Lennox Lewis Retires........

[red indian]

.....the reigning British world heavy weight champion Lennox Lewis retired today. He is the first reigning world heavy weight champion to retire since Rocky Marciano back in the late 1950,s a truely great world champion.

 

[TklDuo-Drew]

Sorry to see Lennox retire, Red. He was a damn good heavyweight champion. Was looking forward to a rematch with that Klitschko fella. Well, at least we still have..........
actually, we really have no current heavyweight champ with a decent showing to speak of.


Drew

 

[TklDuo-Ann]

Quite honestly, I'm glad to see him retire. WHile he was a great fighter, the last couple of years, his heart hasn't seemed to be in it. That's a recipe for disaster to happen. I'd rather see him step down than end up with a permanent injury or something. It will be interesting to see who else steps up to the plate to take his place.

Ann

 

[natural tickler]

I'm glad he retired, just not for the reasons you guys stated. This man was boring, arrogant, aloof, and just plain boring for the division that brings the most excitement and money. What was really his legacy? Fighting men past their prime and fighting people who got lucky punches in? He wont rematch against Klitchko because he knows he lost that fight. It was stopped on cuts

 

[grippedchimp]

Lennox can lay claim to be the best British boxer to lace up a pair of gloves. While his two losses were down to his occasional complacency against McCall and Rahman, as well as that controversial draw with Holyfield, he had rematches for all of them and took down his opponents in style, along with unifying all the world titles. And let's not forget the way he decimated Tyson after all that hype and biting. I suppose he had to retire at the top of his game, as he was getting a bit unmotivated.

I think people are indifferent to him. His style is technical, zoning his opponent with jabs, then unleashing a knock out, unlike Tyson's all-out aggression. And sure, he's arrogant at times, but name a boxer who doesn't possess a huge ego. Lennox Lewis was a professional, and now a bona fide British sporting legend.

 

[red indian]

I agree with Ann and Drew........

.....ts a nice change to see a world class boxer pack the game in at the right time for him, and not the right time for his management or promoters. There is nothing worse then seeing great fighters carrying on way past their prime just to satisfy their egos or to pay a long overdue tax demand.

Fortunately Lewis seems to have a bit more "upstairs" than is usual for a heavy weight champ, and he has used this to make the right decision. Who can forget the appalling end to Ali,s career which did so much damage to his reputation.

I totally dissagree with NATURAL, just becuase the guy has a bit of class, dignity and style does not mean he is arrogant or aloof. In my opinion his whole demenour has been a breath of fresh air to the sport, surely we are all sick to death of the likes of Mike Tysons attempts to bring the whole sport in to dissrepute with his disgusting behaviour. Its interesting to note how much worse his behaviour became as his talent declined, a strong connection there I feel.

 

[BigBrownEyes]

The Heavyweight division has really gone down hill. There was no fighter around that even come close to beating Lewis. He fought and beat everyone - twice.

I'm glad he's just bowing out, althogh they always come back. The only great fighter who retired and stayed retired was Marvin Hagler.

 

[primetime]

glad to see the big bitch retire. i never liked this guy. Lewis is the most OVERRATED champion of all time. really, who did he really beat. old man Holyfield? Tyson? c'mon, anyone who saw that Lewis-Tyson fight saw that Tyson wasnt Tyson. I COULD HAVE BEATEN Mike Tyson that night. he just stood there and took punches. he wasnt his aggressive self. i kept screaming the whole fight, "Mike, it is okay to swing back!". put Tyson in his prime against Lewis in his prime and i guarantee you Lewis would have been knocked the hell out by the 2nd round.

speaking of that fight, Lewis is a con artist. he had everyone believe Tyson was "Tyson". remember when Mike had a fight, he even said "i am not ready to fight Lewis. i need a few more fights." then Mike was scheduled to fight some other chump, but then Lewis snuck in and demanded Tyson fight him. he went to court and got Tyson to fight him. Lewis KNEW he could beat Tyson as Tyson was not ready. remember that "scuffle" at the press conference? if you watch the tape, Tyson went after the BODYGUARD, not Lewis. Lewis then threw in a punch. Tyson was made to look like an out of control beast, but it was Lewis' camp that started the whole. Lewis knew that an in-shape, focused Mike Tyson would knock his bitch self out, so he took advantage. Lewis is a bitch. plain and simple.

i truly laughed my ass off when Rachman knocked him out. that's what he gets acting like he is a great fighter or something. he's proud he beat Holyfield. did he EVER even knock him down? NO. it was twelve boring rounds with Lewis landing more punches. whuppee do! but yet, everyone thinks Lewis is this great fighter.

again, i am glad to see the bitch go. he was going to lose his title to the Russian guy who was kicking his ass, but he did the bitch move and retired. he knew he had nothing left. his "charade" of being great was about to be exposed. good riddance. the man was a sham. name ONE guy, who was a big name, and was in his prime that he beat. you wont name one. everyone he fought, there was something wrong with the opponent. i give the guy no respect because he deserves none. i'd rather see Frank Bruno be the champ than Lennox Lewis anyday.

