Lennox Lewis is considered by some to be the greatest heavyweight of all time.
The Olympic Gold Medalist turned over to the paid ranks 1989 and went 25 fights undefeated, picking up the WBC Heavyweight World Title on the way and making three defences of it, before a shock knockout loss to Oliver McCall. Three years later he would beat McCall – who had a breakdown mid-fight – to win the belt again.
Lewis also avenged his only other loss to Hasim Rahman, meaning he hung up the gloves not undefeated but having beaten every man he stepped into the ring with. He became undisputed in 1999 against Evander Holyfield and would retire in 2003 with a win over Vitali Klitschko.
Now watching from the sidelines, Lewis is a keen observer of who might join him in the history books. One man he believes has cemented his place already is Terence Crawford, the four-weight switch-hitting world champion from Omaha, undefeated in 41 fights and regarded by many as the current pound-for-pound number one.
Lewis praised ‘Bud’ in an interview with Fight Hub TV.
“Let me tell you about Terence Crawford, that man is Kung Fu. You know, when you watch a martial arts movie, you know, you think of him, he’s just full with his style, great with his style. He’s got power, he’s got poise, he’s got speed, he’s got movement, he’s got the full package and no wonder he’s undisputed, double undisputed that’s quite remarkable.”
After becoming undisputed at welterweight last year – his second time collecting all four major belts in a division – Crawford recently moved up to the 154 ranks and beat Israil Madrimov to take the WBA World Title. He has since said that the only fight that truly matters to him is another jump in weight to face Saul ‘Canelo‘ Alvarez.
Lewis capped off the praise by saying ‘we’ve got to bow to Crawford’ should he land the Canelo fight and win. Few would disagree there, but whether or not he gets it is another matter entirely.
The Mexican has been relaxed about the situation, saying he will entertain offers when he doesn’t have a fight on. It’s thought that Crawford may retire if Canelo decides to turn it down.
