Pound-for-Pound Series: No. 9, Lennox Lewis

When I started this series I said there would be a few people on my countdown that many of you might not agree with. Lennox Lewis, number 9 on my list of the pound-for-pound best fighters ever, might fit into that category for some. Others may think Lewis ranks way to low on our countdown. Lewis was a big, strong and calculating heavyweight champion. But Lewis was also known for being more of an opportunist than a hard-edged fighter. With that said, Lewis’ record speaks for itself when it comes to his accomplishments in the ring.

Lewis scored wins over some of the best heavyweights in the world. He beat a tough Riddick Bowe in 1988 to win a gold medal in Seoul, South Korea. His victory was decisive, but not without controversy. Lewis fought in the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles but chose not to go pro after the games. That’s not unheard of for an athlete to compete in multiple games, but Lewis’ decision was met with some criticism because in the four years between games he trained like a pro rather than an amateur. He was virtually unstoppable in the 1988 games.

His first “championship” came in 1993 when he was declared WBC champion after a soap opera erupted in the division after his old nemesis Bowe refused to fight him. He got the title without having to set foot in the ring, but successfully defended it three times against Tony Tucker, Phil Jackson and Frank Bruno. He lost the WBC belt to Oliver McCall, but avenged the loss the following year.

Lewis’ career took a giant leap forward when he beat Evander Holyfield to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. It was a shining moment in his career, but for some reason wherever Lewis went controversy seemed to follow. Because of an association with the evil Don King, Lewis was forced to defend his title against sub-par opponents such as John Ruiz. He stood up to King (something many fighters don’t do) and took a fight with Michael Grant, who was better than Ruiz, but still not the level of competition Lewis should have fought.

His most devastating loss (he only had two in his career) came at the hands of Hasim Rahman, who knocked Lewis out in a demoralizing fashion. Lewis avenged his loss to Rahman and silenced his critics who said Lewis a glass jaw and could not stand toe-to-toe with the bigger heavyweights in the division.

Lewis then picked apart Mike Tyson and stopped him in the seventh round. But this was not the Mike Tyson of the past. Tyson at this point had lost his love for the sport and was not the pit-bull who once ruled the heavyweight division. This fight, too, was marred with controversy because Tyson started a brawl with Lewis at a pre-fight press conference. The fight also had to take place in Tennessee because that’s the only place Tyson could get licensed.

Lewis retired from boxing in 2003 after a fight with Vitali Klitschko. He won the fight, but not in the commanding way he had won previous fights. Though many begged for a rematch, Lewis stuck to his guns and to date has not tried to make a comeback. He finished with a record of 42-2-1 and is part of an elite group of heavyweights to win a championship three separate times. Some may call Lewis an opportunist with a glass jaw, but he always represented the boxing world with class and always showed up ready to fight.

~Tip

Lennox Lewis Knockouts:

Tippy is the Heavy Hands blogger and can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .