Lennox Lewis Puts Himself Above Froch and Calzaghe in His Top 3 Brits

Lennox Lewis was asked to name the three best British fighters of the last quarter-century, and he didn't waste time on false modesty. Speaking to Froch on Fighting, the three-time heavyweight king put himself at number one and handed the other two slots to a pair of super-middleweight greats: Carl Froch and Joe Calzaghe. No other heavyweight made the cut.

That's a bold self-assessment, but the résumé backs it. Lewis is the only man to beat every opponent he ever faced, and he avenged both of his two career defeats the hard way — knocking out Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman to reclaim the throne each time and become a three-time ruler of the division. Ask him where he ranks and he'll tell you straight: give him number one.

Two Super-Middleweights, One Fight That Never Happened

Froch earned his place with wins over Mikkel Kessler, George Groves and Arthur Abraham, becoming a three-time world champion along the way. The one line missing from his ledger is a fight with Calzaghe — 'The Cobra' never got the shot, because Calzaghe vacated his WBC super-middleweight belt in 2008 rather than take it, chasing bigger money at light-heavyweight instead.

Calzaghe's own case is airtight. He retired undefeated after 46 professional bouts and still holds the record as the longest-reigning super-middleweight world champion in history. His final two fights were statement wins at 175lbs over Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. — an exit almost nobody in the sport gets to script.

Lewis didn't dress up the Calzaghe pick either. He called him a buddy and a genuine top fighter, slotting him in at third and meaning it. It's a friendship, sure, but it's also 46-0 with a Hall of Fame ceiling.

The notable part isn't who made the list — it's who didn't. By fencing off the heavyweight division entirely and reserving the top spot for himself, Lewis effectively told everyone else in his own weight class to get in line behind him. Given the record, it's tough to argue.