Good, But Not A Pound For Pound Best Fighter

Lenox Lewis is one of four professional fighters to win the World Heavy Weight Title 3 times, along with Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield and Vitali Klitschko, and earned numerous amateur boxing awards including an Olympic gold medal in Seoul Korea in 1988. But I doubt that boxing historians and fans will ever label him a pound-for-pound best fighter for three good reasons.

His first heavy weight title belt was given to him by default, when the holder of the WBC belt Riddick Bowe refused to fight Lewis. Regardless of who was at blame for this poor decision, it is a very lame way to become heavy weight champion. Secondly, Lewis never faced off against Mike Tyson in his glory days, and greatly benefited by Tyson's absence from boxing during his incarceration. Third, he conveniently vacated boxing before the Klitschko brothers could smear his career.

Sorry, Lenox's professional career was too calculated and assisted by circumstances outside and inside of the ring to be considered a pound-for-pound best fighter.