Lennox Lewis (41-2-1, 32 KOs) is undoubtedly one of the best heavyweights of his era and is rightly considered one of the greatest British boxers of all time. Lewis moved to Ontario, Canada, with his Mum at 12 years old. He went on to earn an Olympic Gold medal for Canada in 1988, where he defeated Riddick Bowe in the final. Big Fight Weekend decided to pay homage to the British-born fighter and look at 5 Lennox Lewis fights – considered the most memorable.
5 Memorable Lennox Lewis Fights
Lennox Lewis vs. Hasim Rahman
The rematch between Lennox Lewis and Hasim Rahman took place on November 17, 2001, which was the rematch after Rahman knocked out the Brit in a shock KO victory. Their second fight was enforced by a New York judge – giving the Brit the chance for revenge. The build-up to the fight was tense, with the two brawling in a TV studio.
Nothing would ultimately stop Lewis from getting revenge. His jab was razor-sharp and accurate from the first bell, snapping Rahman’s head back on multiple occasions. He boxed and moved brilliantly, picking his opponent off at will. Lewis was well on top as the fourth round began – before he caught his Baltimore-born opponent with a strong jab, which lined Rahman up for a thunderous right hand, awarding the Brit a massive revenge-filled victory.
Lennox Lewis vs. Evander Holyfield
A controversial draw against Evander Holyfield saw the two legends collide again at Madison Square Garden on November 13, 1999. Lewis boxed diligently behind his jab in the first fight – landing combinations at will. In the second fight, both engaged more – going toe-to-toe through the middle rounds, landing heavy shots.
Lewis picked his punches better, landing 195-137, showcasing the smarter work. The British fighter won via unanimous decision – also winning the British Sports Personality of the Year in 1999.
Andrew Golota
Andrew Golota had troubled Riddick Bowe in their two fights before self-imploding and being disqualified for repeated low blows. Following these controversial fights, the Polish fighter went up against Lennox Lewis, with bookmakers unable to split the pair, with many people tipping Golota to defeat the Brit.
Lewis destroyed these predictions as he blitzed a stunned Golota in 95 seconds – putting the rest of the heavyweight division on alert that he was coming for them. The demolition job by the Brit made this one of his most memorable fights.
Mike Tyson
Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson finally met in the ring – in 2002. “Iron Mike” was seemingly on a performance decline – but his sheer tenacity and punch power made this an intriguing enough fight that it was – at the time, the highest-grossing event in pay-per-view history, generating US$112 million from 1.95 million buys in the US.
Lewis dominated behind his heavy jab – before landing a massive right hand, destroying Tyson in the eighth round, winning by TKO. The Brit was 36 at the time – and used all his experience to control the distance and pace of the fight from the first bell.
Vitali Klitschko
Lewis went up against Vitali Klitschko in what was ultimately his last fight. The Brit was rocked in round two – but slowly worked his way into the fight and dragged the Ukrainian into a war, where Lewis landed a series of heavy uppercuts, visibly rocking his opponent. The British fighter also landed a slew of heavy right hands, which ultimately inflicted a horrific cut above the Ukrainian’s left eye.
All three judges had Klitschko ahead 58–56 at the time, but the terrible cut ended the fight, awarding Lewis the win by TKO in round number 6.
Lennox Lewis retired as one of the greatest heavyweights – of all time and was deservedly – inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2009.
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