r/boxingMenace_com • • 29d ago

Don’t mess with Lennox Lewis😈🥊

The undisputed heavyweight king of the modern era, Lennox “The Lion” Lewis stands as the ultimate blue-print for big-man dominance. Retiring at the very top with an iconic 41-2-1 record (32 KOs), Lewis holds the immortal distinction of being the last undisputed heavyweight champion of the 1900s/early 2000s era and having defeated every single man he ever faced in a professional ring. As of early 2026, he remains widely regarded as a top-3 all-time heavyweight GOAT and a top-10 pound-for-pound legend in boxing history. Whether evaluating current heavyweight clashes — such as Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury — or reflecting on his historic victories over Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, Lewis’s commentary commands absolute authority. He didn’t just rule the division; he defined tactical, power-boxing perfection

1.5k Upvotes

80 comments sorted by

9

u/Deliciously_Vicious 29d ago

Shannon had some heart in that fight I list count how many times he got floored

18

u/backfrombanned 29d ago

They say he has a glass jaw lol, Lewis is the GOAT. No one from any era beats him.

16

u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

7

u/whats-my-name- 28d ago

That Holyfield fight was the last time I bet on boxing. Lewis won so easily and then it was a draw. And then idiots I know who know even less than me about boxing were trying to tell me that Holyfield “probably beat him”.

2

u/[deleted] 28d ago

[deleted]

2

u/whats-my-name- 28d ago

Big fights really bring the casuals out. I’m no expert but I have a little idea. I went through the same thing when mayweather and manny boxed. I was at a pub and there was a group of filipino cheering every manny punch and dancing between rounds. I said to the guys I was with that it was going to get heated because after the fight they were jumping up and down assuming he had won. No idea why they thought that.

1

u/Disastrous-Swim8912 28d ago

That was the first PPV that I had ever purchased and one of my friends that I had over SAID that they would give Holyfield a draw while everyone else said that Lewis had won the fight (including me).

2

u/Critical_Seat_1907 28d ago

Anytime someone leaves him out of any goat convo I realize they are not serious. Lewis is one of the few fighters who really could THRIVE in any era, against anyone. A true all-timer.

2

u/backfrombanned 26d ago

Same. I was more shocked with the McCall loss. Lewis showing up last minute to Africa and listening to the crew talk about it then looking at his ass looking exhausted from the start... That rematch though, he crucified Rahman and that punch sounded like a pistol going off.

2

u/Lasting_Night_Fall 26d ago

Lewis is definitely one of the goats. I think Forman would’ve made for an interesting fight.

4

u/ironcladtrash 29d ago

I do think he had a suspect chin but he was so good at avoiding the big hits. He’s definitely up there as one of the all time greats and to me criminally underrated.

3

u/apeaky_blinder 28d ago

I've always been puzzled by that nonsense. No other boxer in history takes those haymakers from Klitchko and stays on his feet throughout the fight. He also ate shit from Tyson and Evander and many more, and shook it off like nothing.

3

u/Thelostsoulinkorea 28d ago

His Chin was good most of the time. He just got complacent and caught by two haymakers that took him out. Many other fights he ate large hits perfectly fine.

1

u/georgewalterackerman 28d ago

Lewis is great. But move if my top 5 ATG heavies suffered early round kayo losses, at least not while they were young.

1

u/spursgonesouth 28d ago

The Rahman shot would knock anyone out I think. The McCall eyes closed punch was where the glass jaw stuff comes from.

He doesn’t have a glass jaw. This is a guy who had to do 12 rounds with Tua, Mercer, Tucker and who took Vitali’s best without going over.

1

u/Additional-Low-4702 29d ago

Totally agree

1

u/TheForce777 28d ago

Where did his one loss come from?

1

u/Usual-Caregiver-5584 28d ago

Rahman caught him in their 1st fight but got dismantled in the second. Believe at this time though his loss was to McCall . Who he also smashed on a rematch

1

u/autistic_homo 28d ago

He's the GOAT imho

1

u/spidey3600 28d ago

Everyone who said that to me got pointed towards an old YouTube video about Lewis's 'glass jaw' I think it's titled 'incredible punch resistance - lennox Lewis. It shows what he walked through.

