Lennox Lewis - His best win?

My favourite fighter of all time, am just wondering what you guys think is Lennox's best win and why?

 

At the time it happened, I thought the Golota win was huge because it was so astonishingly decisive and Golota, his insanity notwithstanding, was held in high regard for his ability against Bowe, regardless of his meltdown

It's hard to say... He obviously won the first Holyfield fight and was robbed, and that was a major win because Holy was enjoying an Indian Summer in his career and it was a huge fight... it could very well be that one

 

clearly it was the first fight with holyfield. not a great performance at all, but a decisive victory over his greatest opponent.

 

Same with Ruddock for similar reasons. He went to war with Tyson twice was expected to give Lennox hell, but that one was over quick.

 

Incidentally, I remember my buddy and I were telling everybody to watch out for Golota... "He's tough... He can really throw combos, and he's got a heck of a jab... if he can keep his head together, he could win this thing"

We were all excited for the showdown, ordered the fight, the intensity was palpable... the arena on TV was filled with Polish flags... this was going to be BIG

BOOM-BANG-BANG-BOOM! fight over LOL

 

indeed... I remember it well... I was a teenager and someone mentioned that the previous weekend Razor Ruddock had been annihlated by "that big British black guy, not Frank Bruno, the other one"::

 

As is the Case w/Most All Time Greats, there ISN'T a Definitive Answer to this Question...

Lennox Loudly Announced his ARRIVAL w/the Ruddock Win, Showed GRIT & DETERMINATION in the Mercer & Klitschko Wins, & Exhibited COURAGE by Not Only Taking but WINNING RE's w/McCall & Rahman...The Most IMPORTANT "Win" was the 1st Holyfield Fight...That's when the American Public & the Boxing World in General BEGRUDGINGLY Admitted that Lennox was LEGIT...

N Terms of Sheer Visual QUALITY, it Doesn't Get Much Better than the Ruddock, Rahman II, Morrisson, Golota, Botha or Grant KO's...




REED :kidcool:

 

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Good post. I remember seeing a poll on this very question in Boxing News a few years back, and it was really split, I think the Ruddock win actually came top, but was followed just a couple % behind by the Klitschko win, despite the unsatisfactory ending

 

at least you got to see gatti- ruelas and some main events prospects

 

I never gave him much credit for the Rudduck fight. Razor could punch but his rep was made off losses to Tyson.

I agree it was the Holyfield fight that legitimized him as champion. I hated Lemmon but you have to give him props for the way he laid out Rahman in the rematch.

Funny...I was JUST watching the Ocean's 11 over the weekend thinking it wasn't long after filming that "fight" with Vitali that Rahman stretched him.

 

Wasnt it with Wladimir?

 

Six in one hand, half a dozen in the other.

 

oh, no doubt... that part was good... but those were (at the time) Boxing After Dark type fights

 

his rep was also made off of surviving 19 rounds with Tyson... annihlating him in the space of 2 rounds was huge...

 

considering the ass kicking Rudduck took in the rematch...not so much.

BTW...Crisanto Espana beat the shit out of Meldrick Taylor on that card. I remember laughing at Taylor wearing those tight ass leather trunks.

 

I haven't watched the film again (because it's awful), but I remember it being called the curse of Oceans 11 as Wlad lost to Sanders shortly after too, might have been his very next fight, not too sure

 

Wlad lost to Sanders about two years after Lewis lost to Rahman.

 

Yeah it was one of those delayed curses

 

The best opponent Lennox beat was Vitali.

 

rahman rematch.

 

Vitali, oddly enough.........Vitali went on to become a 2-time WBC champ, stopping Johnson {whom Lewis was slated to meet in the first place} Sanders, Danny Williams, Sam Peter, JC Gomez, Chris Arreola, Kevin Johnson, Albert Sosnowski, Shannon Briggs and Odlanier Solis, who, between them, had what, 12, 13, losses??

Vitali has to be certainly one of Lewis most SATISFYING wins- very few heavyweights would close out their careers with a win over a guy who would go on to win and defend the crown, and whom might also have himself been good enough to beat the versions of Holyfield and Tyson that Lewis did.

 

Yep.
Truly ATG HWY

 

Yes. And I love the way Lewis just went at him. Despite what some have said, Lewis was not afraid of anyone.

 

In-context, probably the, "draw," with Holyfield.

 

Vitali for me.

 

He's had a great deal of great wins...but I have to say....

Rahman 2

Not that Rahman was his most formidable opponent, but that he reversed a KO loss with a KO of his own. Not many people manage to do that. It takes courage. In most cases when you've been KO'd in the first fight you lose the second fight. If a person manages to avenge a KO loss it's usually by decision. Only a few are able to avenge a KO with a KO and Lewis did it better than Rahman did it to him.

That fight is his greatest victory.

Honorable mention to Ruddock victory....

 

That was the win that really woke me up to watching Lennox. He was kind of hot and cold after that, but he was lined up as the WBC title challenger as a result of that fight. Then Bowe tossed the belt in the garbage rather than face Lennox.

What a retarded move! Throwing a belt in the garbage? Rock Newman was really shortsighted and dumb for allowing or causing that to happen.

 

When all is said and done, his stoppage win over Vitali will rate a lot higher than it did at the time it happened. The fight actually did more for Vitali than it did for Lennox, but Vitali's subsequent success (and still ongoing) certainly enhances the win that much more.

At the time it happened - the Ruddock win probably carries the greatest "oh shit" factor because it announced his arrival. The knockout wins over Rahman and Golota were on a similar level, Rahman rematch more so because of what was at stake and also what Sly/D&M alluded to about avenging a brutal KO with a brutal KO of your own.

The first Holy fight probably warrants consideration as his most significant achievement, but the end result (or what should've been the end result) was far more notable than the performance itself, which is why I have a hard time assigning it too much credit.

 

Most definitely.

The Vitali win was a tremendous win. Perhaps the best ever last-fight-of-a-career win in history. It solidified Lennox' greatness.