Who is it gonna be: TYSON or LEWIS??

[BigJim]

When you look at the list of greats that Tron mentioned I think it is safe to say not only that Tyson couldn't have beaten any of them, but that none of those greats would have been knocked out by the punch that Hashim Rahman hit Lewis with in their first fight.
Unfortunately, Tron failed to include Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Jack Johnson, John L. Sullivan, Jim Jeffries, James Corbett, and Bob Fitzsimmons, all of whom would have wiped the floor with Tyson and Lewis. The heavyweight division is in a sad state.
Another correction on Tron's info, it was Ron Lyle, not Ron Lee. Good thing I'm here to keep you guys informed.

With the best will in the world, a lot of the heavyweights from the earliest part of the 20th centurey and the latter part of the 19th would'nt have stood a chance against a Tyson in his prime. I often hear about how certain football players (soccer) would have outshined certain superstars today. Players like Stanley Matthews, Tommy Lawton, George Best, Dixie Dean, Duncan Edwards and Tom Finney others are just some of the ones I hear mentioned. With all due respect to those illustrious names of yesteryear, they would'nt have been able to survive in todays professional climate. Standards of fitness and competitiveness are just so much higher than they were even only 50 years ago, never mind 100. I believe the same applies to boxing too. Bob Fitzsimmons was barely a heavyweight at all in those days and by today's standards he would struggle to make light-heavyweight. John L. Sullivan, while being the star of his day and possibly the first true WORLD heavyweight champion was rolled over by Gentleman Jim Corbett- the first boxer of his time to actually show any technical prowess, instead of just standing in front of his opponent and swinging until one of them fell over.

Ezzard Charles and Jersey Joe Walcott were great for their day too, but I don't think either of them would have beaten Tyson. Neither one had the chin, the defensive skills or the punching power to drop him. Out of Tyson's first two defeats remember, both went into double figures for the rounds and both involved taking punishment from a massive hitter for just about every round leading up to the finish; especially with James *Buster Blood Vessel* Douglas. Tyson only landed one decent punch in that Tokyo fight, the massive right uppercut he decked Douglas with at the end of the 8th. Joe Frazier and George Foreman are two I think Tyson would've struggled with. Both these guys stood tall at a time when the heavyweight division was replete with stars.Ken Norton, I'm not sure about. I think that guy was probably better than some of his fights may show. I truly believe that the only reason he scored a victory over Ali was because he got lucky in the early part of the fight and broke his jaw. Without that I think Ali would've won.

One thing I think we can all agree on is that Mohammed Ali would've wiped the floor with any of them. Even though he is a "yesteryear" fighter, the man had just so much natural talent and such a brilliant tactical mind that he must be regarded as The Greatest Of All Time.

Neutron, what exactly did you mean by "Bonecrusher Smith hammered him"? I saw that fight and all Smith seemed to do was hold on for the whole 12 rounds in an attempt to stop Tyson wiping him out. Smith's only weapon of any value was a clubbing right hand that'd knock down a Redwood. He laid out Bruno and Witherspoon with it. If he hadn't clobbered Witherspoon with that in the first round of their WBA title fight I don't think he'd have ever been world champion at all.And when it came to Tyson, all he seemed to want to do was survive and justly lost the fight by a colossal, unanimous deciscion. (I think one of the judges gave him one round and the other 2 gave all 12 to Tyson.)

 

[WallStreet]

I'll agree with Big Jim that Tyson would have beaten Ken Norton, simply because Norton was knocked cold by every big puncher he ever faced (Foreman, Shavers, Cooney).
I'm surprised that Big Jim wasn't more supportive of his fellow englishman Bob Fitzsimmons. Fitz only weighed 167 pounds (sorry, I don't know how many stone that is) but he spent the bulk of his career fighting opponents that outweighed him by 80 pounds or more. Fighters were alot more hungry back then. There was no gauranteed money. Michael Spinks received about $17 million when he lost in 90 seconds to Tyson. In Fitz's day, Spinks would have received zero, and the crowd would have lynched him.
Fitz had something else that neither Tyson or Lewis could have stood up to, and that was his vaunted Solar Plexus Punch. Just ask Jim Corbett. Fitz is also the person who coined the phrase "The bigger they are, the harder they fall".
John L Sullivan was way past his peak by the time he fought Jim Corbett in the first "gloved" match following Marquis of Queensbury Rules. In Sullivan's day a round would continue until one man was decked, then they would draw a line in the dirt and both combatants had 60 seconds to return to the scratched line. Some fights would last for 3 hours or more. It is because of this adeptness at brawling, as well as an immunity to intimidation, that I think the Great John L would have kicked Tyson's ass.
Ali, Louis, Marciano, and Dempsey all proved during their title reigns that they could take a good punch and recover from a knockdown to win. I've never seen Tyson win a fight where he was on the canvas. He lost to every guy that knocked him down. The only great fighter Tyson ever faced was Holyfield, and Tyson lost twice. Larry Holmes was well past his prime when he fought Tyson.

