Lennox Lewis explains why becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world is important: “It’s the greatest prize in the world,” Lewis said. “To me, it meant I was the best. I’ve had a lot of different belts, but being the undisputed champion makes me number one, and that’s what I wanted.”
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In 2003, Lennox Lewis stopped Vitali Klitschko after a thrilling and bloody fight in Los Angeles.
“I wanted to jump out of a plane, but they told me I was too heavy. So I couldn't do it.”
Lennox Lewis, a true legend of British and world boxing, celebrated his 60th birthday on Tuesday and he is still looking to push his boundaries.
After his ambitions to take up skydiving were dashed, Lewis, a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, took up scuba diving.
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He can be proud of a legacy that paved the way for subsequent British heavyweights. Before Lewis, Britain's big men were generally seen as gritty contenders who couldn't make it to the top level.
Since Lewis, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have led British boxing's battle for the world heavyweight title, with Moses Ithauma currently in contention for the title.
It took another quarter of a century for another fighter, Oleksandr Usyk, to follow Lewis' example and become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
Pictured: Lewis celebrated his 60th birthday on Tuesday.
“It's the biggest prize in the world,” Lewis told Sky Sports News. “For me, it meant I was the best. There have been so many different champions, so many different belts, but being the undisputed champion makes me number one, and that's what I wanted.”
“I wanted to put all the belts together. When they said, 'This guy is the heavyweight champion, this guy is the heavyweight champion,' no. There can only be one.
“My goal was to go out there and win that title, to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.”
He explained how he has managed to stay motivated to overcome these barriers in his career. “There’s always going to be someone who says they can beat you, and you have to show them that they can’t beat you,” Lewis said.
“Becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world is difficult. But holding onto that title is even more difficult.”
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In 2002, Lewis won one of the most anticipated heavyweight fights in years, knocking out Mike Tyson in the eighth round in Memphis.
In a stellar career that has seen him defeat Evander Holyfield, Frank Bruno, Vitali Klitschko and many others, he counts his wins over Ray Mercer and Mike Tyson as his favorites.
“There are a lot of fights to choose from. All my fights have been really good. I have to say the Mercer fight was a really good fight,” Lewis said.
“Because in that fight I got hit and it was like this and that. They like fast-paced fights, they like those fights and I like them too.
“The Tyson fight… People liked that fight, they said it was a great fight, they really enjoyed it and they enjoyed watching it.”
This cemented his status as the best boxer of his era and led to him being widely regarded as the best British heavyweight of all time.
The next great heavyweight?
His advice to Moses Itauma, a rising star in the modern heavyweight division, is to take it slow.
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British boxing legend Lewis believes Moses Itauma is not ready to fight for world titles and should wait until Oleksandr Usyk's career ends before entering the ring.
Lewis doesn't think Itaume should challenge Usyk anytime soon. “It's too early. It's better to wait. Wait until he retires,” Lewis said.
“He won't stay in the ring for long, I'm talking about Oleksandr Usyk, and then make your choice. There's no point in doing it now. You're just learning everything now, and you have to wait for the right moment.”
“You can never rush. If you rush, it will have a bad effect on your career. So it's better not to rush, to act when there is time, when you are ready.”
Sourse: skysports.com
