The heavyweight division has been home to some of boxing’s biggest names.
From Muhammad Ali to Tyson Fury, there don’t come many bigger than the duo of Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis.
Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion and Lewis became undisputed champion of the heavyweight division in 1999.
Both Lewis and ‘Iron Mike’ are both among the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, but that’s not enough for Larry Holmes.
‘The Assassin’ defeated names such as Evander Holyfield and also fought Ali so has every right to voice his opinion, however, his views on Tyson and Lewis are perplexing to say the least.
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Larry Holmes thinks Mike Tyson ‘wasn’t as great as people think’
Holmes and Tyson both agreed that Earnie Shavers is the hardest puncher they’ve faced, but when it comes to comparing themselves, the former had other claims.
Mike Tyson actually beat Holmes in 1988 after he returned from a two-year absence from the sport.
By that point Holmes was well past his prime and back in 2021, the heavyweight legend claimed he would’ve beaten ‘Iron Mike’ if he was in peak condition and even went as far to say that he wasn’t ‘as great as people think’.
He told Punchers’ Chance: “I knew I couldn’t beat Mike Tyson but I wanted to fight Mike Tyson because it was a lot of money and he was strong. I was off for two years, I knew it was gonna be difficult, but I was gonna give it my best shot and that’s what I did.
“Mike Tyson was not as great as people put him up to be. No way. If I was in shape, if I had more time to train, I’d have knocked Mike Tyson out.”
Larry Holmes was left unimpressed by Lennox Lewis
The Georgia-born star is a tough man to please and if you thought his views on Tyson were strange, wait until you hear what he had to say about Lennox Lewis.
It took over 20 years for Lewis’ accolade of being an undisputed champion of the heavyweight division to be matched by Oleksandr Usyk, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest to do it.
However, for Holmes, Lewis’ achievements failed to impress him.
He told Boxing News in 2023: “Lennox Lewis never impressed me. You know, the guy’s got a punch. He’s big and strong.”
It’s not like Holmes doesn’t have a leg to stand on. He went unbeaten in his first 48 professional fights and ended his career with a sensational record of 69 wins from 75 bouts.
His only defeats came during world title fights too, where he danced in the ring with some of the greatest such as Holyfield and Oliver McCall.