 

[Neutron]

Thanks Big Jim

You're correct, it was Ron Lyle. A great fighter. I did not include the guys you mentioned on my list because I had never seen them fight in person, nor had I seen enough film of them to really see for myself how great they were. But they were great fighters.
I still contend Norton could beat Tyson, my reasoning is as follows, Yes he lost to some punchers, BUT those guys weren't slouches as boxers. They all had a decent jab, and more than one punch. Plus lets face it, in Nortons era virtually everyone could hit, so a puncher back then was a DAMN fine puncher ya know? Norton also wasn't intimidated by anyone. Much of Tysons succes was due to intimidation. Personally I don't think his decline had as much to do with his physical skills, as it had to do with Bonecrusher Smith laying him out flat on his back. The minute that happened his aura of invincibility vanished.
Good point by Wallstreet. I didn't realize until he mentioned it that Tyson lost every fight in which he hit the mat.

By the way. I STILL say Hagler beat Leonard 🙂

Tron

 

[BigJim]

Re: Thanks Big Jim

Personally I don't think his decline had as much to do with his physical skills, as it had to do with Bonecrusher Smith laying him out flat on his back.

By the way. I STILL say Hagler beat Leonard 🙂

Tron

Tron, it wasn't Boncrusher Smith it was Buster Douglas who flattened Tyson. Bonecrusher Smith fought Tyson in the most boring match in history becuae he virtually jumped down Tyson's shorts from the get go, in an effort hold on and smother him. Tyson won that fight on points. But I agree with you totally. Tyson was a force in decline the minute his aura of invincibility vanished.

 

[Neutron]

Why The Hell?

Am I getting my names confused? Must be my work schedule. I just watched the Douglas fight on video tape two nights ago. So I knew that. LOL

Tron

 

[BigJim]

There are roughly 14 pounds in a stone, so he weighed just under 12 stone.

I weigh 17 stone, so that makes me 238 pounds.(I think)

Sadly not enough of it is muscle because I havn't trained properly for 12 months or so. I used to be quite fit in the days when I had a few wrestling matches.

 

[Dave2112]

...and do you get more beers in a metric six-pack?🙄

 

[CitY of MicA]

Hey

I'm impressed with how much boxing knowledge is being expressed on this board. I mean, honestly, I had no idea how many people were really interested in boxing history. I find myself agreeing a lot with WallStreet. It would have been interesting to see Tyson tested when he was younger. If only they had put him in the ring with someone who hit back. Holyfield was, to me, the great heavyweight of his generation simply because he fought the competition that was out there (and more often that not, won). He fought Tyson twice, George Foreman, Michael Moorer, Ray Mercer, Riddick Bowe three times, Lennox Lewis twice, and Buster Douglas. As they say, to be the best, you have to beat the best. Because Tyson avoided all decent competition in his prime (Michael Spinks was a good light-heavyweight, not a heavyweight), one can only speculate on the quality of fighter that he was or wasn't. This is his legacy.

Ken Norton, I'm not sure about. I think that guy was probably better than some of his fights may show. I truly believe that the only reason he scored a victory over Ali was because he got lucky in the early part of the fight and broke his jaw. Without that I think Ali would've won.

Have to disagree with you on this one, Jim. I think Ken Norton had Ali's number. I didn't think their first fight or their third fight were even remotely close (haven't seen the second one), and the third was a simply attrocious decision for Ali. With regard to the broken jaw, Ali has himself to blame for talking so much. If you watch closely, you can see that he had his mouth open when Norton hit him (in the second round, I believe).

