Not everyone is of the widely held belief that former heavyweight king Lennox Lewis is one of the best to ever do it.
After winning a gold medal in the super-heavyweight division at the 1988 Olympic Games, Lewis turned professional in 89. In his first three years, he picked up the European, British, and Commonwealth titles.
By 1992, the self-professed ‘pugilist specialist’ fought his way to the number one position in the WBC rankings and was promoted to champion later in the same year when Riddick Bowe infamously refused to fight him for the title and instead gave up the belt.
Lewis went on to beat the likes of Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Vitali Klitschko and Hasim Rahman, but not before being knocked out by the underdog a year before – a second surprise loss following his second-round knockout defeat to Oliver McCall at Wembley Arena in 1994.
His final contest was a bloody and brutal fight with Klitschko in 2003 which saw him win and retain the Ring Magazine title as well as the three other major recognised belts.
Until Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury in May, he was the last undisputed champion in the heavyweight division and remains one of only a few men to retire having beaten every man he ever faced.
But that’s not enough to impress fellow decorated former champion Larry Holmes who, speaking to Boxing News, gave his forthright view on ‘The Lion.’
“Lennox Lewis never impressed me.
But he got a punch and was strong so I wish him the best.”
Like Lewis, Holmes is regarded as one of the greatest big men to ever lace up the gloves. The ‘Easton Assassin’ defended his WBC title an astonishing sixteen times in a row and is known for being the only man to ever stop Muhammad Ali.
However, Holmes is rather alone in that view about Lewis who, in his first year of eligibility in 2009, was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
