Lewis vs Rahman I & II

@TysonBomb

This is common knowledge

Lewis Sues Tyson and King Over No-Show at Staples - Los Angeles Times

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Beanflicker

I think Lennox has one of the most underrated chins in boxing history. People cite him being KTFO twice as proof he had a glass jaw... first off, Mccall (who hit like a freight train) caught him with a perfect shot that would have finished just about anyone. Same with Rahman, who caught Lennox flush with his back to the ropes. These are two guys with serious power. And like a great champ, he came back with two brutal, one-sided rematch wins.

---

This bell rings true.

Lennox did not avoid Byrd or Ruiz, Lennox would have taken them out they were not in his class and never were. Lewis was at the point in his career where he had unified the division and there was too much politics to keep all the titles. So he essentially sold his titles to Don King and chased a big money fight with Tyson which was the only real reason he would carry on boxing.

True he struggled with Bruno but that was before he was with Steward. Sure he got rattled by Briggs and Akinwande but he on those fights. That shows that Lennox had a good heart and determination.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Fenster

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by armyash

I always liked LL too. I remember when I first got in to boxing in a big way and I was doing my paper round and reading all the sports pages after the first Holyfield fight. We never had sky or internet and stuff back then so had to wait to see the papers.

He doesn't get the credit he deserves now because the people judging him are still the people who may not have liked him just because they were Holyfiield/Tyson fans etc. In many years to come he will be considered a legend especially when the people see the names on his record.

One thing I'd like to say is that I would have liked to see a rematch with Vitali before retirement. People say that Lewis was unfit, overweight. Yes he was but he had been training for a fight (Johnson?) Klitschko took the fight at short notice, so he would not have been in tip top condition or as mentally prepared as he could have been. I always thought that was Lewis's plan. However funny that might sound but a lot of people had been calling for them to meet and I think Lewis intended to offer the fight to Klitschko after paying Johnson to pull out thus catching Klitschko not at his best.

Whatever. Lewis faced just about everyone he could and that KO of Rahman was pure class, the only thing that takes the shine off it is that he should have done it first time round.

---

Vitali was fighting Cedric Boswell on the undercard that night. He was fully prepared to fight.

If either had an advantage it was Vitali. As underdog, challenger and with a reputation as a "quitter" he had NOTHING to lose. Whereas Lewis hadn't fought in a year, had been contemplating retirement and basically fought to save the bill.

---

Can't argue with that.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Master

Lennox did not avoid Byrd or Ruiz, Lennox would have taken them out they were not in his class and never were. Lewis was at the point in his career where he had unified the division and there was too much politics to keep all the titles. So he essentially sold his titles to Don King and chased a big money fight with Tyson which was the only real reason he would carry on boxing.

True he struggled with Bruno but that was before he was with Steward. Sure he got rattled by Briggs and Akinwande but he on those fights. That shows that Lennox had a good heart and determination.

---

Byrd gave Vitali trouble and beat him and Holyfield went life and death with Ruiz, losing a fight, winning one and stalemating him for their final fight.

I'm not one of those "triangle" theory guys who believed that if A beats B and B beats C that means A beats C or anything but Ruiz and Byrd were definitely competitors. Can't just write them off like that ... nobody wanted to fight Chris Byrd and John Ruiz did become a champion and beat some big names.

And with Lewis getting KTFO by guys who also weren't supposed to be in his "class" anything is possible.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ross

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mars_ax

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mctaggert

What puts Lewis ahead of guys like Mike Tyson for me is that he came back in fights and rematches after taking a beating. Vitali was fucking Lewis up in the first two rounds and Lennox had the strength of character to dig deep and keep landing bombs.

I think that's what annoys a lot of anti Lewis types they would like to say that Lewis had no guts but that fight proved that he actually did. I also give full respect to Rachman for the first fight you can't take it way from him, he's a sad figure now though :-(

---

Rahman landed a lucky shot on Lewis in their 1st fight, mainly because Lewis was clowning and got caught on the ropes. It was a hard, flush shot on the chin that would have knocked any HW out. Lewis's chin wasn't really that bad, and you certainly couldn't question the dude's heart if you watched the fight with Vitali. Plus, who the fuck has come even close to giving Vitali a beating like that since? Lewis was a great Champion, who deserves more credit than he gets.

BTW, I was never much of a Lewis fan, when he got KTFO by Rahman, I couldn't have been more pleased, i'm just giving credit where credit is due.

cheers

---

Where dyou get that shit?

Lewis was knackered! He had a pathetic guard up and Rahman smashed through it easily!

As for Lewis beating him in the rematch, big fucking deal! He was supposed to do it easy the first time round! He would always be ranked lower than some think he should because such lower tier fighters were able to conclusively knock him sparko with such ease.

Lewis never had an extended period where he was the undeniable best heavy around. There was always someone else. You had McCall who smashed him out of his first incarnation and since then, no one would ever take him seriously on an all time list. He was lucky to get a decision against Mercer who an old Holmes beat;D He wanted no part of Byrd, he should have lost the Holyfield rematch and then he ends his career falling on to his stool against Vitali and doesn't want to punctuate the win with a better performance

Hasim Rahman knocks out Lennox Lewis - YouTube

---

What's shit about it? Lewis was clowning, didn't keep his left hand up, and Rahman won the fucking lottery.. I get it Ross, you aren't a fan of Lewis.

Lewis had both hands up! Have you even seen the fight?

Rahman forces Lewis to the ropes, Lewis puts his guard up and Rahman punches straight through it;D

See!

Straight through the guard ;D

Hasim Rahman-Lennox Lewis KO - YouTube

Nope

Lewis got blasted with his hands up ... simple as that ... Rahman pulled back and went right through Lewis and literally put him to sleep

Lewis is a great champion and came back to decisively beat Rahman but lets give Rahman his credit ... he was a major underdog and one shotted Lennox Lewis to put him away