Lennox Lewis may be one of the best heavyweights of all time, as his 41-2-1 record contains a whole host of wins over durable opponents and legends alike.
Lennox Lewis finished his career with a controversial win over Vitali Klitschko after the referee stopped the contest due to a cut sustained by the Ukrainian. However, he had a roster of big wins leading up to that final farewell.
Lewis beat Mike Tyson, Hasim Rahman, Evander Holyfield, and David Tua, but there was one man who went five rounds against Tyson, but could only muster two against Lewis.
Frans Botha crawled back into the ring as Lennox Lewis scored big win
In 2000, in what would be one of Lewis’ final fights, he faced 40-2-1 Frans Botha. The South African heavyweight had lost only to Mike Tyson and Michael Moorer, and had fought to a draw against Shannon Briggs.
Lewis solidified himself as a top heavyweight as he staggered Botha at the end of the first round, and sent him through the ropes with a left-right-left-right combination in the second.
Botha didn’t protest as the referee called a halt to the contest, even though he was able to get back into the ring.
Though Lewis, who is the reason Chris Eubank Jr. began boxing, was cheered for his big win, the referee, Larry O’Connell, was booed when he first entered the ring.
The same referee was responsible for one of boxing’s most controversial decisions
O’Connell was booed because of his role in one of boxing’s greatest controversies.
In 1999, Lewis faced Evander Holyfield, who was once accused of cheating, for the first time for the undisputed heavyweight championship.
The fight was, to many, clear, and Lewis was the rightful winner. Despite this, one judge scored the bout in favor of Holyfield, whilst another – O’Connell, scored it a draw.
The resulting split decision draw was criticized by many. According to BoxRec, Frank Bruno said:
“The judges verdict was the most disgusting decision I’ve ever seen in boxing.”
O’Connell later said: “I feel sorry for myself. I’ve taken so much stick. But I feel even more sorry for Lennox.”
Lewis beat Holyfield in their rematch.