"There was a period in time when no one could touch him;" Dillian Whyte says Lennox Lewis is still the best British heavyweight in boxing history, despite achievements of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury
Friday 12 March 2021 19:52, UK
Dillian Whyte says Lennox Lewis remains Britain's No 1 heavyweight of all time - and hopes to emulate the unified champion with a sweet revenge victory.
Whyte has teamed up with Harold 'The Shadow' Knight, a former coach for Lewis, as he prepares for his 'Rumble On The Rock' rematch with Povetkin in Gibraltar on March 27, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are expected to fight for all the world titles later this year, but Whyte singled out a former champion when asked about the greatest British heavyweight.
"Lennox Lewis. Just the people he fought, the people he beat, and the fashion he beat them," Whyte told Sky Sports.
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"He came back from his two defeats and won both the rematches, and how long he reigned. There was a period in time when no one could touch him.
"He was destroying dangerous guys. Destroying them in seconds.
"Just the way he fought, his fighting style and his aggression.
"He destroyed Andrew Golota, Michael Grant and Razor Ruddock; came from behind to beat Frank Bruno and Vitali Klitschko; beating Gary Mason, Oliver McCall, David Tua, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Shannon Briggs, Tommy Morrison and Zeljko Mavrovic. The list goes on and on.
"Look at the guys that he was beating."
Joshua and Lewis have clashed on social media, amid comparisons of their boxing careers, with promoter Eddie Hearn highlighting the 30-year-old's swifter rise to world title level.
"Of course Eddie is going to say that (Joshua is Britain's best heavyweight).
"He's definitely going to say that AJ is, because he wasn't involved in Lennox Lewis, he was involved in AJ. Obviously, he's trying to make history with AJ, so you understand that and rightly so.
"That's what you should be doing as a promoter."
Whyte plans to propel himself back into contention for a shot at a world belt, having endured two postponements before finally getting his chance to avenge last summer's shock loss to Povetkin.
"I'm p***ed off with myself," said Whyte. "I shouldn't have lost last time and I did, and now it's more to prove to myself than anyone else that it was just a blip and I know what I'm capable of doing.
"Listen, I tried to fight Povetkin years ago. Years and years ago I tried to fight him.
"I believe I could have beat him then, and I believe I can beat him now."
Watch Povetkin vs Whyte 2 on Saturday March 27, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