By the way, I predict Lewis will land more punches than Tyson will throw, and win by knockout in the 8th round. So far as Lewis looking lethargic, WHAT fight were you watching? He surgically destroyed Tyson, just like he said he would, a typical Lewis fight.

I was watching the Lewis-Tyson fight. The fact that Lewis won the fight doesn't reflect on how he looked in the ring. The man was slow and looked tired in the first round. Lewis had Tyson dazed early but didn't finish him until the eighth round. Tyson has a good chin, yes, but Tyson basically sleep-walked through six rounds. Lewis' corner urged him to just end the fight somewhere around the end of the 5th. Lewis resorted to pushing Tyson to the canvas twice when he should have been throwing punches. He happens to be a bigger man than most, and Lewis relies on his size way to much. Luckily for him, the heavyweight division is nearly devoid of competent fighters.

 

[Neutron]

Now I'm Not A Lewis Fan..

But give him his due. He's fought every decent heavyweight available, and he's avenged every loss, in style I believe. I think his lethargic style tends from the fact he's so big. He said flat out he wasn't going to go immediately after Tyson. Even though we all believe Iron Mike was overrated, even in his prime, I believe we all have to agree the guy could flat out throw a mean ass punch. I mean that was his bread and butter. Tyson might be slower than he was, but I have no doubt, on any given night he can still unload a big right and knock someone out. Lewis knew it too. That's always why great boxers and great punchers tend to have lethargic fights. The boxers try to keep the punchers at a distance and beat them blow by blow. The punchers get frustrated because they can't get inside. Those of us who are old enough to have seen the great heavyweights of the late 60s were truly blessed. Many of the punchers of that era could actually box. Ali was equally adept at both. He could win boxing, he could win in a blood bath. That's why the era was so exciting. Any fight, could end at anytime, by either fighter.

When you say Leis didn't and doesn't look all that inspiring I'll make the following caution:

Virtually every cornerback in the NHL said Jerry Rice wasn't all that fast
Until that played against him.

They said Jimmy Brown wasn't all that strong
Until they hit him.

Wayne Gretzky not the worlds most impressive physical speciman. His first few years in the NHL players said he wasn't as coordinated and didn't look like he had ice savvy, and WE ALL know what he did.

By the way. Gretzky (a player I really didn't like) had maybe the best advice I've ever heard a profesional athlete give. On the eve of his retirement he was asked what he'd tell a youngster lacing the skates on for the first time. Wayne said " Forget money, play for the passion of the game, the money will always come later "

By the way, I too am impressed at the knowledge of boxing on this forum. Since it is one of my favorite subjects, I've enjoyed this topic immensely.

For the record. My favorite british fighter is Frank Bruno. Always has been, always will be.

Tron

 

[grippedchimp]

I just watched the fight as a repeat on the BBC before the England-Denmark game (bring on the Samba boys!) and I have to say, it was a comprehensive victory. Tyson may be a "maniac" but he's all mouth and no trousers. Lewis kept his cool, used his technical prowess, kept Tyson at bay with those famous jabs and put Tyson flat out with a good right. You gotta wonder if the ref was pro-Tyson. At least Tyson was dignified in defeat. Which was nice.

Lewis is great champion. When he got defeated, he avenged them (heh, I remember Oliver McCall bawling his eyes out). He was superb in his younger days I thought, obviously being hungry and enthusiastic. While his style is a bit slow for people to tolerate, his knockouts are quite spectacular. Did you see a still of Rahman's distorted face after being smacked with a Lewis right hook?

As for Frank Bruno, the man made me laugh. He was a people's champion mainly because he was a bit dopey. Still at least he tried to be a London MP. "Don't be a plank: Vote for Frank. Know what I mean, 'Arry? Heh heh heh heh!"

 

[red indian]

Frank Bruno???????????

You mean the Frank Bruno with the glass jaw and the stamina of an anorexic koala bear? dear oh dear and i thought just for a moment you new what you were talking about!!

 

[Neutron]

No Where..

Did I say Bruno was any good? I said he's my favorite Brit Fighter. Usually when you say Brit and Fighter in the same sentence you're implying he's not any good. Bruno was a hoot. Got a lot of fights simply because he'd fight about anyone. The guy didn't have a lot of talent, but made a lot of money.

