Lennox Lewis top ten heavyweight of all time?

Question

I respect most of the posters here but you're sadly mistaken. Lennox Lewis would have obliterated guys like Joe Frazier and Ken Norton. Joe Frazier was a poor man's Mike Tyson (who by the way, would have KO'ed Smokin Joe in less than a round in his prime). Lennox was a tall boxer who could crush fighters with his powerful overhand right. All time greats who were KO'ed at least 2X: Hearns, Duran, Tyson, Gomez, Joe Louis, Jones Jr. and you want to tell me that they arent top ten of all time? Hopkins, Jones Jr., Holmes, Hagler, Sanchez, Gomez didnt have the best competition either but you cant say they arent top ten. The Ali and Marciano eras are way overrated. The mid 60s version of Ali was the best, no argument there. But Lennox had longevity and beat the best of his time. I believe the top 5 heavyweights of all time are Ali, Lewis, Louis, Foreman and Holyfield based on opposition and accomplishments. Why does everyone always think that fighters of todays era arent among the best??

Answer 1

top ten? yes! obliterate joe frazier and ken norton? WRONG!!! NO WAY! AND MUHAMMED ALI IN PRIME WOULD HAVE KICKED HIS @SS!!! i will put him at #8!! no! take that back! lennix lewis is a punk!! who cannot fight! roberto dyran caould have whipped his @ss! hopw does that? grab you? for answer?

Answer 2

Lennox Lewis is a great Heavyweight and will go down as a hall of fame fighter no doubt, but I have to disagree with you on some things on your posting. Norton he would have beaten no doubt on that one, but a prime Joe Frazier I do not know on that one. Lewis' style was a boxer not a slugger who didn't like being crowded and Frazier's constant pressure would take its toll on Lewis by mid rounds. I would also question Lewis's stamina also. Did you see the fight with him and Ray Mercer? Lewis was pooped in some of those rounds and needed coaxing to continue. I agree that He is a all time great but he would not have beaten all heavyweights of the past.
Also Ali's era had good heavyweight opposition better than this watered down version, and Lewis was around when the heavyweight division was on a decline so the level of his opposition was mediocre at best. As far as KO's go, hey if you are at the wrong place for the right punch you gonna fall.

Answer 3

I agree fighters of todays era are sometimes among the best including Lennox Lewis, Floyd, and Mike Tyson was the most devistating boxer ever in his prime.Even though that era has past i still like to throw that in there. Lewis is definately in the top ten and in my top five as well: Tyson, Louis, Ali, Foreman, and Lewis

Answer 4

Norton? Definitely. The guy fell apart against every big puncher he fought. Frazier? No way. Frazier liked getting hit. Lennox looked like a deer in the headlights when his big punches failed to ko his opponent and the opponent actually HIT BACK!

Hearns, Duran, etc. were never ko'd in their primes by mediocre fighters like Lewis was(unless you consider Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler to be mediocre fighters). Joe Louis was only ko'd by heavyweight champions and hall of famers.

Lewis is not top 10 because his era was atrocious(a bunch of has-beens) and because he didn't have that special thing that only the greatest of heavyweight champs had- the ability to pull victory out in the face of impending defeat. Rahman and McCall proved that. Atrocious losses both, avenged or not. McCall was Mike Tyson's sparring partner. You get ko'd with one punch by Tyson's sparring partner and I don't think your chances of beating a prime Mike Tyson are very good.

Ali, Louis, Marciano, Johnson, Holmes....they would never have lost to heavies of that low calibre.

See Holmes vs. Snipes for a perfect example of what I'm talking about. Think Lewis would have risen after taking that Snipes punch that floored Holmes? Nope. He'd have folded.

Defense rests.

Answer 5

Lennox fought tyson and holyfield both past their primes.He didn't fight either till after they had already been though so many wars including two agaisnt each other.Holyfield fought Mercer,Holmes,Foreman,Bowe three times,tyson twice.All Lennox fought was Holyfield and Tyson who both were shells of their former selves.Lennox could have fought guys like foreman early in his comeback when he had good stuff or Holmes,Bowe (he dodged bowe when he won the title as payback for when bowe dodged him.Lewis didn't fight any names in their primes.He lost to two scrubs during his carrer.He had good skills but didn't fight enough names to show how good he really was.His overhand right was good but he was too easy to hit.He would have been knocked out by just about all the former greats in their primes because guys liek frasier and ali joe lewis,if you are that easy to hit you are done within 4 rounds easy.Lewis is not nearly as great as you make him out to be.Tyson looked great his first 30 something fights when he fought all scrubs and aged veterans early on to.Fighting scrubs and has beens can make any boxer look like a legend.

Answer 6

I cannot disagree with you more about Tyson/Frazier. Frazier would have exposed Tyson for the one dimensional slugger he was faster than Holyfield did. I admit Lennox dominated his era, and understand completly anyone hit on the chin by the right punch is going to wobble.

But the biggest error in your follow up info to your quesiton is to claim Ali's era was over-rated. Frazier, Forman, Liston, Holmes, Norton, Spinks, Shavers and even lessor opponents like Cleveland Williams, Jerry Quarry and Jimmy Young would have demanded respect from any heavyweight in history. Ali's opposition was the strongest of any heavyweight in history, and to claim it was over rated is ignorance.

Lennox Lewis was an honorable champion, who's claim to fame is a couple wars with Holyfield, the destruction of the most over rated heavyweight champion in boxing history (Tyson). Ali, Johnson, Louis, Marciano, Liston, Dempsy, Tunny, Forman, Frazier, and Ernie Shavers would have KOed Lennox faster than Rockman or McCall did.

The simple truth is today's fighters, with the exception of Roy Jones Jr., Evander Holyfield, Julio Ceasar Chavez and quite possibly Manny Pacquaio are not among boxing's all time best.

I like Lennox, he is a great guy and an exceptional champion. I have spoken with him at lenghth, and we discussed his early involvement with Emanuel Steward shortly after the McCall fight at one of Thomas Hearn's latter fights where I ran into him. His era and the compition he faced will make it all but impossible for him to crack the top ten all time heavyweight list from a accurate historical perspective.

Answer 7

All the old fighters minus Ali sucked? Then how did Ali ever lose or even be challenged?

Also, Frazier won a gold medal. How can anyone possibly think he was a poor boxer?

Answer 8

He definitely is in the top ten, many have him in the top 3 if not the top 2. He beat everybody he ever faced and has wins over Mike Tyson, Vitali Klichko, Zeri Mickolocvichk(or how ever you spell his name), Hasim Rahman, Michael Grant, Evander Holyfield, Razor Ruddick, Tommy Morrison, David Tua, and Andrew Golota. These wins put him in the HOF, and in the top 3.

Answer 9

your right on a few points. I dont feel lennox lewis was the best alltime though as I watched him thru the years as he is pretty big in canada. I was a big fan. I saw lewis get hit square on the jaw once and he crumbled pretty easily.
I feel tyson was the best in his early years. His hunger and drive was unmatched. His height was his only shortfall but i dont think anyone could have beat him in those years.
Ali might have been overrated but considering he knocked out liston, foreman, he could take anyone as well cuz he was able to figure them out.
my opinions.

Answer 10

He is top 5. But he wouldn't have killed Norton and Frazier. Also, to the guy who said all old boxers sucked, get a clue man, don't speak about stuff you know nothing about.

Answer 11

Lennox Lewis top 10? No.....top 20? Yes!