Lennox Lewis had an Iron chin

[Superheavyweight]

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[Claypole]

Yep. His chin was a big factor in his huge success. It was only the two punches in his whole career that he couldn't take, and he reversed those defeats.

[SteveO]

Playing Devil's Advocate here, but didn't McCall and Rahman expose him to a degree?

[SteveO]

Yep. His chin was a big factor in his huge success. It was only the two punches in his whole career that he couldn't take, and he reversed those defeats.

Fair enough. Not everyone will take every punch well. He did do better than most.

[kg0208]

Well not iron. But it was good IMO.

[Vanboxingfan]

One should spend the time compiling a list of ATG fights who were down the same number of times or more than Lewis.

Let's see, Tyson, Foreman, Holmes, Ali, Louis, Dempsey, Frazier, Liston,

this is of the top of my head there may well be others and quite honestly, I think the fighters Lewis fought were by and large bigger and harder hitting than most of his comp faced.

[markclow]

Dont bring up facts.

Lewis will never be given his credit because he's not American, despite owning Holyfield, Tyson et all.

[kg0208]

Dont bring up facts.

Lewis will never be given his credit because he's not American, despite owning Holyfield, Tyson et all.
Buzz off with the American crap. Do you have proof? Lewis is rated by many Americans as a top 10 HW ever....so what is your beef?

[LogDog69]

Well not iron. But it was good IMO.



I agree. He certainly doesn't have a chin like McCall, Tua, or Mercer but it's a lot better than most people give him credit for. :good

[Zakman]

Lewis had a iron chin??? :lol:

What's next? Fraudley is George Chuvalo?? :rofl :rofl

[LogDog69]

One should spend the time compiling a list of ATG fights who were down the same number of times or more than Lewis.

Let's see, Tyson, Foreman, Holmes, Ali, Louis, Dempsey, Frazier, Liston,

this is of the top of my head there may well be others and quite honestly, I think the fighters Lewis fought were by and large bigger and harder hitting than most of his comp faced.

I think Lewis' chin was fine but you can't judge someone's chin just my the # of times they've been down. Look at Cotto, he's only been down once but I don't think anyone believes he has an iron chin.

[Jose FM]

Jesus this is the 8th time ive seen this thread. You guys love LL, we get it, now move on!

[rr94]

rumor is superheavyweight is audley harrison...

if so, fuck off superheavyweight.

[brooklyn1550]

Lennox Lewis didn't have an iron chin. He had a good chin though.

[shelterr]

He faced more good fighters of his generation than anyone and went down twice. Pretty damn good.

[Zakman]

Lennox Lewis didn't have an iron chin. He had a good chin though.

Compared to Fraudley, perhaps.:lol:

But otherwise, it's pretty suspect.:yep

[Vanboxingfan]

I think Lewis' chin was fine but you can't judge someone's chin just my the # of times they've been down. Look at Cotto, he's only been down once but I don't think anyone believes he has an iron chin.

Well it seems to me it has to at least be taken into account.

Look at it this way, someone like Lewis may have been hit solidly in the chin well over a 1,000 times in his career which isn't an unreasonable number given the number of fights he had, probably on the low side. So he was decked twice. That's a ratio of .2%. I suppose to determine the exact quality of a fighters chin you'd have to perform that exercise with everyone to determine what the ratio would be for a cast iron chin, a good chin, a average chin, and weak chin. Then you'd have to adjust it for the type of punchers a particular fighter faced. Obviously this isn't likely to be done.

But I can say that given the type of fighters Lewis faced, and the number of punches he took, his chin would have had to be at least average or above. Course I think the same applies to Foreman, Frazier, Liston, Louis, Dempsey and the rest of them.

[FRKO]

Playing Devil's Advocate here, but didn't McCall and Rahman expose him to a degree?

You kidding man!? They were bloody lucky, that's all.