Gotta run

Tron

 

[BigJim]

Re: Hey

I'm impressed with how much boxing knowledge is being expressed on this board. I mean, honestly, I had no idea how many people were really interested in boxing history. I find myself agreeing a lot with WallStreet. It would have been interesting to see Tyson tested when he was younger. If only they had put him in the ring with someone who hit back. Holyfield was, to me, the great heavyweight of his generation simply because he fought the competition that was out there (and more often that not, won). He fought Tyson twice, George Foreman, Michael Moorer, Ray Mercer, Riddick Bowe three times, Lennox Lewis twice, and Buster Douglas. As they say, to be the best, you have to beat the best. Because Tyson avoided all decent competition in his prime (Michael Spinks was a good light-heavyweight, not a heavyweight), one can only speculate on the quality of fighter that he was or wasn't. This is his legacy.





Have to disagree with you on this one, Jim. I think Ken Norton had Ali's number. I didn't think their first fight or their third fight were even remotely close (haven't seen the second one), and the third was a simply attrocious decision for Ali. With regard to the broken jaw, Ali has himself to blame for talking so much. If you watch closely, you can see that he had his mouth open when Norton hit him (in the second round, I believe).



I was watching the Lewis-Tyson fight. The fact that Lewis won the fight doesn't reflect on how he looked in the ring. The man was slow and looked tired in the first round. Lewis had Tyson dazed early but didn't finish him until the eighth round. Tyson has a good chin, yes, but Tyson basically sleep-walked through six rounds. Lewis' corner urged him to just end the fight somewhere around the end of the 5th. Lewis resorted to pushing Tyson to the canvas twice when he should have been throwing punches. He happens to be a bigger man than most, and Lewis relies on his size way to much. Luckily for him, the heavyweight division is nearly devoid of competent fighters.

Hmmm, I don't agree with your opinion about Holyfield being the great of his generation, because Lewis kicked his arse twice. IMHO the first fight was a more decisive victory for Lewis and the only reason he didn't officially get it, was because at least two of the judges were either bought, or blind.I think the second fight was closer than the first, believe it or not.

Lewis is probably the most ungraceful heavyweight I ever saw, but I think that is part of a growing trend.Fighters these days place more credence on armouring their bdies and building their punching power and this results in a loss of mobility. It's almost like boxing evolution in a way.As for pushing him down down tice, that's a laughable claim! The first "push" was the flat of his glove brushing across Tyson's shoulders because the guy was on his way downwards so fast. The second was caused by the fact that Lewis is the clumsiest bugger who ever stepped in the ring. I think the fact that the ref took a point off and disallowed that first knockdown was a disgrace. Knowing the sort of contacts Tyson has, he was probably bought, and it's lucky for Lewis it didn't go to a points decision! I also disagree with what you said about Holyfield being the best because of the quality of the fighters he beat. Lewis and Holyfield have always been contemporaries and their records share a lot of the same names, as well as each other twice. I have to beliecve that Lewis is the best of his greneration simply because he's kicked everyone's arse on the planet and never lost a fight he didn't avenge. I also believe that Lewis has a tendency to be lazy and tends to "fight down" to the level of his opponents. His awful display against Ray Mercer being the occasion that springs most readily to mind. When he did bother to fight up to his ceiling though, there is no-one of the present age who can touch him. He defeated Holyfield by convincing margins on TWO occasions, (are you listening Don f***ing King?) and humiliated a broken and spent Tyson in the worst possible way.

Yes you are correct that Ali had his gob swinging in the wind when Norton clouted him; almost certainly that was what caused his jaw to break.However, I will never believe that Norton was a better fighter than Ali. Ali avenged all three losses from the prime of his carrer,(excluding Homes and Berbick obviously)wheras Norton was flattened in four and a half minutes by Foreman because he lacked the technical expertise and the footwork to stay away from what was essentially a punching machine, with no technique.(Of course, the draft dodger losing to an ex-marine was great material at the time, for Ali's detractors!) Ali's only detraction was that he could'nt punch hard, but when you consider he was so damn fast that he could land 30 punches in the space of time a normal heavyweight could land 5, it doesn't seem to matter so much.*shrugs*

If Lewis had fought to the best of his abilities every time, then I think world opinion of him would be a lot higher.

