British fighters' legacies

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Wilde.

#1.

Imperial Ghosty wrote:Would you say that Lennox Lewis is head and shoulders above the likes of Wilde, Driscoll, Welsh and Kid Lewis then?

Head and Shoulders is the wrong way to put it. My mistake. But definitely better Legacy.

I would agree in the sense that he's a heavyweight so will garner more attention but legacy wise feels he's some way short of Wilde and Ted Lewis but slightly ahead of Welsh in 3rd, I see it as similar to the Robinson and Ali scenario where Ray is the better fighter with a better resume but is less well know than his brash heavyweight compatriot.

Imperial Ghosty wrote:I would agree in the sense that he's a heavyweight so will garner more attention but legacy wise feels he's some way short of Wilde and Ted Lewis but slightly ahead of Welsh in 3rd, I see it as similar to the Robinson and Ali scenario where Ray is the better fighter with a better resume but is less well know than his brash heavyweight compatriot.

I'm not sure that he gets more attention than Wilde. Ring Magazine often have rated Wilde as one of the hardest punchers ever and also the greatest Flyweight. (Not sure if they still do)
Wilde with his size and the boxing booths bout is a man of legend where as Lewis is often disregarded due to his accent and whether he is British or not.

So I don't think Lewis holds any advantage as you suggest.

He's a modern day fighter who is well known to the general public and being heavyweight champion of the world does give you certain allowances that fighters at other weights do not. Wilde being regarded almost universally as the best flyweight of all time is his legacy whereas Lewis is regarded as a very very good heavyweight but not the greatest, ask the general public and they will almost to a man say Lewis due to no knowledge of Wilde but in boxing circles he's revered as a legend. Depends how much emphasis you place on the consciousness of the general public I suppose.

Imperial Ghosty wrote:He's a modern day fighter who is well known to the general public and being heavyweight champion of the world does give you certain allowances that fighters at other weights do not. Wilde being regarded almost universally as the best flyweight of all time is his legacy whereas Lewis is regarded as a very very good heavyweight but not the greatest, ask the general public and they will almost to a man say Lewis due to no knowledge of Wilde but in boxing circles he's revered as a legend. Depends how much emphasis you place on the consciousness of the general public I suppose.

I agree with what your saying here but I am not the general public. I am well versed on both careers and all British fighters historically and rate Lennox as the best. It doesn't mean he is the best but in my honest opinion he is.
I won't go down the path of trying to detract from Wilde as he had a fabulous career. Being a Flyweight does cost him in a sense as I don't believe that division has the strength in depth of the Heavyweight division, so Lewis not being the Greatest there isn't necessarily an advantage to Wilde.

Not really sure what Lewis has on Wilde or Kid Lewis legacy wise myself, great figher as he was he wasn't as great as either of them. Wilde being the consensus number one in one of the original eight divisions means a hell of a lot and while the divisions strength isn't great nor is that of the heavyweight division. As for Kid Lewis he beat genuinely great fighters and was half of one of the greatest rivalries in the history of boxing as well as holding british titles from featherweight up to light heavyweight as well as fighting for the european heavyweight title, that is some achievement.