It's a great honor. Now I'm listed with great men like Jack Johnson, Dempsey, Marciano and Ali. It's a great group of menÂ… I did it with dignity, sportsmanship and with humanistic quality. I was a tremendous role model for people to follow. My story is just like everyone else's. I came up with a single parent, I was an immigrant and I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth," stated former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis as he talked about his recent induction into the boxing Hall of Fame. Check out what he had to say about his illustrious career and much more.
PC: Congratulations on your Hall of Fame induction. It was well-deserved Champ!
LL: Thank you man!
PC: How does it feel being inducted with the other greats of the sport?
LL: It's a great honor. Now I'm listed with great men like Jack Johnson, Dempsey, Marciano and Ali. It's a great group of men.
PC: What would you say was your defining moment as a fighter?
LL: I think all of my fights were a defining moment because you never knew how they were going to end, but when they ended, they were a part of history.
PC: Any regrets or disappointment in never fighting Riddick Bowe as a professional?
LL: I don't really blame him. I blame his management for that. Riddick Bowe would have fought me because we're men and that's what we do, but as far as him not fighting me, I don't think that was because of him.
PC: Now that you're inducted, I think I'm starting to realize that you won't be making a comeback.
LL: Yeah (laughing).
PC: Is there a guy out there that you wanted to fight, but you never got that chance?
LL: No, not really. Obviously, I feel that I'm the king of the hill, the best in the world, number one in the planet and I would've challenged anyone out there. I get people that come up to me and say like, "I would like to see you fight Butterbean and stuff like that," but I don't really take those challenges serious. But it would be an interesting fight between me and him or even me against a 7-footer. I boxed a 6'8" guy already so that's good enough.
PC: What's the biggest difference in boxing in your eyes from when you were in your prime?
LL: There's not too much difference. The biggest difference is they have this 24/7 now, but you know, different eras spawn different things. The heavyweights lack in this era definitely. I'm just waiting for somebody to come through and fill that gap.
PC: I know you would have liked to get in on that 24/7 action?
LL: Yeah! That would have been great. Me and Tyson!
PC: The Tyson fight, for me, is the fight that put you over the edge as far as fan appreciation and popularity. Do you remember what it was like to prepare for him?
LL: Well, funny enough, all of my fights I was preparing for Mike Tyson. Even Rahman was a preparation for Tyson because I was picking him because Tyson wouldn't fight me at that point. I was preparing for Tyson, but he wouldn't fight me at the time I wanted to fight him, so I wanted to keep busy so I boxed Rahman. My whole career I was sparring guys like Tyson because he was the number one guy at the time.
PC: Does your start setting your sights now on maybe being inducted into the Hall of Fame as a commentator?
LL: Yeah, that could definitely happen in the future, you know; sky's the limit, you know? We've got a black President and it's all good.
PC: Do you still train and if so, what does it consist of?
LL: I cross-train. I play tennis a lot and golf. I'm living the retired life.
PC: Pacquiao is the hot fighter right now. What do you think of him as a fighter and do you see anyone out there that can beat him?
LL: I think Floyd has the talent to beat Pacquiao. Whether he believes it or not, whether the fight will happen or not, I would like to see it. I think Pacquiao is fully dedicated. He reminds me of myself the way he prepares for each fight. Right now, he's a hero in his country and he could quit any time and become president. But right now, he's putting the Philippines on the map and showing that the Philippines are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to boxing. I'm glad they don't have any heavyweights.
PC: Anyone else out there that reminds you of yourself?
LL: There are a couple of guys out there that show good promise. Deontay Wilder shows really good promise.
PC: Are there any fights out there that haven't been made that you would like to see made?
LL: There are a lot of fights out there that should be made. There should only be one belt and not four.
PC: Now that you have cemented your legacy and the Hall has accepted you in, how would you like to be remembered as a fighter?
LL: I did it with dignity, sportsmanship and with humanistic quality. I was a tremendous role model for people to follow. My story is just like everyone else's. I came up with a single parent, I was an immigrant and I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth.
PC: I think that's a misconception about you that for some reason you had it good?
LL: Not at all. Even when it came to schooling, I suffered with that as well. I wasn't an A student all of the time. Even now, with some of my grammar, I may not use the right grammar sometimes. To some people, it may sound correct, but I don't always use the proper grammar. The British accent really brings it over better.
PC: It's always good to catch up with you my man. The induction was much deserved. Anything you want to say to your fans that have supported you over the years?
LL: Yeah man. My fans actually helped and I said this is my induction speech, but whether it was a couple of words of wisdom, they definitely helped. Even if they were just asking why I was constantly getting punched in the mouth all of the time or a commentator or a media person saying something about me, it really helped me. Even my mother because she was having fight parties before fight parties started. I used to have people come over to the house and watch the fights. She would be serving the food, so even back then, she had a hand. When I decided to take boxing up as a sport, she was 100% behind me. She came to camp, cooked all of my food and made sure all of my clothes were washed; all of that good stuff man. She was definitely a true mother.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]