As for Tyson being tested when he was younger, I think the only person he ever fought during his prime who actually stood up and twatted him as hard as he could was Frank Bruno. Sadly, England's greatest gentleman boxer didn't have the staying power to last against him, and as for that second fight.......Jesus! Mike Tyson raped that girl and she put up a fight for 20 minutes according to the police. That's 15 minutes longer than Frank did!🙄

I have to aree with Tron about Frank though. The guy was a true personality and had more guts and effort in him than just about any boxer in history. It's just a shame he was lacking in the talent and staying power areas. But for pure heart and courage, no-one could touch him.

 

[Neutron]

Which Is Exactly..

Why I always admired Frank Bruno, plus he usually gave a hell of an interview.
Good poignant comment about athletes armoring themselves and thus losing some of the other traits we admire in a great athlete.
If you want other classic examples look at the NFL and NBA.
One day, some coach is gonna decide fuck it, and put a whole bunch of quick guyson the field. win a championship , and the world will call him a "genius". The NBA anymore sucks because they have a bunch of overbuilt prima donnas on the court who can't play basketball. Pro Football anymore is a bunch of fat guys dancing.

Here's the trouble with boxing. It's so hard tomake comparisons. Holyfield lost to Lewis twice, but in my opinion he was already well past his prime. He was on the verge of being past when he beat Tyson. I think it's far better (and funner) to debate the merits of fighters who never could have fought, than fighters who fought, but one was past his prime. Admit debating the merits of Ali vs Louis is a damn sporting time. Holmes- Ali is another.

Ali by the way technically wasn't a draft dodger. A draft dodger goes undercover or leaves the country. Ali did was many other Americanswere doing. Exercising his legal right to not enter the miltary via the draft. He could have declared CO status and the point would have been mute. But he said he wasn't a CO. Had we been at war with someone he agreed was a threat to the country he would have fought in the military. Look at his words carefully, I don't have a thing against those people. What they never show is he always stated the vietnamese had never attacked the US and we were not legally at war with them. So why should he fight them. Now I'm ex US Military so I can't agree with his stance entirely, but I do see his point. And most military people I know also agree. When I was in the military Ali was still hugely popular. He never dodged the draft, he challenged it in court, and lost. Then he tfook his punishment like a man.


Be safe

Tron

 

[BigJim]

Re: Which Is Exactly..

Why I always admired Frank Bruno, plus he usually gave a hell of an interview.
Good poignant comment about athletes armoring themselves and thus losing some of the other traits we admire in a great athlete.
If you want other classic examples look at the NFL and NBA.
One day, some coach is gonna decide fuck it, and put a whole bunch of quick guyson the field. win a championship , and the world will call him a "genius". The NBA anymore sucks because they have a bunch of overbuilt prima donnas on the court who can't play basketball. Pro Football anymore is a bunch of fat guys dancing.

Here's the trouble with boxing. It's so hard tomake comparisons. Holyfield lost to Lewis twice, but in my opinion he was already well past his prime. He was on the verge of being past when he beat Tyson. I think it's far better (and funner) to debate the merits of fighters who never could have fought, than fighters who fought, but one was past his prime. Admit debating the merits of Ali vs Louis is a damn sporting time. Holmes- Ali is another.

Ali by the way technically wasn't a draft dodger. A draft dodger goes undercover or leaves the country. Ali did was many other Americanswere doing. Exercising his legal right to not enter the miltary via the draft. He could have declared CO status and the point would have been mute. But he said he wasn't a CO. Had we been at war with someone he agreed was a threat to the country he would have fought in the military. Look at his words carefully, I don't have a thing against those people. What they never show is he always stated the vietnamese had never attacked the US and we were not legally at war with them. So why should he fight them. Now I'm ex US Military so I can't agree with his stance entirely, but I do see his point. And most military people I know also agree. When I was in the military Ali was still hugely popular. He never dodged the draft, he challenged it in court, and lost. Then he took his punishment like a man.


Be safe

Tron

All good points Tron. I suppose I should have chosen my words more carefully when I refered to Ali as a "draft dodger." I was paraphrasing a commentator in a boxing video. I agree with you that he wasn't a dodger.

Holyfield was definatley past his prime when he fought Lewis. Given that I think he did damn well for a guy who was a blown up cruiserweight. When he went up a division he adjusted very well to the size difference and anyone seeing him recently would never have guessed he was anything but a lifetime heavyweight.