 

[giantfan121262]

There are very few fighters that leave the sport on their own terms. Lewis deserves credit IMHO. Granted the heavyweight division has gone downhill recently but he stayed on top.

Hopefully. he will stay retired because like Ann and Drew stated, he wasn't with it. If he comes back with his recent demeanor, he will get knocked on his ass ten times over because he lacks the eye of the tiger (and the heart too).

 

[BigBrownEyes]

speaking of overrated fighters and Mike Tyson...

Mike Tyson was an overrated champion, even in his prime. Granted, the guy could hit. But he just couldn't hack any competition. If the fight went past 4 or five rounds, he'd fold.

Most of his fights were set-ups. Can anyone name one great fighter, in his prime, who lost to Tyson?

 

[primetime]

Mike Tyson has the same problem. he didnt really beat anyone either. the only one you can say he beat that got all the hype was Michael Spinks, but Spinks wasnt all that great either. we would have seen Mike Tyson actually fight a fighter in his prime by the name of Evander Holyfield, but Mike decided to act a fool and lose to Buster Douglas.....

the difference between Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis is that Mike is no bitch. you saw how destructive Tyson was in the ring. he had an intimidation factor. one shot and it's lights out. Lewis? who the hell was ever scared of him? he has a glass jaw, so he decides to jab you to death and hopes to win on rounds. every once in a while he can knock someone out. but he isnt known as a knock out artist, he is known as a decision winner. people watch boxing to see someone get knocked out. if you dont believe me, why does the crowd get hyper when there is a flurry of punches? because someone is going to get knocked out. who wants to see 12 rounds of boxing and no one even hits the canvas? (i.e. Lewis' fights against Holyfield). Lewis is gone and i wish he fought that Russian one more time, so i could see his silly ass get knocked out.

 

[BigJim]

For the last few years, Lennox was the best fighter in the Heavyweight division. I have to say though, that the division was the worst it had been for many years. Lewis wouldn't have had the impact he did if he'd been competing in the mid 60's to early 70's. Names like Ken Norton, the prime age George Foreman, Mohammed Ali, Joe Frazier and Larry Holmes would all have been harder than the muppets Lewis has dealt with in the last 4 years or so.

Mike Tyson was possibly my slot for second greatest heavyweight of all time after Ali, during his early to mid 20's. By the time he fought Lewis he was a pathetic, out of shape has-been, who was virtually held perpendicular for the last three rounds of the fight. Evander Holyfield looked slow and tired both times against Lewis, although the first was by far the widest margin of victory. Only some truly crooked/incompetent judging made it into a draw.

As for the Klitschko fight... I believe if Vitali Klitschko had been a black man, he would've won. Black men have much flatter and more rounded orbital and cheek bones, making them much less prone to cut than a caucasian with the more angular and sharp ridges. He had Lewis beaten for power, pace and stamina. Yes he lost because Lewis peeled open three quarters of his face, but he stood a damn good chance of winning.

But for all these critiscisms of the retiring champion, he was the best in his time, and unlike some champions he didn't fight an endless stream of no-hopers to build his coffers up. He challenged the biggest names the game could produce at the time and I respect him for that. He held 4 belts at one time and only some truly pathetic resorting to "legal action" by Holyfield (a move which disgusted me beyond words, considering I thought highly of Holyfield for his moral and physical courage beforehand), robbed him of the WBA version. (An organisation that is criminally pro-American anyway.) Preferring a greater challenge to Chris Byrd forced him to vacate the IBF version, leaving him only with the WBC. At least he kept hold of the most valuable portion of the crown. He did have the IBO version too, but that one is about as valuable as a belt made out of cardboard and covered in tinfoil.

So no, Lennox wasn't as convincing a champion as some I've seen. But he was the best of his day and wasn't shy about getting into the ring with the biggest names of that day. Both his losses were down to a momentary lapse of concentration and both were cripplingly avenged; Oliver McCall virtually bursting into tears and Hasim Rahman nearly decapitated by one of the most hammering right crosses I've ever seen. He ain't the greatest by a long shot, but I certainly wouldn't pick a fight with the bugger. May he have a long and respected retirement.

 

[BigJim]

I'm glad he's just bowing out, althogh they always come back. The only great fighter who retired and stayed retired was Marvin Hagler.

