MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Lennox Lewis might as well have climbed into the ring with a sledgehammer and a blowtorch. Those about to witness Lewis ply his craft should have been issued welder's masks to protect their eyes from the brilliance.

Lewis deconstructed the Tyson mystique forever Saturday night in The Pyramid and thereby hoisted himself into elite boxing status.

	Pound for pound list
	Tim Graham's top 15: 1. Bernard Hopkins 2. Roy Jones 3. Marco Antonio Barrera 4. Lennox Lewis 5. Kostya Tszyu 6. Vernon Forrest 7. Shane Mosley 8. Floyd Mayweather 9. Erik Morales 10. Felix Trinidad 11. Oscar De La Hoya 12. Fernando Vargas 13. Paulie Ayala 14. Tim Austin 15. Ricardo Lopez

One of the most underappreciated heavyweights the sport has produced reduced the once-feared phenom into Wrought Iron Mike. Lewis pitched a virtual shutout on the scorecards before laying Tyson out 2:25 into the eighth round.

"I'm just happy he didn't kill me in there," Tyson said in his dressing room. Tyson had gashes above both eyes and blood leaking from his nostrils. "He hurt me early and I never recovered. He wore me down, and then I couldn't see the right hands because my eye was closing."

It was a virtuoso performance by the man Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward calls his "masterpiece."

"It was one of the longest, systematic beatings that I've ever seen," Steward said. "It was like a man playing with a boy. He could do what he wanted, when he wanted.

"I thought he fought the perfect fight. He kept Mike at a distance where he could fight and Mike couldn't fight and systematically broke him down to (the point) Mike ended up looking like a sparring partner.

"It just goes to show once again the great talent of Lennox Lewis. I guess now the public should give this man his recognition that he is probably the best heavyweight since Muhammad Ali."

The best since Ali. Steward made similar statements to the media in the days leading up to the fight. Reporters chuckled at the thought.

But think about it.

	“	It just goes to show once again the great talent of Lennox Lewis. I guess now the public should give this man his recognition that he is probably the best heavyweight since Muhammad Ali. ”
		— Emanuel Steward, Lewis' trainer.

While it might not be all that clear-cut, it can be argued Lewis truly is the greatest heavyweight of the past 20-plus years.

Critics have been quick to knock Lewis for his sometimes-boring style and suspect chin.

"I still had a lot of disbelievers out there, and they had to see me against Mike Tyson before they would believe I was the best on the planet," Lewis said after his big win. "I've proven a lot of people wrong.

"A lot of people didn't believe that I was going to be able to win this fight. They thought Mike Tyson was the same as he was in the beginning (of his career). But I only deal with reality. I knew what I was up against. I knew I was a much superior fighter than him."

Lewis, at 40-2-1 with 31 KOs, has beaten nearly every substantial opponent of his day. He owns an Olympic gold medal. He is a three-time pro champion.

Lewis has defeated champions (Evander Holyfield, Hasim Rahman, Oliver McCall), former champions (Tyson, Mike Weaver, Tony Tucker, Frans Botha), a future champion (Frank Bruno), undefeated contenders (Henry Akinwande, Michael Grant, David Tua) and an assortment of other dangerous foes (Razor Ruddock, Tommy Morrison, Ray Mercer, Andrew Golota, Shannon Briggs).

He was shocked twice in his career, getting knocked out by McCall and Rahman. But Lewis easily took the rematch against each. He also avenged his first bout with Holyfield, a fight Lewis dominated despite the fact it was scandalously ruled a draw.

"What more do you guys want me to do?" Lewis asked. "I'm glad I answered all the questions."

It also could be debated Lewis could stand a chance against any heavyweight legend based on size alone.

"He is a wonderful fighter," Tyson said. "He was too big, too strong. I don't know if I could ever beat him if he fights like that."

There's no way Lewis can match up with Rocky Marciano in terms of historical significance. But Lewis is 6-foot-5 and close to 250 pounds, while Marciano's career-high weight in a title bout was 189. If you thought Tyson, at 234 pounds, looked like a pygmy against Lewis, imagine how small Marciano would've looked in there.

Joe Louis fought most of his career at or below 200 pounds. Ali ranged from 200-230 pounds. Larry Holmes, before he became bloated, had a prime weight of about 215.

When comparing athletes from different eras, time always seems to stand still for boxers and baseball players. The harsh truth is Babe Ruth wouldn't stand a chance against Randy Johnson. The Babe's slovenly physique probably would prevent him from even making a roster -- even in a watered-down league with 30 teams.

Fans recall their favorite boxers similarly.

But athletes across the board are so much more talented today than they were even a decade ago. For proof, look at record books of the purest sport: track and field. Humans continually run faster, jump higher and throw farther. Common sense, therefore, tells us boxers move quicker, punch harder and last longer than ever before.

Mr. Marciano, please take your seat on the sideline next to Mr. Ruth.

So on sheer scientific reasoning alone, Lewis probably beats many of the all-time greats. His achievements within his era solidify his all-time standing even more.

"Everyone's asking me about my legacy," Lewis said. "Well, this is definitely a defining fight, I guess you could say the icing on Lennox Lewis' cake.

"A lot of my friends said, 'Go out there and discipline Mike Tyson.' I went out there and did that."

There were indications Tyson (49-4-2, 43 KOs) had lost the fight before he even entered the ring. The man known for his volatile behavior -- it usually escalates as a fight draws nearer -- was weirdly tranquil.

Tyson listened calmly as referee Eddie Cotton offered instructions before the fight. Tyson's trademark scowl was missing as he started his ring walk. And when security guards stopped him from proceeding out of the tunnel because a path had yet to be cleared -- many fighters, at such a heady time, would be livid -- Tyson stood there as though he were waiting for the next available bank teller.

Tyson remained ultra patient throughout the fight, even though Cotton repeatedly warned Lewis for holding and pushing. During one clinch late in the second round, Tyson wound up to punch Lewis in the back of the head. But when Cotton yelled for a break, Tyson held up in mid-punch, defying past history.

Seeing Tyson act this way reminded me of a question Rain Man liked to ask.

Are you taking any prescription medications?

Tyson has admitted to taking antidepressants in the past and indicated he would stop taking them as a fight approached to maximize the performance.

Tyson was not made widely available to the media in the days leading up to the fight, but he was not his usual contemptuous self when interacting with reporters or the public. He hugged a Memphis gay-rights activist that was protesting his presence.

His trainers, Ronnie Shields and Stacy McKinley, were indignant when asked what drugs Tyson may or may not be taking. They pretty much played dumb, but they never denied he was on medication.

Is it unfathomable to think Tyson's meeting with Brian Nielsen last October was trial run of fighting while medicated, a chance for Tyson's handlers to see if he could maintain the balance between unbridled fury and lethargy? Tyson did need a suspiciously long time to finish off the Danish Pastry, stopping him in seven rounds.

Perhaps the drug conspiracy theory is something to consider. Perhaps not.

Either way, Saturday's thorough defeat may have pounded the fighting desire out of Tyson. Certainly the thought of returning to his hobby of flying prize pigeons is more attractive than the prospect of sustaining another thumping like Saturday.

"I might just sail into oblivion," Tyson said wistfully when asked of his future. "I don't have nowhere to go, nothing to do. I'll just go fly my pigeons on the roof in New York. I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm just going to chill out with my children and fly my birds."

Said Steward: "Mike Tyson and his management need to assess his future. He was thoroughly beaten tonight physically, spiritually, every way."

Tim Graham covers boxing for The Buffalo News and The Ring Magazine, and formerly wrote for the Las Vegas Sun.