Lennox Lewis has cleared up the confusion surrounding who actually is his toughest ever opponent.
The British-Canadian heavyweight great enjoyed an accomplished professional career which spanned just shy of 15-years, beginning in 1989 shortly after he picked up an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1988 Games in Seoul.
‘The Lion’ won the world heavyweight championship on three separate occasions during his tenure, as well as the undisputed championship back in 1999 when he defeated Evander Holyfield in their highly anticipated rematch.
Lewis suffered two defeats during his time as a professional, falling short against Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman respectively, but would go on to avenge both of these losses before his retirement, meaning he effectively defeated every fighter he ever faced. However, Ray Mercer has since claimed Lewis admitted that he should have lost their 1996 clash.
Speaking on Instagram, ‘The Lion’ made it clear that although his ‘toughest fight’ was against Ray Mercer, his toughest ever opponent was actually Holyfield, who he fought twice during his career.
“People seem to be genuinely surprised when I tell them Evander Holyfield was my toughest opponent, not to be confused with my toughest fight, which was Mercer. 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.”
After their first encounter in March 1999 was declared a split decision draw, they would go on to lock horns for the second time just 8-months later as Lewis defeated ‘The Real Deal’ via unanimous decision to finally become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