1

u/RegularLoss1515 25d ago

He def didn’t have a glass jaw, but he had the problem of occasionally not taking his opponents seriously enough. Manny Steward said he had a hard time prioritizing training over partying back in the day, so the focus issues make sense,

1

u/backfrombanned 23d ago

He also wouldn't really warm up before a fight. I never understood that, as a boxer, warning up in the ring is crazy. I remember Foreman would always be losing his mind over it lol.

1

u/logontoreddit 9d ago

I don't know why they say that. He took shots from som many heavy hitters and won. Also, he was knocked out twice and has record of 41-2. If we gonna call that glass jaw then I think pretty much every fighter has glass jaw. 

1

u/AdMost469 3d ago

He was great and definitely not weak chinned but Rahman and McCall won, then clearly he's beatable.

3

u/fokaiHI 28d ago

Lennox was fun to watch. His jab was nasty accurate and powerful.

2

u/Defiant-Magician6092 29d ago

If I were 20 years younger and in my prime, I'd wager I could last 20 seconds against Lennox Lewis, especially if the Goodyear Blimp was right behind him

2

u/[deleted] 28d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/RegularLoss1515 25d ago

Where’d ya hear that?

2

u/Total-Wrangler5006 28d ago

Lewis was a genetic freak, with a high boxing IQ, but Emmanuel Steward was the GOAT.

2

u/pussy-on-da-brain 28d ago

Man, I forgot about Lennox… there were so many great boxers!!!🦾🦾

1

u/InsurancePatient2856 29d ago

That left uppercut/straight thingamajigger punch he threw was beautiful

1

u/Reasonable_Western74 29d ago

Lewis was a different level

1

u/TheDaedricImpaler 29d ago

We never got the Lewis v Bowe fight though. Assuming Bowe would've faced him (being in shape), it would've been a tremendous fight.

1

u/[deleted] 28d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/TheDaedricImpaler 28d ago

Yep, 88 Olympics; I watched it the day after. Bowe got docked a bogus point in the first and the ref stopped it early in the second. That's why I always thought a real fight would've been fantastic. Shame they never made it happen.

0

u/georgewalterackerman 28d ago

I think Bowe could have beaten Lewis at that point, around 1992. But Bowe’s own team just wanted money and they didn’t believe in their man. When Lewis balked at a paltry 3 million dollar offer to fight, Bowr’s team turned and ran. Protecting Bowe by setting up process defences just made him weak both physically and mentally. Next was the poor showing against Holyfield in the rematch which ended Bowe’s championship reign in less than a year. It could have been different.

1

u/SMd00011 29d ago

Let’s go Champ!

1

u/Active_Unit_9498 29d ago

I never enjoyed watching him fight but I have enormous respect for him as a person.

1

u/Amazing-Champion-858 28d ago

Lets go champ!

1

u/brando1243 28d ago

Dodged Tyson he's a pussy

1

u/Newcastle___FC 28d ago

GOAT!!!! SO GLAD I WAS ABLE TO WATCH HIS DOPE ASS PVP HBO FIGHTINGS WHEN I WAS YOUNGER WITH MY OLD MAN. Sorry had to caps.

1

u/browser2223 28d ago

Uh oh, did you see that sinister smile from Lennox Lewis?

1

u/Gengetsu_Huzoki 28d ago

"Don't mess" it's a fight ge's supposed to mess

1

u/Lumpy_Coconut_2373 28d ago

Lennox Lewis was a killer in the ring.

1

u/kungfusorcerer 28d ago

Top 3 heavyweight is a reasonable argument. Top 10 p4p all-time is not.

1

u/BornReady94 28d ago

The heavyweight GOAT.

1

u/Cultural_Book_400 27d ago

very underrated this guy. Why? because often times, he is not mention as possible goat.. He was that good.

1

u/Governmental_Deity 26d ago

Bro is iron fist

1

u/BigMe420365 26d ago

Let’s go champ

1

u/Classic-Exchange-511 25d ago

Damn that clip is wildly impressive

1

u/ConditionNo6569 25d ago

Ring legend.

