Independent Leyton Orient Forum

Today 20 years ago he won his second fight against Evander Holyfield to become the undisputed champion of the world, a title he is still the last man to hold in his division. I stayed up to watch his first fight and thought that he had nicked it, with excitement I again stayed up to watch the rematch which I think he won quite easily.

I had the pleasure of watching him fight live against Frank Botha at ringside so up close and personal. His skills were awesome, his jab like a ram rod and the noise when he put him down must still be reverberating around Canary Wharf!

The man is a true great and I know the word legend gets abounded about quite easily at times, but he is a legend of boxing and the best heavyweight we’ve ever had. How good was he? I think he would have been mixing it against Ali, Foreman, Liston, Frazier team al and would not have been out of place in the golden era.

I thought Lewis clearly won the first, and I was at ringside in Vegas for the second which I thought Holyfield edged.
Lewis was a good fighter with a very good jab but in my view he wouldn’t have lived with Ali at his best, and George Foreman would have destroyed him. When evaluating Liston it’s more problematic as Liston was cold shouldered for years when he was at his prime, nobody wanted to fight him. I was at Cardiff when in my opinion Bruno was ahead until he ran out of steam and got tagged by Lewis , and at Wembley when Gary mason gave him all sorts of trouble, and again when hasim rahman knocked him out, and when Oliver McCall stiffed him. I saw virtually all of Lewis early fights and on that evidence I would go for Liston , and I think Frazier at his best would have out gamed Lewis. Larry Holmes would have jabbed him silly and he would have struggled agains the durability and punching power of Earnie shavers.
So, while I will agree Lewis is our best ever heavyweight he was a long way from those in the Ali era.

I went to Lennox Lewis 30th birthday party at some swanky venue in London. I got beaten up before I got there and was turned away as covered in blood. Got myself a new shirt and got in. Happy days. Lewis was a beast. Bruno and Mason fights were early in his career. He didn’t train for Rahman 1. He was much too big for shavers and Frazier. Ali foreman Lewis my top three.

Joe Bugner woukd have leathered Lewis.

I was the PA announcer when he fought Klitschko. You know the one who shouts LETS GET READY TO RUMBLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEE, that one, I was him.

Joe Bugner's trainer Andy Smith's dad lived round the corner from me and my dad says Auld Andy used to be the milkman in the horse drawn cart days. Who knew boxing could be so interesting.

Redo, no you were the one that carried the spit bucket.