Ali in his prime would have beaten any other fighter in his prime, depsite what that computer simulation said about Ali Vs. Marciano. Any of the greats of any era would have been pasted by Ali when he was in his best years. Sadly the three best years of his career would probably have been the three years he was banned for. It was a travesty that the authorities robbed him of his liveliehood because of his stance.

 

[BigJim]

Re: yes !!!!!!

Its great to see England winning!!!

Yes, isn't it. Even though it's only half England and half Canada. 😀😀😀 Still the yanks hate both nations so what's the difference?

 

[BigJim]

I'm surprised that Big Jim wasn't more supportive of his fellow englishman Bob Fitzsimmons. Fitz only weighed 167 pounds (sorry, I don't know how many stone that is) but he spent the bulk of his career fighting opponents that outweighed him by 80 pounds or more.

Well WS, just because the guy was a fellow limey doesn't mean I should believe he was a great fighter. His "Bollero" punch was his best bet, but if he hit Tyson or Lewis with that, he'd break all the bones in his hand. When he took the title off of Jim Corbett he dodged getting in the ring for the next two and a quarter years, despite every contender in the world virtually trying to tie him up and winch him into it. Corbett remember was more of a technical guy, while James Jeffries, the guy Fitzimmons lost the belt to, was a puncher. Fitzimmons was knocked out twice by him. Admitted it took a long time to do it the second time round and Jeffries shipped some fearful punishment doing it, but Fitz just didn't have the power to put him away. Once J.J.J. caught up with the cornishman it was over in 30 seconds.

 

[BigJim]

By the way 167 pounds is 11 stone 13 lbs. 14 lbs = 1 stone. 😀

 

[CitY of MicA]

where to begin

Once again, I think there were several really good points that were made. This could very well be the boxing forum.

If Lewis had fought to the best of his abilities every time, then I think world opinion of him would be a lot higher.

Exactly. This is why Lewis' slothfulness bothers me. Even in victory, I haven't seen a really good showing from him in years. I know it sounds like I think very little of Lewis as a fighter. The fact of the matter is, I used to feel sorry for him because I think, early on, other heavyweights were dodging him. This is why I find it difficult to compare Lewis to Holyfield. I believe that Holyfield fought the stiffer (an apt word for many heavyweights) competition, but I don't know that Lewis was given a fair shake. I think Riddick Bowe avoided him like the plague. It makes no sense that those two never found their way into the ring, for Lewis and Bowe used to jaw at one another constantly. At any rate, Lewis did beat Holyfield twice (forget the 'results' of the first fight) even though Holyfield was beyond the end of his rope. When you consider all the battles in which Holyfield had been involved (often against much bigger fighters), you can understand why.

As someone pointed out earlier, Holyfield was just a pumped-up cruiserweight. He never dodged anyone and took on all the best heavyweights of the time. This is why I believe he deserves the ultimate respect.

Lewis is great champion. When he got defeated, he avenged them.

In my estimation, Lewis won, at most, 4 rounds of his fight against Ray Mercer, who came out throwing *gulp* a stiff jab. That new found skill was certainly a surprise, and between that jab and his granite chin, Mercer really creamed Lewis and won that fight handily. Ray Mercer, despite the absence of any defense aside from taking shots to the head, looked pretty good on that night. Forget the judges' desicion; that's one loss Lewis has not avenged.

However, I will never believe that Norton was a better fighter than Ali.

I would never suggest such a thing, Jim. For whatever the reason, Ali just didn't match up well against Norton. Such is the nature of boxing. Ali is, without question, one of the greatest boxers of all time (I think I'm paraphrasing Ali 🙄 ), and I've never heard anyone put Norton in that company.

 

[BigJim]

COM I agree with pretty much all of that. Lewis's showing against Mercer was pitiful and from that day on, I lost interest in following him. I think he redeemed himself later on, and he definatley proved me wrong in my opinion of him by achieving all he has. However I was more delighted to see Tyson lose than I was to see Lennox win. Wrong of me? Perhaps, but it's the way I felt. My disgust at Tyson was far stronger than my interest in Lewis. However now he's made his pile and secured his place in history, I wish the man all the bestfor the remainder of his career and his well earned retirement, whenever he chooses to take it. Unlike Tyson he didn't piss all his money up against the wall, so he's earned some comfort.

Personally I'd like to see Lewis become an ambassador to the sport. He's already involved heavilly in charity work and with his type of character I think he'd be ideal for a job like that.