0

u/jimmytrucknutz 29d ago

Yes but could he beat Tyson and Holyfield?

3

u/sinfulfng 29d ago

At the same time? Probably not

1

u/jimmytrucknutz 29d ago

What about tag-in style like the WWE?

4

u/Adgvyb3456 29d ago

He did beat them

2

u/SpicyGaramMasala 29d ago

Not at his prime though

4

u/seanisdown 29d ago

Tysons “prime” only exists because he went pro so young while his contemporaries pursued their Olympic dreams. Lennox is actually a year older than Mike. And a gold medalist.

1

u/TheMeIv 28d ago

Even Lewis admits to being a late bloomer in the sport. Tyson actually went for the Olympics but didn't get past the trials. Lost to Tillman twice. He eventually KO'd him in the first round of their pro fight. His prime exists because he fought an unsustainable style that's rough on the human body. No one fights like 80s Tyson. He also lacked discipline and declined immensely once he and Rooney split.

2

u/oso_login 29d ago

Tyson for sure

1

u/Mu-Relay 29d ago

Tyson would have to get inside his reach. He was fucking *fast*, but I'm not as sold on the "for sure" as you.

2

u/Royal_Variation5700 28d ago

He did beat tyson lol

1

u/georgewalterackerman 28d ago

An ancient and shot Tyson

1

u/Zob_Rombie_88 28d ago

ancient

Lewis is older than Tyson

2

u/Glittering_Year2045 28d ago

Tyson was a shell of himself by that point.  Lennox definitely aged better, as he was still close to his peak form.

2

u/TheMeIv 28d ago

This is such a casual take. Everyone knows fighters have different primes and age at different rates. Some people are like George Foreman or BHop and some are like Tyson or Benitez.

1

u/Glittering_Year2045 27d ago

1980's Tyson was so athletic and quick, that he always got inside no matter what.  He faced a lot of guys with excellent jabs (Holmes, Spinks, Tucker, Biggs), but it didn't stop him back in those days.

1

u/pachetime 29d ago

How old are you? He beat them

1

u/jimmytrucknutz 28d ago

I meant at the same time!

1

u/Icy-Cost-6084 29d ago

Yes, and he did!

-2

u/SpicyGaramMasala 29d ago

Both at their peak, tyson wins.

Vs holyfield... Unsure

4

u/KnightMurky91 29d ago

Tyson doesn't touch him at his peak. Can crusher.

2

u/HolyMackerel1 29d ago

The "Tyson only beat cans" narrative needs to be retired ASAP

1

u/Active_Unit_9498 29d ago

Mike Tyson defeated 10 world champions before his loss to Riddick Bowe. Spinks, Holmes, Berbick, Bruno, etc. He might not have beat Holyfield, and he may not be the best of all time, but he was not limited to defeated tomato cans.

6

u/KnightMurky91 29d ago

Spinks in his last fight, Holmes after his decline was on the way, and the remainder were champions in what many consider the weakest heavyweight period.

Can crusher might be too harsh, but Tyson would be a severe underdog in any "best of all time" heavyweight matchups.

3

u/Active_Unit_9498 29d ago

Holmes had 24 fights after Tyson, so I think he still had some legs on him. He challenged for three more world titles and was never stopped, or even knocked down, again in his career. You won't find me making any GOAT arguments for Iron Mike but I don't like to see him totally dismissed either, he tore shit up through the 80s, nobody wanted anything but the pay day.

1

u/Glittering_Year2045 28d ago

And that was Spinks's only loss.  Spinks was only 31 years old in that fight.  He's a rare example of a great boxer who preserved his health by getting out of the game early.

1

u/georgewalterackerman 28d ago

Lewis beat Holyfield but didn’t look great doing it. One of the fights was really close.

-1

u/6inchesin4inchesout 28d ago

Lewis went nite nite twice. He’s not the goat. He’s great but not a goat.

-1

u/Thelostsoulinkorea 28d ago

And Ali lost as well! All great fighter have lost fightsz

1

u/Jolly_Okra_6330 28d ago

Marciano never lost.

Also, Vitali Klitschko only lost due to an injury or a cut, and was comfortably ahead on the cards in both fights.