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How well known was Lennox Lewis? Like did normal sports fans know who he was? I'm asking this because I often get the impression that Lennox was never really well known and that not alot of people outside boxing had heard of him atleast in the US, even though he was such a good boxer.
As far as Im aware Lennox was up there with Tyson , Holyfield and Oscar and one of the most well known boxers in the world.
known through out the world no doubt...
I began hearing about Lewis only more because of Tyson. Lewis is very popular today but back in the day, Lewis was only known by fans of the sport. He was no John Lennon that's for sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by ararghhh
Lennox Lewis was a household name in the US by the late 1990's during his fights with Holyfield.
First saw him on TV as an amateur boxer representing Jamaica. Then the next time was in the Olympics, he was representing Canada! I don't remember which one though', he beat Riddick Bowe in the gold medal match.
He then turned professional, boxing out of UK! Go figure... It was too confusing to me regarding his nationality, but it is hard not remember this guy, by his sheer size alone. Add to that the great skill, unique to that size.... There weren’t a lot of 6'5" boxers then with decent musculature and athleticism, even now!
I believe he is well known. Anyone following sports surely would! He was a champion for a considerable length of time, and those exposures surely give him due name recognition!
I believe he was well known, anyone who followed any sports likely knew who he was, he was better known in the US than the Klitschkos are now that's for sure.
He was well known over here in the UK everyone was talking about him all the time, was never really a fan of his style at times but i do enjoy watching some of his fights against Gary Mason, Andrew Golota, Shannon Briggs, Evander Holyfield 2, Vitali Klitschko, Michael Grant, Ray Mercer, Tommy Morrison.
I first heard of him in the lead up to the Olympics, when he was touted as a very good medal candidate for Canada. After winning the gold, I'd say he was always well known here, anyone who had any interest at all in boxing paid attention to his career. His professional development was reported in the Canadian sports pages, and he was though of as a Canadian, even though he moved to England when he turned pro. There is no doubt who Canada favored when it came to the Holyfield bouts.
Lennox was very well known but unappreciated because he was perceived to be too laid back, quiet and sometimes overly cautious. He is more respected after he retired.
Blimey,Quote:
Originally Posted by Nonito Donaire
for not being a fan of his he sure did/does give you plenty of enjoyable fights ;D
Well i wouldn't say i dislike him but im certainly not a fan of his, and at times his style was like watching paint dry. But i have to admit those fights above i don't see how anyone could dislike. There mixture of boxing masterclasses, quick KO's, wars.Quote:
Originally Posted by FensterBlimey,Quote:
Originally Posted by Nonito Donaire
for not being a fan of his he sure did/does give you plenty of enjoyable fights ;D
Decided to go back to his place of birth ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by CGM
i think lennox wasn't as know in the early days as much as other fighters ,i think because he was fighting out of great Britain and repin Canada in the beginning maybe Brit fans were kind of here nor there with him, he was a great fighter as we all know "the sweet science of the sport" as he always said. i think he should have fought Tyson at an earlier stage because i believe it would be a tough fight for Tyson as he never really fought a young contender in the beginning all the people he beat were big adult men with years of professional experience a fight with lennox would have made lennox, i mean who did we have really in Britain back then, FRANK BRUNO, GARY MASON, HERBIE HIDE, lennox would have brought the division home, not saying Tyson wasn't good, he's my favorite fighter, but lennox had a special kind of something, he made his mark that's all that matters!:)
OK I could say he learned his chops in Canada, but really, whatever. Claim a victory on a technicality if it makes you feel better. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by FensterDecided to go back to his place of birth ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by CGM
Obviously he thought England would serve him better as a pro.
Yes.. we (thats us Brits.. specifically Lennox's fellow Londoners like me ;)) probably have a lot to thank Canada for.Quote:
Originally Posted by CGMOK I could say he learned his chops in Canada, but really, whatever. Claim a victory on a technicality if it makes you feel better. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by FensterDecided to go back to his place of birth ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by CGM
Obviously he thought England would serve him better as a pro.
