In the eyes of many, Lennox Lewis remains one of the greatest heavyweights to have ever laced up a pair of boxing gloves.
‘The Lion’ had an outstanding amateur career which culminated in him capturing an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea.
He then entered the paid ranks and Lewis would go on to become a world heavyweight champion on several occasions during his professional career, including a reign as the undisputed heavyweight champion which he won when he defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999.
As well as that memorable victory over Holyfield, Lewis also produced career-defining wins against the likes of Tommy Morrison, Vitali Klitschko and Mike Tyson prior to announcing his retirement from boxing in February of 2004 with a final record of 41 wins from 44 fights.
In a feature with The Ring Magazine, Lewis was asked to name the greatest opponent of his illustrious career, naming none other than the man they called ‘The Real Deal’ – Evander Holyfield.
“[Evander] Holyfield was the best opponent I faced in my career.”
Lewis and Holyfield crossed paths twice during their respective careers, with their first bout ending in a controversial split decision draw back in March 1999, despite most onlookers believing that Lewis had done enough to win.
The legendary duo locked horns for the second time later that year and it was ‘The Lion’ who prevailed on this occasion, defeating Holyfield via unanimous decision to finally become the undisputed heavyweight champion by adding the WBA and IBF titles to his collection.
