There is no doubting the greatness of Lennox Lewis, the last undisputed heavyweight king. And for sure there is no doubt in Lewis’ own mind when it comes to whether or not he ranks right up there with the likes of Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis and others. Speaking with The Guardian, the 58 year old who says he is still in receipt of offers to fight again and that he would “100 percent consider” taking a comeback fight if the money on offer was “astronomical,” said he belongs in “the same room” as the likes of Ali, Louis, Marciano and Jack Johnson.
“Yes, absolutely. I truly believe I belong in the same room as them,” Lennox said when asked if he feels he ranks right up there with the immortals.
It’s tough to disagree, what with everything Lewis achieved during his magnificent ring career: Olympic gold, British, European, Commonwealth, and of course the undisputed world titles. And Lewis holds the rare distinction of having beaten every single man he ever fought, even if he didn’t retire unbeaten. Lewis’ resume boasts so many elite names: Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Vitali Klitschko, Ray Mercer, David Tua, Shannon Briggs, Donovan Ruddock, Tommy Morrison, Hasim Rahman, Oliver McCall, Tony Tucker…….have I missed anybody?
Yes, Lewis would have competed in ANY era. But today, as we approach the undisputed heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, Lewis finds himself getting asked if he would have beaten Fury in his prime. Naturally, Lennox believes he would have beaten Fury – even if he won’t tell us how he would have done it.
“Absolutely [I’d have beaten Fury]. Everybody’s got a flaw – you just have to find it,” Lewis said. “But I’m a pugilist specialist and I don’t want to to tell people how I’d do it. I don’t want anybody to use my information without me. Holyfield was very effective when he boxed me, because he kept me turning. That put me off a couple of times but I found a way.”
Again, Lewis found a way to defeat each and every man he shared a ring with, or who shared a ring with him. That alone makes Lewis special. His resume and his claiming of the undisputed heavyweight crown also adds massively to Lennox’s greatness. There is no room for debate: Lewis has to be ranked in anybody’s Top 10 greatest ever heavyweight champions.
And Lewis would have beaten Fury. And Usyk.