You counting Rocky Marciano as a non-great fighter then? 😀

Personally I think Marciano was a dirty, cheating bastard, who came on the scene when there were only a couple of other half-decent heavyweights. If he'd fought 15 years later the likes of Ali would have made him look like a child, and someone like Joe Frazier would have ripped his windpipe out and beaten him to death with the tonsil end. Frazier was a much harder man than Rocky; not to mention bigger. (He was a couple of inches taller and over 20 pounds heavier than Marciano. Compared to his peers, Frazier was small, but Rocky was a midget!)

 

[BigJim]

but he isnt known as a knock out artist, he is known as a decision winner. people watch boxing to see someone get knocked out. if you dont believe me, why does the crowd get hyper when there is a flurry of punches? because someone is going to get knocked out. who wants to see 12 rounds of boxing and no one even hits the canvas? (i.e. Lewis' fights against Holyfield).

I have to disagree with you Prime. Boring Lewis may have been, but good boxing matches aren't decided on the slugfest factor and how many knockdowns there are. Probably the greatest and most destructive fight I've ever seen (Ali Vs Frazier III in Manilla) had no knockdowns at all, but remains seared on the eyelids of many a boxing fan. In a total of 41 sweltering rounds, Ali and Frazier's fights only mustered one knockdown, but the two are remembered more than anyone else in the game for their wars.

 

[BigBrownEyes]

You counting Rocky Marciano as a non-great fighter then? 😀

I forgot about Rocky M. Damn! I knew I'd forget one.

I strongly disagree about Tyson being the best heavyweight champ, besides Ali. No question he hit like a Mack Truck. But nearly all the guys he knocked for a loop weren't much. Spinks was a good fighter, but cut more from the mold of Mike Moorer. They had their moments, but weren't great. Larry Holmes was sadly washed up when he fought Tyson, and Witherspoon was on his way out too.

There's no way Tyson would've been beaten Foreman in his prime. The only fighter that ever even knocked him down was Ali. That was because Ali played it smart. He stayed away from him, tiring him out, then went in for the kill at the end. Tyson didn't fight like that. I don't think Tyson would've knocked out Foreman in the first few rounds so he probably would've been knocked out by Foreman in the later.

I don't think Tyson would've knocked out Holmes in his prime either. Holmes was an underrated champion. He fought with style, and he could hit. I think Holmes in his prime would've done to Tyson, what Ali did to Foreman in the "Rumble In The Jungle."

The greatest fight we never saw was Foreman v. Tyson, during one of "Big George's" comeback. It would've been interesting, but it's too late now.

 

[ceaser]

I don't know how many of you have seen Tyson fight before he was champ? I saw him fight not only in his first pro fight but also 2 amature fights. The man could have and would have been arguably the best heavyweight of all times but one major thing screwed him up. Cuss Damato died. If Cuss would have been with Mike his whole career he doesn't spend any time in jail, he wacks out Buster Douglas, Holyfield, and that phony Lewis. Holyfield and Lewis fought Tyson when he was a mere shadow of his former self. Tyson has some serious mental problems that he is heavily medicated for. The medication puts him in a sort of emotional stupor. Since being released from jail the first time, these medications have severely effected his training and motivation. I seriously doubt he could have beat alot of the guys he did if he was taking that medication early in his career. I only wish I could have seen Tyson with Cuss at his side 13 years ago and Lennow Lewis across the ring. I would bet the house Lewis doesn't last 3 rounds. When it comes to all time greats Ken Norton might be the only guy Lewis would even come close to beating. Ali, Holmes, Frazier, Marciano, Foreman, J Lewis, all would have handled him easily. Especially a guy like Foreman. One shot to Lewis's glass jaw and its lights out for the British Blow Boy. Down goes Lewis, Down goes Lewis.

 

[primetime]

i couldnt agree with you more. if Cus D'Amato was still alive, Mike Tyson would have been the most devastating heavyweight champion EVER. but unfortunately for Mike, D'Amato died. Mike was then in the hands of people who were going to take advantage of him. his story is really sad if you review his career history. the Tyson that Lewis fought was not Mike Tyson. that was somebody else. like i said in an earlier post, I could have knock out Mike that night. Lewis didnt do anything impressive. Lewis knew that Mike was not ready and took advantage. he is a con artist. too bad he retired, i wanted to see him so badly get his sorry ass knocked out again.

just as a reminder of him being a fraud. remember when they say he avenged his two defeats. the one to Oliver McCall and the other to Rachman? well, he only defeated one guy. McCall had a nervous breakdown in the ring. it was nothing Lewis did. Oliver started to break down and cry. you call that revenge? Lewis is a fraud. too bad he is gone....