[Doppleganger]

Compared to Fraudley, perhaps.:lol:

But otherwise, it's pretty suspect.:yep
It can't be called suspect when it's only let him down twice in his career. If I had a car that started thousands of times and it only failed to start twice I wouldn't call it suspect. I'd call it pretty reliable but not foolproof and that's exactly how Lewis's chin should be termed as.

[dan-b]

They were huge punches that not many heavyweights would have recovered from they do, however, harm his all time standing. For me he's top 10 but had it not been for those losses he would been top 5.

[Doppleganger]

if you had a car you have started 38 times and it didnt start 2 of those times, i would call that suspect...
Ah but the thing is Lewis has taken a lot more than 38 hard punches in his career...

[dan-b]

if you had a car you have started 38 times and it didnt start 2 of those times, i would call that suspect...

I think he took more than 38 punches.;)

[dan-b]

i was talking about the # of fights

We get that, it's just you are interpretating the analogy differently.;)

[Ambition_Def]

Iron chin? No way.

Iron chin is taking the right hand Sam Peter took from McCline in the third round, only to get up and win the fight.

You'd never see Lewis come back from a punch like that. :yep

[Haye]

To say he had an iron chin is just silly. His chin was underrated, and he did take some great shots. He got KOed by legitimate HW KO artists, with punches that would KO most HW's. His chin was solid, above average.

[Steviewonder]

I've often had the feeling that Lennox Lewis's chin was suspect when he underestimated his opponent. I think he took Oliver McCall too lightly, and he seemed to be clowning against Hasim Rahman before he got chinned.

Against Tyson, he was undoubtedly better prepared, and would have had the adrenelin coursing through him more than he would have had against an opponent he didn't consider much of a threat. Raw adrenelin does something to a fighter. Look at Nigel Benn against Gerald McClellan, for example. He took some murderous shots and survived, where he'd been badly wobbled by much lesser opponents several times in the past.

I think Lennox was similar in this sense.

He was strong against the more dangerous opponents, e.g Morrison, Tyson, Ray Mercer, to name a couple.

[Robbi]

Lennox Lewis didn't have an iron chin. He had a good chin though.


Sounds accurate. Fighters with iron chins don't get knocked out the way Lewis did on two ocassions. But his chin wasn't made of glass as some like to think. His chin was rather solid apart from those KO losses to McCall and Rahman.

[PATSYS]

I am a huge Lewis fan but in all honesty his chin is average.

[196osh]

Lewis had a iron chin??? :lol:

What's next? Fraudley is George Chuvalo?? :rofl :rofl

He didn't have an Iron chin. But his chin was nowhere near as bad as you make out. Watch the video.

[Robbi]

He didn't have an Iron chin. But his chin was nowhere near as bad as you make out. Watch the video.


Agreed. His chin was pretty damn strong. The Mercer and second Holyfield fight showed the proof. And the Vitali fight was another.

[196osh]

Agreed. His chin was pretty damn strong. The Mercer and second Holyfield fights were proof.

He took some decent shots from Tua also :yep

[dan-b]

Watch this.

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[Robbi]

He took some decent shots from Tua also :yep

Tua caught Lewis with single shots, but not often. I can mind on the bell at the end of a round he caught Lewis. Against Mercer and Klitschko he was getting hit more often, and passed the test.

[196osh]

Watch this.

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Nice video dan. China chin my ass

[196osh]

Tua caught Lewis with single shots, but not often. I can mind on the bell at the end of a round he caught Lewis. Against Mercer and Klitschko he was getting hit more often, and passed the test.

I agree 100% :good

[dan-b]

The losses are regrettable & hurt his legacy nonetheless. Just to digress slightly I was thinking how unfortunate it is that he never got to fight Bowe for the undisputed title & how different heavyweight history could have been had he won the fight as I think he would have done. We wouldn't have had a splintered title & we would have had a young Lewis as champion with everyone having to come through him.

[Max Molyneux]

Lewis's chin was underrated.

Rahman caught him while he was out of shape and he recovered from the McCall one before that BS stoppage.

[Robbi]

Lewis's chin was underrated.

Exactly, underrated.

