Could anyone in the world beat Lewis?

Evander Holyfield and Chris Byrd will meet in Atlantic City on 14 December for the vacant IBF title - which Lewis vacated rather than face Byrd.

And the winner will face the victor of a bout between undisputed world light-heavyweight champion Roy Jones and WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz.

Lewis, who joined King at a media conference on Thursday, will commentate on both fights for television and he could then meet whoever unifies the IBF and WBA crowns.

Can you see any of them beating Lewis? And should Lewis even be entertaining the idea?

This debate is now closed. A selection of your emails appears below.

I don't know why people see Lewis as being the best, he may beat Jones if they ever clash (which they won't), as Jones has never fought anyone of Lewis's calibre. If Lewis was a true champion then he would never have backed off against Byrd.

I think another Tyson fight would force Lewis to retire as Tyson is hungrier than ever. Lewis's arrogance is a major downfall as it affects his ability in the ring. A fight between Lewis and Vladimir Klitschko would be interesting to observe as both men are near enough equal in mass/size.

I would advise Lewis to take Foreman's advice and retire as he may suffer severe punishment and embarrassment should he fight again. In my opinion Lewis is an average boxer and he has yet to prove himself before I would consider him to be the best of all time or the best since Ali.

Great fighters don't lose and they certainly don't lose against low ranked contestants - Lewis's two losses against Rahman and McCall are a big dent in his career as both victors were unrated prior to fighting Lewis.

In the Tua fight Lewis showed a lack of effort and very low performance, many people were expecting him to KO Tua in the early rounds but in the end it was a lousy points win for Lewis. I hope my comments don't offend any Lewis fans but I really feel he's very much over-rated.
Timmy Kutro, UK

Although I will miss him, Lennox should retire now. You know the old saying that Father Time will beat you every time. Thanks for the memories Lennox.
Jon Hackler, US

I disagree with Foreman rating Lewis as one of the three best ever heavyweights. I reckon Foreman himself, in his prime, would have knocked out Lewis within four rounds.

I cannot see Byrd, Holyfield, Ruiz or Jones beating Lewis though, for a variety of different reasons. Holyfield has had too many wars and is too old, relying on dirty tricks on the inside to rough up opponents.

Ruiz has no power whilst Jones' weight disadvantage would be too big a gap. Byrd would also be outgunned and lacks the big shot to take out Lewis. Perhaps only Tua and Tyson have that one big punch to KO him and their short reach goes against them. So maybe Vladimir Klitchscho?
Jon Pickering, Wales

I cannot believe the number of people who have said Jones Jnr is not good enough to beat Lewis. Especially Craig Miller (below). What are you talking about has Jones Jnr got the the power?

He is one of the hardest hitters the world of boxing has ever seen. Obviously you don't know much about Jones Jnr. Lewis is still a great fighter but I believe Roy will be the one. Just wait and see my friends!
Rob, UK

Lewis is without question the best best boxer in the world and one of the greatest of all time. He is in a different class to other fighters and should retire as he has nothing to prove.
Chetan Patel, England

Vladimir and his brother Vitali Klitschko could both be up to the task. They are both excellent boxers with good reach and punch, but I don't see any of the other guys having what it takes to beat him.

They don't even pose a threat to Lewis. Too old or too bad. It makes me kind of wonder why the only two boxers in the world that could face him never get a chance to do so.
Ben Irvin, USA

Lennox Lewis is no match for either of the Klitschko brothers, they are like nothing he has faced before. Not only are they far ahead of everyone in the heavyweight division, they are "the new kind of boxers". They are the warriors of modern time.
Roman K., USA

Considering both Oliver McCall, and Hasim Rahman have already starched Lewis, of course he could be beaten. However, LL would be heavy favourite against anyone out there at this time.

Only Vlad Klitschko appears to have the tools, but that is still a good year away. Only problem for the still learning Vlad is he has lost American trainer Tommy Brooks. Bad move. Jury still out. For now Lewis is the man.
Geo El, USA

Lewis can be beaten, like any other fighter. All it takes is one mistake and you are done for the day, like he did against Rahman. Another Tyson fight would finish Lewis.
Abdulkadir Ibrahim, Canada

Lennox Lewis is without question going into the history books as one of the greatest fighters of all time. However if he hangs around for another year I will be in my prime and he will be over the hill and it would upset me, so my advice to Lewis is to retire now.
Danny, England

Roy Jones Jnr would be giving too much up in both weight and reach. His speed would be an advantage, but would he have the power to knock the big man down? Of all the challengers, Evander Holyfield would be my favourite to beat Lennox.
Craig Miller, UK

The only person who could give Lewis a competitive fight at the moment is Vladimir Klitschko, but I still don't see Lewis losing to him. George Foreman is right, Lewis should retire. He has no real reason or opportunity to prove himself.
J Conway, N. Ireland, UK

It's difficult to say if anyone can beat Lewis, but if you look at boxing history there are always going to be contenders. Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis fought for too long and Evander Holyfeild should have retired after the Lewis fights.

Personally, I belive there are only two fighters in the world who have a chance against Lennox. They are Vladimir Klitchscho and the man himself, Roy Jones Jr. You may disagree, but what makes fights involving Lennox so interesting is his "glass chin".

All it would take is one big shot and it's good night. I would favour Lewis against anyone in the world but because of his chin he could lose and potentially ruin his legacy. I think Lewis should retire now, he has nothing left to prove.
Anthony Ratnasothy, England

Simple answer - No! The truth is, the four guys (Ruiz, Holyfield, Jones, Byrd) are not in Lewis' class. There is much more chance of the winner of McCline and Klitchko beating Lewis than there is any of the lower class fighters in the "elimination tournament".
Gav, Scotland

Of the current bunch none of them can beat him. Holyfield never did, Byrd hasn't got it, Ruiz would be a punchbag for 12 rounds, and Jones would be exposed as the excellent light heavyweight that he is in the face of a true heavyweight.

I tend to agree with George Foreman though. Unless Lewis is really on top of it he will beat himself, as he has done twice before. Retire and enjoy the memories Lennox.
Ian, New York

Lewis is an aging man and he could definitely get defeated - maybe not by Jones at this stage but another Tyson fight would ruin Lewis as Mike wasn't focused in their first bout.
Edward Lloyd, UK