Without being taken over there he probably wouldn't have been the fighter/person he was.
Then again who knows.
I was disappointed he left Canada, but still cheered for him. I never really dug up his life story until a few years ago, so I didn't know of his British roots till then. My guess is most Canadians who aren't serious fans of the sport don't know he was born and spent early years in England. MY guess is Brits didn't eather, until he moved back.Quote:
Originally Posted by FensterYes.. we (thats us Brits.. specifically Lennox's fellow Londoners like me ;)) probably have a lot to thank Canada for.Quote:
Originally Posted by CGMOK I could say he learned his chops in Canada, but really, whatever. Claim a victory on a technicality if it makes you feel better. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Fenster
Obviously he thought England would serve him better as a pro.
Without being taken over there he probably wouldn't have been the fighter/person he was.
Then again who knows.
Like you say, who knows. He stood out as an amateur in Canada, would he have done so in England?
But Canada made him the boxer he was. In England he would have been far to refined for the boxing world... depending on where he grew up.Quote:
Originally Posted by FensterDecided to go back to his place of birth ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by CGM
Yes, probably, i already said that.Quote:
Originally Posted by TaethBut Canada made him the boxer he was. In England he would have been far to refined for the boxing world... depending on where he grew up.Quote:
Originally Posted by FensterDecided to go back to his place of birth ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by CGM
Funk knows if Lewis would have even been a boxer if he stayed in England. That's impossible to say.
What do you mean "far to refined?" ;D
Lewis was taken from the rough streets of London to have a cosy upbringing in Ontario.
Lennox is a brit, final!
I had an argument with a women at work years back over this. She refused to back him as he wasn't really British. Can't remember how old Lennox was when he moved to Canada, 8 or so? Either way her son was the same age, so I asked her if she moved to Spain with her son would he still class himself as British in 15 years time. 'Of course' she said 'But Lennow Lewis is not British - listen to his accent' :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by CGM
Now Owen Hargreaves is another kettle of fish. He IS Canadian and should play for Canada - regardless of how good he is!!!
His overrated achievements are known down here.
Owen Hargreaves yeah he is overated;DQuote:
Originally Posted by THE THIRD MAN
Lennox became a known name throughout the sporting world and not just in boxing after the first Holyfield bout....It was a big deal and most American fans felt he was robbed in that fight so it made some noise in the news....,
As he became more dominate he became more famous of course but in short Lewis, Holyfield, Bowe etc were all still shadowed by Tyson in terms of poularity
He was 12 or 14 when he moved to Canada for good to join his mother who had moved there a few years earlier to find work.Quote:
Originally Posted by ConradI had an argument with a women at work years back over this. She refused to back him as he wasn't really British. Can't remember how old Lennox was when he moved to Canada, 8 or so? Either way her son was the same age, so I asked her if she moved to Spain with her son would he still class himself as British in 15 years time. 'Of course' she said 'But Lennow Lewis is not British - listen to his accent' :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by CGM
Now Owen Hargreaves is another kettle of fish. He IS Canadian and should play for Canada - regardless of how good he is!!!
Lewis went there when he was 12.Quote:
Originally Posted by ConradI had an argument with a women at work years back over this. She refused to back him as he wasn't really British. Can't remember how old Lennox was when he moved to Canada, 8 or so? Either way her son was the same age so I asked her if she moved to Spain with her son would he still class himself as British in 15 years time. 'Of course' she said 'But Lennow Lewis is not British - listen to his accent' :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by CGM
Now Owen Hargreaves is another kettle of fish. He IS Canadian and should play for Canada - regardless of how good he is!!!
Hargreaves was born and raised in Canada, right? Totally different. Fact.
I tipped Frank off about Him, I was in the running to train the Canadian team that year and new all about Him. He would have made it anywhere Great Talent.