[BodyBlaster]

I've often had the feeling that Lennox Lewis's chin was suspect when he underestimated his opponent. I think he took Oliver McCall too lightly, and he seemed to be clowning against Hasim Rahman before he got chinned.

Against Tyson, he was undoubtedly better prepared, and would have had the adrenelin coursing through him more than he would have had against an opponent he didn't consider much of a threat. Raw adrenelin does something to a fighter. Look at Nigel Benn against Gerald McClellan, for example. He took some murderous shots and survived, where he'd been badly wobbled by much lesser opponents several times in the past.

I think Lennox was similar in this sense.

He was strong against the more dangerous opponents, e.g Morrison, Tyson, Ray Mercer, to name a couple.

Against Rahman he was knackered, and got forced backwards then nailed.
Against McCall, got beaten to the punch.

Lewis had a decent beard however, but did also get badly staggered by Briggs and Vitali, from punches looking less than murderous.

[Robbi]

Marvin Hagler, Oliver McCall, Wayne McCullough. Those fighters come under the iron category.

[dan-b]

Marvin Hagler, Oliver McCall, Wayne McCullough. Those fighters come under the iron category.

Wayne McCullough is in a league of his own. That mans chin is unreal.

[KobeIsGod]

coming from a lennox fan. no way he had an iron chin. an iron-chinned fighter doesn't lose by 1 punch ko's to average hws. and saying he's wasn't motivated is just a pretense. i think he just became a tougher fighter over time. he took a lot of punishment against mercer and fought back when hit. Same thing against klitschko though vitali had him buzzing on a few occasions. actually, his chin was best at the end of his career. a case can be made for good but not great.

[Punisher33]

Lewis' chin is below average, both times he was knocked out, came form one punch from above average journeymen fighters. Lewis' always had a problem with his chin, Vitali, Bruno, Briggs almost knocked him out as well. He certainly didnt have the worst chin, but it was far from iron in his day.

[barneyrub]

coming from a lennox fan. no way he had an iron chin. an iron-chinned fighter doesn't lose by 1 punch ko's to average hws. and saying he's wasn't motivated is just a pretense. i think he just became a tougher fighter over time. he took a lot of punishment against mercer and fought back when hit. Same thing against klitschko though vitali had him buzzing on a few occasions. actually, his chin was best at the end of his career. a case can be made for good but not great.In fact in his early career his chin was good, and he was very confident in his chin as seen against Mason and Tucker in this different clip.

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[Robbi]

Wayne McCullough is in a league of his own. That mans chin is unreal.

Yep. He took Hamed punches no problem. And he took Morales bombs at super-bantamweight, which was when Morales' power was at it's most lethal. Harrison could also punch with authority, and the size difference between them both when they shared a ring was evident.

[Sprint]

I agree that Lewis gets far too much stick for getting knocked out twice. His chin was definitely above average (if not by much). In the heavyweight division one punch can change everything. For Lewis to have the career he did, and face the opponents he did, to only get knocked out twice could be considered an achievement.

[dan-b]

In fact in his early career his chin was good, and he was very confident in his chin as seen against Mason and Tucker in this different clip.

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

Great video thanks for posting it. If anyone can watch that & say Lewis' chin is "below average" then can they please tell me how they would class Wladimir Klitschko's chin?

[Punisher33]

Great video thanks for posting it. If anyone can watch that & say Lewis' chin is "below average" then can they please tell me how they would class Wladimir Klitschko's chin? Wlad certainly has a worse chin than Lewis', he has been TKO'd 3 times and has hit the canvas 10 or 11 times already. Even Roy Jones made fun of his chin, laughing about how he got badly rocked by a jab against Brewster. Lewis' has an average to below average chin IMO, he legs would buckle often in fights, which is usually good sign of how strong or weak someones chin is.

[LennoxGOAT]

For anyone who says Lennox's chin is anything other than great (not iron), they expose themselves as an idiot. He fought the best his entire career, got tagged often, and only hit the canvas twice (one of which was stopped too early).

