‘The Lion’ Lennox Lewis retired in 2003, with a win over Vitali Klitschko seeing him leave the sport as a true champion.
Some of the greatest heavyweights of all time have stepped into the ring with Lewis, being unable to defeat the British fighter. Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, and Frank Bruno all tried and failed to get the better of the champion.
Other impressive performances include Lewis stopping Shannon Briggs and a first-round knockout over Andrew Golota.
Retiring with a professional record of 41-2-1, Lewis was only bested by two men in his career. Both coming as shocks, Lewis’s loss to Oliver McCall in 1994 was followed up seven years later by another surprising defeat.
Lennox Lewis lost by knockout to Hasim Rahman in South Africa
On April 22nd, 2001, Lewis would look to retain his status as heavyweight champion for the 10th time, as he welcomed a challenge from Hasim Rahman.
Rahman had a professional record of 34-2 and was considered a huge underdog going into the bout. The heavyweights would compete in South Africa, with Lewis looking for the 39th win of his career.
However, despite an impressive opening to the bout, Lewis would drop his title in a shock defeat.
In the fifth round, Rahman would land a crushing right hand on the champion. Lewis was unable to recover, as the fight was quickly called off.
The knockout loss was just the second of Lewis’s career as Rahman became a world champion for the first time.
Lennox Lewis and Hasim Rahman would rematch seven months later
Despite Lewis having to go through a legal battle to get a rematch with Rahman, the two would meet again in November 2001.
Their rematch would take place in Las Vegas, as Lewis was able to get revenge on his rival.
Accrediting the victory to advice from Nelson Mandela, Lewis was able to score a knockout of his own. In the fourth round, a two-punch combination from Lewis would leave Rahman dizzy on the floor, unable to continue.
The win would see Lewis reclaim his heavyweight titles, not dropping them again for the rest of his career.