Lennox Lewis believes Evander Holyfield is the toughest opponent he ever faced in the ring during his illustrious career.
The Brit is the last boxer to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and his two fights with Holyfield in 1999 were the stuff of heavyweight legend.
Although their first fight ended in a contentious draw, Lewis avenged what he felt was the incorrect decision by claiming a unanimous victory over the ‘Real Deal’.
And, although he conceded neither encounter with Holyfield was his toughest fight, he admitted the former undisputed cruiserweight champion was his toughest test.
“People seem to be genuinely surprised when I tell them (Holyfield) was my toughest opponent, not to be confused with my toughest fight, which was (Ray) Mercer, but when you really dive into why that is, it actually makes a lot of sense,” the 54-year-old wrote on Instagram.
“Holyfield, like me, has an extensive amateur pedigree that has served him well throughout his professional career. He started boxing at eight years old and was an Olympic bronze medalist in 1984. Before he moved up to the heavyweight division, he’s a man that cleared out the cruiserweight division to become the undisputed champion, and arguably the best ever, in that weight class.
“That’s a lot of experience and it’s safe to say that by the time we met for the undisputed heavyweight championship in 1999, he had seen it all. When you combine Evander’s amateur and professional experience, you would be hard pressed not to see the kind of success he’s had in the ring.
“I may tease him a bit on our two fights, he knows I won both fights even though he won’t admit it, but in all seriousness, he’s the only man that has gone 24 rounds with me.”
Both men gained extensive pedigree before making it to the professional ranks, although it was Lewis who excelled in he heavyweight ranks by defeating the likes of Vitali Klitschko, Mike Tyson and Oliver McCall to confirm his status as the best of his era.
But the West Ham-born fighter owes his extensive career at the pinnacle of the sport to his years spent in the gyms across Canada as an amateur.
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“I can’t stress enough the importance of amateur experience,” he wrote. “Consider the amateurs as your internship into the pros. The more you learn about your craft, the better it will serve you.
“Me and Evander’s extensive amateur experience brought us to the top of our games. In a sport where there are no guarantees, and even one mistake can end in disaster, it’s important to play the odds. So although we have both had setbacks in our careers, there was very little chance that the success we sought in the sport of boxing would not be reached based on our experience.”
