Lennox Lewis is widely regarded as one of the greatest British boxers of all time.
After winning a gold medal in the super-heavyweight division at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Lewis turned professional and within four years had become WBC heavyweight champion.
A shock defeat to Oliver McCall then followed, but Lewis soon avenged that loss to reclaim his title.
He had to deal with another surprise loss after he was stopped by Hasim Rahman, but the Brit won their immediate rematch before ending his career with wins against Mike Tyson and Vitali Klitschko.
When it came to deciding who the best fighter he ever faced was though, Lewis told The Ring that there was only one man who it could have possibly been – Evander Holyfield.
“[Evander] Holyfield was the best opponent I faced in my career.”
Lewis first met Holyfield in March 1999 at Madison Square Garden in New York, with the fight ending in a controversial split decision draw, though many felt that the Brit had done enough to claim the victory.
An immediate rematch took place eight months later in Las Vegas, and this time Lewis ensured he did enough to get his hand raised, winning by unanimous decision to become undisputed heavyweight champion.
Holyfield would end his career in 2011 after competing for nearly 30 years, claiming victories over fighters such as Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Larry Holmes and Riddick Bowe during that time.
Bowe was one man that Lewis was never able to take on in his career, and Holyfield once gave his verdict on who would have come out on top between the two fighters having experienced first hand what it was like to face both men.