[Robbi]

For anyone who says Lennox's chin is anything other than great (not iron), they expose themselves as an idiot. He fought the best his entire career, got tagged often, and only hit the canvas twice (one of which was stopped too early).

Your a fool for coming to the conclusion Lewis has an iron chin when he was knocked out by single right hands from McCall and Rahman. Fighters with iron chins don't get dropped with single right hands.

His chin was underrated and very good, not iron however.

[Bodysnatcher]

Not an iron chin, but a very good chin.

People overlook the fact that he was on his feet at the count of eight against McCall. It was a controversial decision.

Not saying McCall wouldn't have finished him but it surely counts for something that he beat the count.

[dan-b]

Not an iron chin, but a very good chin.

People overlook the fact that he was on his feet at the count of eight against McCall. It was a controversial decision.

Not saying McCall wouldn't have finished him but it surely counts for something that he beat the count.

If that had happend in the 70's he would have been allowed to continue especially given it was a supposed "world" title fight. Like you said though there was every chance the Atomic Bull would have finished him anyway. We'll never know but what we do know is he was up & at least willing to continue.

[Robbi]

Lewis doesn't have a glass jaw, thats for sure.

[brooklyn1550]

Lewis had a good chin in my view. Not iron, not glass, but somewhere in the middle.

[Robbi]

Lewis had a good chin in my view. Not iron, not glass, but somewhere in the middle.


I would say his chin was made of copper, that sounds about right.

[brooklyn1550]

I would say his chin was made of copper, that sounds about right.

:lol: Good call

[scurlaruntings]

Playing Devil's Advocate here, but didn't McCall and Rahman expose him to a degree?To a degree? When Mccall flattend him with that hail mary overhand right LL could barely stand when the ref asked him to come towards him. When Rahman starched him minutes after the KO he wasnt even aware of what had happened and was twitching on the floor like an infantile retard.LL`s chin wasnt bone china but it was poor.He was hurt many a time vs Mercer and Bruno.It was hardly iron.

[markbrooklyn]

Lenox Lewis' chin was no where near iron. He got knocked out on 2 occasions by only 1 punch! It takes way more then that to knock out an iron chinned figher. I'm not saying he had a glass jaw but he had a little better then average chin. His height helped him out alot because it was harder to land a solid big punch on a big guy like him.

[Bodysnatcher]

To a degree? When Mccall flattend him with that hail mary overhand right LL could barely stand when the ref asked him to come towards him. When Rahman starched him minutes after the KO he wasnt even aware of what had happened and was twitching on the floor like an infantile retard.LL`s chin wasnt bone china but it was poor.He was hurt many a time vs Mercer and Bruno.It was hardly iron.

Against McCall, he was standing, though.

He was lucid enough to be complaining the second the ref called it off.

Counts for something. He got up. He wanted more.

Also, he wasn't knocked down once in any other fight apart from those two.

That he was `hurt` against Mercer and Bruno is irrelevant, in my view.

[Primadonna Kool]

Lennox Lewis took bombs from VK....

[stuistylee]

lennox lewis does NOT have an "iron" chin...

[Sakura]

Lennox Lewis took bombs from VK....

Vitalys punch is overated..he wear his opponets down with lot of punches and mostly in later rounds. Altought, his boxing skills are underrated..

[Zakman]

lennox lewis does NOT have an "iron" chin...

Many people WAY overrate this guy. This is only one of the more ridiculous examples of it.:nut

[Fighting Weight]

Lewis didn't have an iron chin, not even his biggest fans would claim that - but he did have an extremely good chin, which is something his haters will never admit.

[Fighting Weight]

Many people WAY overrate this guy. This is only one of the more ridiculous examples of it.:nut

Still sore from the two utter ownings he dished out on Evander I see :deal

[Sweet Pea]

His chin was not iron, but it was good, and very underrated. He was never even down aside from the two bombs he took against McCall and Rahman, two heavy hitters. He was nowhere near his best for the fight with Rahman anyway, out of shape and sloppy. He avenged that loss with a highlight reel KO of his own. He was also caught by McCall, who's bomb he got up from, but the ref decided to stop the fight anyway. Aside from those two instances he took shots from the biggest punchers of the era(some very good ones as well, as the vid showed) and never went down.

