Rewind to 1994, and Lennox Lewis had ended the drought Britain had endured for therefore lengthy when it got here to having a world heavyweight champion. Lewis, who was born in London however had moved to Canada on the age of 12, had received a model of the crown, in doing so turning into the primary British fighter to carry a world heavyweight title because the nice Bob Fitzsimmons.
Although loads of folks argued Lewis was a Canadian, Lennox maintained he was a real Brit. And, in 1993, with a win over Tony Tucker, Lewis turned the primary Brit to win a world heavyweight title because the nice Bob Fitzsimmons had received the actual factor within the earlier century. Lewis picked up a model, the one Riddick Bowe had dumped within the trash, but he had made historical past all the identical. And a few folks, not simply the British followers who now “claimed” Lennox as one in every of their very own, felt this 6’5”, athletically gifted boxer-puncher simply could be the very best on the planet on the weight. In time, such considering can be confirmed appropriate. However first got here an enormous bump within the highway within the type of Oliver McCall and his ace coach, Emanuel Steward.
Making the third defence of the WBC belt he had received by beating Tony Tucker through determination, Lewis met the powerful and already grizzled Oliver McCall. Steward had armed “The Atomic Bull” with a easy but on the similar time fairly good sport plan: throw a proper hand on the chin as exhausting as you may as quickly as Lewis throws his, after which drops his arms having finished so.
In spherical two that evening in London, it labored like a deal with. Lewis, with the far much less cerebral if far noisier Pepe Correa in his nook, duly slung out a proper after which allowed his arms to drop having finished so; simply as Emanuel had seen. McCall didn’t miss a beat, firing again with a proper counter, along with his eyes closed, and decking Lewis in a flash. Lewis stumbled up, then stumbled some extra, earlier than the ref known as a halt. Lewis by no means noticed what hit him, whereas McCall by no means noticed what he’d hit Lewis with! However McCall ‘felt’ the shot, simply as he had seen the opening.
Lewis’ profession was modified drastically, but the excellent news wound up outweighing the unhealthy. Steward had all the time mentioned Lewis was the higher, extra naturally proficient fighter, and shortly after the McCall catastrophe, Lewis was being skilled, educated and bettered by the Kronk genius. The remaining is historical past.
We noticed one other British fighter take an excellent nastier fall on Saturday evening, this as Anthony Joshua (who, we should say, is nowhere close to as nice as Lewis was), and we should wait and see if AJ can bounce again. Lewis did it, although he took far much less punishment than Joshua did in his loss to Daniel Dubois, and the loss to McCall was in fact Lennox’ first loss, with him solely ever dropping twice throughout his nice profession. At one cut-off date, some folks have been evaluating Joshua to Lewis. Not any extra.
