muhammad Ali - L PTS

George Foreman - L KO 5 (Foreman too big and persistant to be easily outboxed by Lewis)

Earnie Shavers - W KO 8

Jimmy Young - W PTS

Larry Holmes - L PTS

[TheOneIsHere2008]

As Lewis only lost to inferior boxers when he was complacent and/or unfit, it would be unfair to say, for example, Frazier would definitely beat him, because Rahman and McCall did. Assuming Lewis was at his best, I think he would get the following results:

Joe Frazier - W PTS

Ken Norton - W KO 6

Muhammad Ali - L PTS

George Foreman - L KO 5 (Foreman too big and persistant to be easily outboxed by Lewis)

Earnie Shavers - W KO 8

Jimmy Young - W PTS

Larry Holmes - L PTS

Even if Lenox lost to Ali, Holmes, and Foreman he would still possibly be a top ten hw...That's how stacked the division was...

[oliverfennell]

I agree. Lennox's CV doesn't stack up as well as many of the accepted greats, but I think what was special about Lewis was his strategic ability to overcome any style. When you think about it, he beat them all - sluggers, slick boxers, all-rounders, short men, tall men...

[TheOneIsHere2008]

I agree. Lennox's CV doesn't stack up as well as many of the accepted greats, but I think what was special about Lewis was his strategic ability to overcome any style. When you think about it, he beat them all - sluggers, slick boxers, all-rounders, short men, tall men...

Foreman said he was the GOAT...He certainly is the most skilled big man of all time...

I suspect his stature will continue to grow as the stature of the heavyweight division diminishes...

[bennie]

It's hard for me to match Lewis with all the greats of the 1970s, when he didn't even fight the best in his era. More than that, he waited for Holyfield and Tyson to get old before taking them on - and still fought unconvincingly.
Tyson was literally begging to be knocked out.
Bottom line is, the greats of the 70's never avoided each other; Lewis and Bowe did (and yes, I know they fought as amateurs).

[oliverfennell]

It's hard for me to match Lewis with all the greats of the 1970s, when he didn't even fight the best in his era. More than that, he waited for Holyfield and Tyson to get old before taking them on - and still fought unconvincingly.
Tyson was literally begging to be knocked out.
Bottom line is, the greats of the 70's never avoided each other; Lewis and Bowe did (and yes, I know they fought as amateurs).

Bowe was the best of the era? Based on what? Beating ONE top-level opponent?

Besides, he was clearly the one to blame for not fighting Lewis, not the other way around.

[bennie]

It's hard for me to match Lewis with all the greats of the 1970s, when he didn't even fight the best in his era. More than that, he waited for Holyfield and Tyson to get old before taking them on - and still fought unconvincingly.
Tyson was literally begging to be knocked out.
Bottom line is, the greats of the 70's never avoided each other; Lewis and Bowe did (and yes, I know they fought as amateurs).

Bowe was the best of the era? Based on what? Beating ONE top-level opponent?

Besides, he was clearly the one to blame for not fighting Lewis, not the other way around.

Oh, God! It should have happened. It was a natural. Little Holyfield fought Bowe three times! Where was the Canadian?

[oliverfennell]

It's hard for me to match Lewis with all the greats of the 1970s, when he didn't even fight the best in his era. More than that, he waited for Holyfield and Tyson to get old before taking them on - and still fought unconvincingly.
Tyson was literally begging to be knocked out.
Bottom line is, the greats of the 70's never avoided each other; Lewis and Bowe did (and yes, I know they fought as amateurs).

Bowe was the best of the era? Based on what? Beating ONE top-level opponent?

Besides, he was clearly the one to blame for not fighting Lewis, not the other way around.

Oh, God! It should have happened. It was a natural. Little Holyfield fought Bowe three times! Where was the Canadian?

Ah, I see now. A Lewis hater because the guy had the temerity to leave the UK with his mother when he was 12 years old. He should have stayed if he was true Brit!

Of course the Bowe fight was a natural. Everybody was calling for it, except for one person - Riddick Bowe! This is accepted by pretty much everyone now.

[bennie]

The sad thing is you actually care.

[TheOneIsHere2008]

Lenox Lewis is a class act and represents the UK well... I don't understand the animus toward him by some British boxing fans...

And he knocked out Riddick Bowe on his way to Olympic Gold...

[boxerbob]

anyone who thinks lweis would beat frazier is mad......joe would set a relentless pace that would see lewis tired after 7 rounds , in a 15 round fight joe win by a brutal beating in 10

[HomicideHenry]

Based on all he's accomplished in his career, yes he is. If anything he proved without a shadow of a doubt he was by all accounts the best "big" heavyweight there was. As for hypotheticals, thats even harder to determine...

Lewis for all his size and ability, wasn't ever able to put away an older Holyfield, defeated Tyson too late for it to really matter, and never quite faced anyone who was a truly dangerous threat throughout his career; can you see the Lewis who was stunned by Tyson early on, be able to cope with Joe Frazier's brutal assaults? Can you see Lewis who was stopped cold by Rahman take one of Foreman's roundhouses on the chin, let alone Shavers? I sure as hell can't myself.

I liked RING magazines article once on LEWIS VS THE ALL TIME GREATS, and it pondered the thought of Dempsey and Lewis...for about a second...the opening lines were "TIMBERRRRR!", in favor of Jack Dempsey.

[EriqS]

He would have beaten Young and Shavers. That's it.

I think he'd have a pretty good chance of beating Norton. Actually, I see it as a virtual certainty.

[EriqS]

It's hard for me to match Lewis with all the greats of the 1970s, when he didn't even fight the best in his era. More than that, he waited for Holyfield and Tyson to get old before taking them on - and still fought unconvincingly.
Tyson was literally begging to be knocked out.
Bottom line is, the greats of the 70's never avoided each other; Lewis and Bowe did (and yes, I know they fought as amateurs).

I think it was Bowe who avoided Lewis. Can't blame Lennox for that.