Actually it wasn't all nice and comfy for Lennox Lewis in Canada. I heard the Canadian's at school took the piss out of his British accent, thats why he took up boxing because he was bullied.Quote:
Originally Posted by FensterYes, probably, i already said that.Quote:
Originally Posted by TaethBut Canada made him the boxer he was. In England he would have been far to refined for the boxing world... depending on where he grew up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fenster
Funk knows if Lewis would have even been a boxer if he stayed in England. That's impossible to say.
What do you mean "far to refined?" ;D
Lewis was taken from the rough streets of London to have a cosy upbringing in Ontario.
As mentioned by Sheep, if you followed sports you knew about Lennox.
He was known...
In the year 2000 Reflection Eternal (A group made up of Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek) had Lennox do a short piece on their album "Train of thought"
I thought he was pretty well known over here.. Certainly not as well known as Tyson.. I asked my girlfriend and even though I had a Lennox Lewis picture on my wall, she still had no idea who he is.. Although she has heard of Tyson, Ricky Hatfield ;D (i'll let her think that ones right), and our Aussie ones Danny Green, Mundine, KT..
Boxing doesn't get much mainstream press here unless they are an Australian boxer, or a big overseas boxer that is coming to fight here..
A lot of my guy friends though who were by no means into boxing still knew of Lennox, but Tyson & Ali are probably the real 2 standouts that pretty much any person knows.. Not many boxers get to be that famous and well known..
Lennox was much more well known round the globe than Calzage is. :-\ was?
You know,Ive been thinking about this one since it was posted(when I wasnt dealing with other crap)
I honestly dont know
I mean there's boxing world,and the rest of the world
I knew who Lewis was when he was still Canadian, but thats me. I think he was pretty well known,and still is. But I spend most of the time Im not on the phone,or screwing around here, checking Box Rec for fighters records.
Ok I do other stuff,but some days it feels that way;D
He wasn't bullied. He chose to go to the boxing gym with his friend and naturally got hooked.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nonito DonaireActually it wasn't all nice and comfy for Lennox Lewis in Canada. I heard the Canadian's at school took the piss out of his British accent, thats why he took up boxing because he was bullied.Quote:
Originally Posted by FensterYes, probably, i already said that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Taeth
Funk knows if Lewis would have even been a boxer if he stayed in England. That's impossible to say.
What do you mean "far to refined?" ;D
Lewis was taken from the rough streets of London to have a cosy upbringing in Ontario.
I wouldn't say the piss-taking of his accent was an overly traumatic experience. That must happen to billions of people. Happened to me too, and i only moved 40 mins from London.
By his own admission he had a wonderful time in Canada compared to the boys homes and shuffling between relatives life he had in London ;)
Blimey.. that's what you call a great tipQuote:
Originally Posted by Scrap
Still didn't stop ya putting Dunstan in to bash him up though a Scrap? ;D
Fenster,I was Shitting myself when I agreed ;D. Id seen Him Beating Big bad James in the Commonwealth Games, went up with Akay, then He beat Bobby Wells in an International. Terry had His number, Davenport was Shocked by it Frank had a Heartattack ;D.
I found out only recently that Lennox was trained and taken under the wing of Arnie Boehm. Found that little tidbit out thru facebook. He's trained in Sudbury with people I know now, and seen lots of pics of him and other Olympians thru the years and a number I've met...plus he was in St. Catherines with Arnie when he was alive and others. What was interesting to me, is that our provincial Ontario tour is the Arnie Boehm Invitational...and I competed in it before I knew anything of him or his association with Lewis.
I also found people squabbling on Facebook over who he belongs to, country wise...which sort of made me laugh a bit. I don't know that there is a correct answer. He belongs to boxing history, that much is known for sure.
After Tyson and maybe holyfield probably the best known boxer in the world. Oscar was very popular but you could never argue he was the most popular sportsman in the world whereas you could with them.
;DQuote:
Originally Posted by Scrap
I love this little story. The thought of Maloney panicking as he sees his big hope getting pasted ;D
Luckily Lewis turned out pretty decent ;)
.......... who is Lennox Lewis ?
;D