George Foreman is one of the best heavyweights of all time and the division’s oldest champion ever.
The thudding puncher from Marshall, Texas fought across four decades, taking a decade long retirement in the seventies only to come back in the late eighties and eventually regain the world heavyweight championship at the age of 45.
As he was making that run back to the top and heading towards a final retirement, across the pond one Lennox Lewis was steadily building up an undefeated record.
Lewis famously lost just twice in the ring and avenged both of those defeats. It was towards the end of his career when he beat Hasim Rahman in their immediate rematch that Foreman first mentioned him alongside the greats.
“There was a time when we used to talk about Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali. and very seldom another name would come in there.
“Now you can put Lennox Lewis in that mix. He’s in there with the all-time heavyweight champions of the world. Recovered the title, did it in a devastating manner. He’s beating everybody, even Evander Holyfield. He became a three-time world champion and he beat a three-time champion along the way.”
“There’s nobody in the world that can take that from Lennox Lewis now. There’s no doubt that he’s the best heavyweight of all time. What he’s done clearly puts him on top of the heap.”
Lewis has as good an argument as any for the best ever. For his money, he considers both Foreman and Muhammad Ali alongside him.
