Deontay Wilder has been in the ring with some of the all-time greats, but sees this legend as better than Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
The former world heavyweight champion battled Tyson Fury over three fantastic fights, picking up a draw and two losses for his troubles.
While he’s never fought Anthony Joshua, he has seen the incredible power of the Englishman in the ring, although he’s also seen Joshua’s losses to Andy Ruiz Jr, Oleksandr Usyk, and Daniel Dubois in recent years.
As a former champion, he is uniquely able to rank some of the top heavyweights of all time, although his number one pick may surprise many.
- READ MORE – Deontay Wilder dismantled a former world champion with a triple knockdown in the first round in 2017
Deontay named Lennox Lewis as greater than Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua
When asked to blind rank some of the top heavyweight boxers of all time, Wilder ranked one fighter above huge names like Fury, Joshua, and Wladimir Klitschko.
Speaking with Frank Warren’s Queensbury Promotions in 2023, Wilder rated Lennox Lewis as the greatest heavyweight fighter of the lot.
In fact, he even named Lewis as greater than Mike Tyson, putting him third, ahead of Fury and Joshua, and just one place behind Klitschko in second.
“Anthony Joshua? I’mma put at four. [Tyson Fury] I will put him at three. [Lennox Lewis] is one.
“[Wladimir Klitschko?] I’mma put him two. I know Lennox a little bit, and I’m a little bit closer with Lennox.
“[Mike Tyson] I’mma put him as… three! Then Fury four, Joshua five.”
Wilder went against the idea of blind ranking, but his reverence for Lennox as a heavyweight legend shone through.
Deontay Wilder is attempting to get back to winning ways with his return to boxing
Wilder will have to get ideas of Heavyweight titles out of his mind for his return to the ring, as he is still many fights away from challenging for gold.
The former champion took a short hiatus from the sport after losing to Zhilei Zhang in June 2024, marking his fourth loss in five fights following a 43-fight undefeated streak.
Wilder will hope to get back to winning ways when he faces a relatively unknown heavyweight boxer on June 27.
Wilder will battle Tyrrell Herndon in his comeback fight, hoping to improve his recent form and get a win on the board in Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas.