Former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis believes that Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua would have all been competitive in the last golden era of the heavyweights when Lewis was locked in a three-way tussle for supremacy with boxing superstars Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson.
The 53-year-old Lewis, who retired in 2003 with a record of 41-2-1 (32) after defeating every man he ever faced, says that the three undefeated big men could match it with the best from his own era.
“I do think about this. Would these two fighters and Anthony Joshua have survived in my era with Holyfield and Tyson?” said Lewis to the Telegraph.
“Yes, I think so. If you look at the heavyweight division now these guys are much bigger, they are still very good and they are getting better by boxing each other.”
Lewis sees this Saturday’s intriguing heavyweight title fight between WBC titleholder Wilder and lineal champion Fury as instrumental in helping both of them further develop their respective skillsets.
“Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury will both gain from this fight – both of them,” he continued. “They will both learn from it and will want to fight Joshua. He is the one at the top at the moment and they both want to fight him. But we are looking at a great fight on Saturday night. I believe it will be explosive.”
While Lewis is finds it difficult to pick a definitive winner in the Wilder-Fury bout, he is clearly impressed by Fury’s commitment to return to the ring in top physical and mental shape after almost three years on the sidelines battling substance abuse and mental health issues while simultaneously blowing up in weight.
A Fury victory would be comparable to the comeback feats of modern legends of the game Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, he says.
“It will be one of the greatest comebacks,” said Lewis. “It will be a part of history. People will look at him being written off to coming back and I think that has motivated him.
“He wants to be champion again and this is the perfect stage. It ranks as a part of history – he wants to prove everybody wrong.”
