Is Lennox Lewis A Top Ten Heavyweight?

[TheOneIsHere2008]

Getting KO'd by 2 bums that are not even in Tyson's
league proves me that this Lewis guy was nothing to be HIGH ABOUT. I
don't care if he avenged those wins, the bottom line was HE SHOULD HAVE
NOT LOSE TO THOSE BUMS AT NO TIME AT ALL IN HIS PRIME.

Didn't Tyson get knocked out by a number of "bums" not even in Lewis' league, and NOT avenge them?

Be sensible Oliver. Tyson was 90 years old. His 90 second prime had passed. Rooney's genius advice had faded, evidently it was not memorable. Robin Given had stolen his left hand and he was using a foam one. His right leg had been hollowed out and filled with sawdust, thereby restricting his movement. Shelly Finkel was advising him via an ear piece, and Shelly is not a boxing man. Where have you been?

Oh, one more thing, he was not knocked out, he quit in most of those cases.

All hyperbole aside, Tyson supporters can never answer one simple question. What kind of athlete/boxer is past his prime at twenty four years old?

[TheOneIsHere2008]

He wasn't past his prime, Terry. If he trained properly, he could win the titles back even now!

I'd pay $25.00 to see him fight Larry Holmes now...

[oliverfennell]

He wasn't past his prime, Terry. If he trained properly, he could win the titles back even now!

I'd pay $25.00 to see him fight Larry Holmes now...

I'd honestly pick Holmes to win, not because he'd be the better man on the night, but simply because he would genuinely WANT to win, and Tyson would only be there for the money.

[TheOneIsHere2008]

He wasn't past his prime, Terry. If he trained properly, he could win the titles back even now!

I'd pay $25.00 to see him fight Larry Holmes now...

I'd honestly pick Holmes to win, not because he'd be the better man on the night, but simply because he would genuinely WANT to win, and Tyson would only be there for the money.

I should be the promoter...That fight could be sold...

[elmersalsa]

Getting KO'd by 2 bums that are not even in Tyson's league proves me that this Lewis guy was nothing to be HIGH ABOUT. I don't care if he avenged those wins, the bottom line was HE SHOULD HAVE NOT LOSE TO THOSE BUMS AT NO TIME AT ALL IN HIS PRIME.

Didn't Tyson get knocked out by a number of "bums" not even in Lewis' league, and NOT avenge them?

Buster Douglas was no bum. He was an EXCELLENT BOXER that did not like to train.

[Crease]

Personally I concur that Buster Douglas was a good boxer... Great? Not sure about that... Legend... NO-WHERE NEAR IT!

Whenever people try to b-little the legacy of Iron Mike, the Douglas loss will always be dragged up... Persoannly, I think, prime-for-prime, Tyson would have KO'd Douglas, yet sadly... Back in the start of the 90s he didn;t he just lost.

I also think that Tyson would have KO'd Lewis, but then again, people will bring up the Douglas fight again.

James "Buster" Douglas only legacy will be that he was the man who beat Tyson the 1st time.
And Holyfield will be the man who finished Tyson... In my opinion.

[TheOneIsHere2008]

How was Tyson past his prime at twenty four years old?

And, no, James Douglas is not an elite heavyweight...

[oliverfennell]

Getting KO'd by 2 bums that are not even in Tyson's league proves me that this Lewis guy was nothing to be HIGH ABOUT. I don't care if he avenged those wins, the bottom line was HE SHOULD HAVE NOT LOSE TO THOSE BUMS AT NO TIME AT ALL IN HIS PRIME.

Didn't Tyson get knocked out by a number of "bums" not even in Lewis' league, and NOT avenge them?

Buster Douglas was no bum. He was an EXCELLENT BOXER that did not like to train.

Of course he wasn't a bum, but then neither were McCall or Rahman. "Bums", if we must use such a disrespectful word, are journeymen, not world title holders and contenders.

[pundit]

1) Yes

2) how would he have fared -- well of course this depends on many factors, incluidng the form on the day. Nonetheless, my best guesses are

Frazier -- LL decision

Ken Norton -- LL decision or TKO

Muhammad Ali -- MA decision

George Foreman -- Foreman KO

Earnie Shavers -- LL decision

Jimmy Young -- LL decision

Larry Holmes -- LH decision

[tennessee]

not sure if lennox is good enough to be top ten, but im pretty sure he could have beaten them

[p4p1]

not sure if he is top ten either but he has to be knocking on the door

[ThatOne]

Please discuss.

