Who had the better opponents?

[Max Power]

Well Fenster, let's take a look...

Lennox Lewis opponents

Vitali Klitschko
Mike Tyson
Hasim Rahman
David Tua
Francois Botha
Michael Grant
Evander Holyfield
Zelijko Mavrovic
Shannon Briggs
Andrew Golota
Henry Akinwande
Oliver McCall
Ray Mercer
Tommy Morrison
Frank Bruno
Tony Tucker
Donovan Ruddock


Wladimir Klitschko opponents

Alexander Povetkin
David Haye
Samuel Peter
Tony Thompson
Hasim Rahman
Ray Mercer
Chris Byrd
Eddie Chambers
Ruslan Chagaev
Sultan Ibragimov
Lamon Brewster
Jameel McCline
Francois Botha
Ray Austin
Calvin Brock
Francesco Pianeta
Mariusz Wach

I just listed 17 opponents each of both fighters. The thing is you can play mix and match with these guys all day and find plausible results for both guys. The only REAL difference apparent in quality for an American seems to me to be that the names on Lennox's list are recognisable and the ones on Wladimir's are more obscure (or possibly dismissed due to their ethnicity). Take for example Ibragimov. At the time, this guy was touted as "hot shit" and "reviving the HW division" and was quite rightly promoted. However because of his premature exit from boxing has been viewed subsequently in a so so light. In all honestly this guy would have been a tough opponent for Lewis.

If you take a look at some of the true greats that Lewis beat though, all may not be as it seems.. The best opponent by far is Vitali Klitschko. There is no analogue for this fighter on Wladimir's record. He never fought another fighter as good as himself like Lewis did so that's a big tick in Lennox column but the result of that fight leaves a bitter taste in mouths to this very day. The fight is inconclusive as to who was the better boxer.

Mike Tyson was shot, there is some considerable doubt as to whether Lewis could have handled the prime Tyson.

Evander Holyfield fights were fairly close (one of them anyway) and Holy was apparently not his best casting atleast a little doubt.

And then there were some lacklustre performances against guys he should have beaten.

Ray Mercer he was lucky to pull off the victory. Probably the only good opponent Mercer managed to actually "box" well.

He struggled against Bruno, a fighter a dominant champ should be able to KO easily

He had some problems with the drug wasted version of Tucker.

He even had a tough time against a grocery store owner from Croatia in Zelijko Mavrovic who weighed less than 220lbs!

As for losses, 2/44 and 3/64 are about even in %. McCall and Rahman are about the equivalent of Brewster and Sanders.

As for common opponents, Wladimir performed better against 3 of 4 of them (but the age difference probably nullifies this, Ray Mercer had been massively KO'd by that stage for example)

And finally the figures are there to be checked but I found that of the 17 topper opponents listed for each guy, Klitschko's were mathematically better slightly over all..

-He faced southpaws where as Lewis either ducked/never fought them. Southpaws are more difficult opponents to KO or perform well against for orthodox boxers
-He faced (and KO'd) more previously unKO-able opponents
-His opponents were heftier and taller on average
-He faced (and defeated) more unbeaten opponents than Lennox and opponents with slightly better records on average

Additionally some of Wladimir's opponents have wasted some of Lennox's (McCline/Grant etc)