Lennox Lewis' place in history

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With the retirement of Lennox Lewis where would you rate his place in the history of heavyweight champions?

 

For me Ali and Rocky Marciano have to take top awards but I certainly think Lewis has had a great enough career to be fighting for the third spot. If I had to choose a list of 5 then it would be:

 

1. Marciano

2. Ali

3. Larry Holmes (Although I get the feeling that Lewis would beat him if they both faced each other in their primes, but I made this decision on the basis of number of fights while champ)

4. Lennox Lewis

5. Joe Louis

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With the retirement of Lennox Lewis where would you rate his place in the history of heavyweight champions?

 

For me Ali and Rocky Marciano have to take top awards but I certainly think Lewis has had a great enough career to be fighting for the third spot. If I had to choose a list of 5 then it would be:

 

1. Marciano

2. Ali

3. Larry Holmes (Although I get the feeling that Lewis would beat him if they both faced each other in their primes, but I made this decision on the basis of number of fights while champ)

4. Lennox Lewis

5. Joe Louis

The only real competition Lewis ever had was an over-the-hill Evander Holyfield. While Lewis was a smart boxer, it is hard to place him in the top 5 based on the lack of true competition.

 

Although I get the feeling that Lewis would beat him if they both faced each other in their primes, but I made this decision on the basis of number of fights while champ

 

If you only considered boxers in their prime, how would you rate the top 5?

 

1. Larry Holmes: In his prime, he was a master tactician who could hurt you very badly. Ali's moves with Frazier's power.

2. Ali: He would still rate in the top 5 when he wasn't in his prime. He defined boxing during a period of some very good boxers.

3. George Foreman: Not the young Foreman. Foreman in his 40's was the best tactical boxer I ever saw. I still think he could have beaten Tyson.

4. Mike Tyson: We all know how he self-destructed. But in his prime, and probably in large part due to Cus D'Amato, Tyson was devastating. He could disect an opponent quicker than anyone I have ever seen.

5. Riddick Bowe: If he had kept his head in boxing (instead of taking the money and running), he had the potential to be every bit as good as Ali or Holmes. A smart fighter with good size and powerful punches.

 

Honorable Mention: Evander Holyfield. Like Lewis, Holyfield fought a lot of bums. Holyfield's big knock was his lack of punching power. You had to do something incredibly stupid to get knocked out by Holyfield. In his defense, he fought smart and "pointed" you to death.

 

I did not include Joe Louis or Rocky Marciano because, in spite of their accomplishments, they could not have beaten any of the guys listed above. Tactically, Louis and Marciano would be at a huge disadvantage.