[polecateddy]

Why don't you just search the dozen other threads where such an obvious topic has already been discussed?

[SamWise72]

Or at LEAST offer some sort of thought?

[BoxBuzz]

what exactly is it you wanted us to discuss ? I plum forgot.

[fightscorecollector]

No... The 2 guys that knocked him out with 1 punch were very poor champions. Hurts his legacy very badly. Top 15 if say

[polecateddy]

No... The 2 guys that knocked him out with 1 punch were very poor champions. Hurts his legacy very badly. Top 15 if say

I don't think you'd genuinely find 10 other heavies who would beat him at his peak. Probably he was only slightly vulnerable to hard-headed sustained pressure. Facing a young Holyfield would have been hard, but Evander probably would have given anyone a stern test.

[fightscorecollector]

No... The 2 guys that knocked him out with 1 punch were very poor champions. Hurts his legacy very badly. Top 15 if say

I don't think you'd genuinely find 10 other heavies who would beat him at his peak. Probably he was only slightly vulnerable to hard-headed sustained pressure. Facing a young Holyfield would have been hard, but Evander probably would have given anyone a stern test.

a prime holyfield beats him, Tyson destroys him before 4, one punch kayoes loses do not bode well esp in heavyweight divison

[drunkenpiper36]

Short answer. Yes.

And I think he beats most of the seventies crowd with the possible exceptions of Ali and Holmes.

[elmersalsa]

Buster Douglas at his very best, in the night that he beat the great Mike Tyson, beats Oliver McCall and Hassim Rahman. He was just a guy that had the potential that DID NOT LIKE TO TRAIN. I can see at least 12 hws that were better than that bum Lennox Lewis. To me, he does not enter in the top 10 hws, let alone enter in the top 100 greatest p4p great fighters in history.

[The Great John L]

Buster Douglas at his very best, in the night that he beat the great Mike Tyson, beats Oliver McCall and Hassim Rahman. He was just a guy that had the potential that DID NOT LIKE TO TRAIN. I can see at least 12 hws that were better than that bum Lennox Lewis. To me, he does not enter in the top 10 hws, let alone enter in the top 100 greatest p4p great fighters in history.

Well, the fight Douglas fought against Tyson that night probably would have beaten a number of ATG HWs as well.

I probably wouldn't have Lewis in the top 100 P4P either, but it's easy to make a case for him in the top 10 HWs of all time. I have him just outside of the top 10, but it's not like there are great divides in ability between ATG HWs. Except for Ali and Louis of course, who are in a category by themselves.

[tiny_acres]

Buster Douglas at his very best, in the night that he beat the great Mike Tyson, beats Oliver McCall and Hassim Rahman. He was just a guy that had the potential that DID NOT LIKE TO TRAIN. I can see at least 12 hws that were better than that bum Lennox Lewis. To me, he does not enter in the top 10 hws, let alone enter in the top 100 greatest p4p great fighters in history.

Well, the fight Douglas fought against Tyson that night probably would have beaten a number of ATG HWs as well.

I agree 100%.The Douglas that fought Tyson was awesome.I just wish he was a more motivated fighter the rest of his career.
But that night he could of given any man in history a tough time.

[The Great John L]

I agree 100%.The Douglas that fought Tyson was awesome.I just wish he was a more motivated fighter the rest of his career.
But that night he could of given any man in history a tough time.

He fought almost as well in the first half of his fight against Tony Tucker and then ran out of gas. He wasn't much for training. At least until the perfect storm of receiving a title fight and then losing a loved one. He was a very skilled fighter who seemed to lack the heart of a champion. Except for that one night.

[Cap]

As long as they could find some way to prevent Holmes from using his ol' thumb-in-the-eye trick, Lewis beats him and beats him bad; unable to answer the bell for the round bad. Lewis, even bigger than Foreman, wouldn't have been intimidated by his size. He'd have taken George into deep water and drowned him. Ali would have been a good fight, but Lewis beats him too. The rest of those guys, except maybe Frazier, would be cannon-fodder.

[The Great John L]

As long as they could find some way to prevent Holmes from using his ol' thumb-in-the-eye trick, Lewis beats him and beats him bad; unable to answer the bell for the round bad. Lewis, even bigger than Foreman, wouldn't have been intimidated by his size. He'd have taken George into deep water and drowned him. Ali would have been a good fight, but Lewis beats him too. The rest of those guys, except maybe Frazier, would be cannon-fodder.

Larry was the master of the thumb.