 

[BigJim]

The man could have and would have been arguably the best heavyweight of all times but one major thing screwed him up. Cuss Damato died. If Cuss would have been with Mike his whole career he doesn't spend any time in jail,

D'Amato would certainly have kept Tyson out of jail. He had a talent for it. One of his fighters pulled a 14 year old Tyson of a 12 year old girl he was assaulting and reported the matter to Cus. Cus fired the other fighter rather than let any damage happen to Tyson, who was obviously destined for greater things, even then. Bad for boxing it may have been, but D'Amato dying prevented that circus freak Tyson from staying free. I personally have doubts that he raped Desiree Washington, but there is no question that he had a long history of behaving like a depraved animal. In the ring that might be good, but outside it, it made him a cretinous oaf.

 

[TklDuo-Drew]

I remember that Lennox Lewis/Oliver McCall fight. He definetley had a mental breakdown in the ring when he started crying. He also defiantly kept his arms at his side, refusing to fight.
Tyson was extemely impressive in his early days before Cus D'Amato passed away. I still remember the "buzz" about him being such a brutal fighter at this point in his career.

Drew

 

[BigJim]

just as a reminder of him being a fraud. remember when they say he avenged his two defeats. the one to Oliver McCall and the other to Rachman? well, he only defeated one guy. McCall had a nervous breakdown in the ring. it was nothing Lewis did. Oliver started to break down and cry. you call that revenge? Lewis is a fraud. too bad he is gone....

Well I dunno about you, but my opponent breaking down in tears and refusing to engage me would make me feel pretty good. Oliver McCall's mental state was not the fault of Lennox Lewis. Lewis got back in the ring with the man who beat him, as soon as he could create the match. It took him a few years because of boxing politics, but he made it. I'll agree with you that Lewis wasn't as convincing a champion as many we've seen, but I have to disagree that he was a fraud or anything like it. He fought who he had to to stay at the top of the division. The lack of competition compared to more lauded era such as the 70's, was not his fault.

I think personally that the fight with Vitali shook him badly. The big Russian hit Lewis harder than I've ever seen him hit before and it took facial damage to win the fight, rather than landing more punches. Lewis must have known that a second fight with the guy would've been difficult to win, so he retired. I think that was quite sensible considering he's pushing 40, and I've got little doubt that Vitali Klitschko will get a shot at the vacant title with the next top contender very soon.

 

[red indian]

Thanks to all of you........

....who approached this thread in the spirit it was intended, to celebrate a great champion. No just an undisputed world champion, but something much rarer. A BRITISH WORLD HEAVY WEIGHT CHAMPION.

Those of you who have trouble with this are pathetic. He is the world champion of heavy weight boxing.....and dear oh dear.....can it be true???......yes it is true!!!!......HE ....IS.....NOT.....AMERICAN!!!!.

For gods sake grow up and deal with it ok? we dont get the chance for this type of glory very often, yeah yeah we know you rule the world and all that crap, but right now, just at this moment, you dont rule the world of heavy weight boxing. Now, go get some cleanex, dry your eyes, and ask momy for a soda pop ok?

I suppose this is where I go crying to the mods demanding that those who have defiled my cosy little thread are thrown off the TMF.....but you dont need to worry, I,m not American.

 

[Cav88]

Re: Thanks to all of you........

....who approached this thread in the spirit it was intended, to celebrate a great champion. No just an undisputed world champion, but something much rarer. A BRITISH WORLD HEAVY WEIGHT CHAMPION.

Those of you who have trouble with this are pathetic. He is the world champion of heavy weight boxing.....and dear oh dear.....can it be true???......yes it is true!!!!......HE ....IS.....NOT.....AMERICAN!!!!.

For gods sake grow up and deal with it ok? we dont get the chance for this type of glory very often, yeah yeah we know you rule the world and all that crap, but right now, just at this moment, you dont rule the world of heavy weight boxing. Now, go get some cleanex, dry your eyes, and ask momy for a soda pop ok?

I suppose this is where I go crying to the mods demanding that those who have defiled my cosy little thread are thrown off the TMF.....but you dont need to worry, I,m not American.

Red, you were the only one who brought nationality into this. No one else was complaining about him not being american or an american not being the world champ.

 

[TklDuo-Drew]

What are cleanex? And can you only get soda pops from "momys"

Drew

 

[red indian]

Sorry Folks..........

....went a bit far with my last post, I just got cheesed off with folks slagging him off for no good reason, also i must learn not to post after 8 pints of wife beater!

 

[JoBelle]

My feet are gettin' cold!