That tells me he had a good chin.

[Fighting Weight]

He was also caught by McCall, who's bomb he got up from, but the ref decided to stop the fight anyway.

The haters forget that - that was a dreadful stoppage. He may or may not have still lost the fight anyway but we never got chance to find out. Other champions that have got to their feet have been given time to recover by referees once they were up, I believe Holyfield to be one of them. If Lewis had been given that luxury then who knows?

[Zakman]

His chin was not iron, but it was good, and very underrated. He was never even down aside from the two bombs he took against McCall and Rahman, two heavy hitters. He was nowhere near his best for the fight with Rahman anyway, out of shape and sloppy. He avenged that loss with a highlight reel KO of his own. He was also caught by McCall, who's bomb he got up from, but the ref decided to stop the fight anyway. Aside from those two instances he took shots from the biggest punchers of the era(some very good ones as well, as the vid showed) and never went down.
Why are there always such a litany of excuses for this guy?? He was "nowhere near his best???" More like he had nowhere near the best whiskers!! :yep

Whatever excuses are thrown around, it won't change the FACT that Lewis is the only top level HW champ taken out twice in the early rounds by second rate fighters. The only one. :nod

[Fighting Weight]

Why are there always such a litany of excuses for this guy?? He was "nowhere near his best???" More like he had nowhere near the best whiskers!! :yep

Whatever excuses are thrown around, it won't change the FACT that Lewis is the only top level HW champ taken out twice in the early rounds by second rate fighters. The only one. :nod

Foreman and Louis didn't have anywhere near the best whiskers either, it doesn't seem to affect their standing too much :yep

Is Holyfield the only top level (is he even top level?) heavyweight to have been KO'd by a middleweight, by the way?

[Zakman]

Foreman and Louis didn't have anywhere near the best whiskers either, it doesn't seem to affect their standing too much :yep

Is Holyfield the only top level (is he even top level?) heavyweight to have been KO'd by a middleweight, by the way?

Underrating Holyfield as always I see. Like it matters that he went down from a body shot and his HANDLERS threw in the towel in the NINTH round against Toney when he was 40 frikkin' years old!! :patsch

Oh, and by the way, he was hardly "owned" in the second Lewis fight, which quite a few ringside journalists thought should have gone his way. After the first fight, all Lewis had to get the nod in that one was be standing at the final bell. :yep

Luckily for him, his shaky whiskers didn't give out THAT time!! :lol:

[Fighting Weight]

Underrating Holyfield as always I see. Like it matters that he went down from a body shot and his HANDLERS threw in the towel in the NINTH round against Toney when he was 40 frikkin' years old!! :patsch

Oh, and by the way, he was hardly "owned" in the second Lewis fight, which quite a few ringside journalists thought should have gone his way. After the first fight, all Lewis had to get the nod in that one was be standing at the final bell. :yep

Luckily for him, his shaky whiskers didn't give out THAT time!! :lol:

Holyfield was owned in both fights with Lewis, he never even made a dent, despite his usual filthy head-butting tactics, they worked against a crude fighter like past his best Tyson but against Lennox it meant shit, he still lost by a big margin in both fights - the second fight was closer than the first due only to Lennox's anxiety and stupidity in believing he had to go toe to toe to win, which left him in the firing line for Evanders 'third fist' - but it didn't matter he still strolled away with an 8-4 decision on any sane persons scorecard.

I don't give a shit how old Holyfield was when he lost to that ex middleweight, Lewis would beat Toney easily without even bothering to train I'd bet. HUGE difference in skills and size and power. Holyfield will always be remembered as a great cruiserweight, but great heavyweight? Fuck no, his career at heavy is just too patchy, too many losses.

[nighthunter]

Well not iron. But it was good IMO.

:good
I agree :lol: :lol: :lol: