An interesting insight has heaved into view. It explores the reasons behind former heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist Lennox Lewis missing a place among the top ten boxers of all time. Born to parents of Jamaican heritage, Lewis took up boxing at an early age and represented his adopted country, Canada, twice in the Olympics. Following his gold-winning performance at the Seoul Games, he moved to England and commenced his professional career.

Beginning in 1989, he went to fight till 2003, facing some of the biggest names of the era. Most of the fans still recall the fights against Evander Holyfield, Hasim Rahman, Oliver McCall, and Mike Tyson. Following the title defense against Vitali Klitschko, Lennox Lewis decided to hang up his gloves. It took 25 years till Oleksandr Usyk broke his record and became an undisputed heavyweight champion. But the accomplishments aren’t enough to put Lewis in the pantheon of the greats, it seems.

Lennox Lewis’s career didn’t align with the top boxers of his time

“Lennox Lewis, the way he approached his career, I was there in real time. I remember that Lennox Lewis was older than the rest of them, but for some reason, well, I know why, he went to the Olympics twice,” stated Showbizz The Adult.

The primary reason he missed the mark, as the social media personality reasoned, was that instead of facing boxers from his own generation, Lennox Lewis chose to fight opponents from a younger generation. To cite an instance, he mentioned the square-up against David Tua. “He was kind of with the Byrds and them,” the content maker gave another example. If he was referring to former heavyweight champion Chris Byrd, it’s worth noting that, despite coming close to a fight, neither Lewis nor Byrd ever faced each other.

Given he is older than Mike Tyson, Showbizz The Adult argued that Lewis should have fought the boxers of that generation. “When actually, he was older than Mike Tyson. Right, he should have been fighting with the Riddick Bowes, the Witherspoons, the Holyfields, the Alex Stewarts, the George Foreman, and the ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson,” said the popular content maker.

Instead, he pursued fighters from the next generation who weren’t as skilled or accomplished. Lennox Lewis fought an out-of-form Holyfield and Tyson. He said, “He fought that next generation that was slightly not as dynamic, and he eventually fought Holyfield when he was washed. And Mike Tyson when he was washed.”

When Holyfield and ‘Iron’ Mike were in their prime, Lennox Lewis was remarkably absent from the scene. Mending the oversight proved futile; it was too late.

A very persuasive point, something diehard fans would love talking about. However, given it is about a former champion who still commands a dedicated following among boxing purists, it deserves careful scrutiny.

Taking the other side into account

The absence of the monumental clash between Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe remains one of the sport’s greatest regrets. But what about the concerns raised about fighting boxers from a younger generation? For the record, Lewis was a year older than Tyson when they clashed in 2022. Holyfield was slightly older, 37 years old when he and Lewis fought in 1999.

Lewis’ professional career began at age 23 when Mike Tyson was an established name in heavyweight boxing. Given the sport’s landscape, he took a reasonable time to build a formidable resume. One of the strongest arguments in favor of ‘The Lion’ is his ability to stage impressive comebacks. Despite suffering defeats, he returned and demolished his opponents in the rematches. This is an accomplishment attributed to only a select few in the sport.

As with many things in boxing, this will remain a subjective issue, with both sides presenting their case for and against Lennox Lewis. Even if he’s not in the top ten, Lennox Lewis will always be remembered as one of the greatest boxers of all time.”

What about you? Do you agree with the social media personality’s views?