It is not difficult to imagine why Lennox Lewis took things for granted before his first fight with Hasim Rahman. Lennox had been positively cleaning out his division. And the heavyweight division is his, just as it was Larry Holmes' in the first half of the 1980's and Mike Tyson's in the second half.

Over the last quarter century there have in fact been five heavyweight eras: the Muhammad Ali era, the Holmes era, the Tyson era, the Evander Holyfield era and now the Lennox Lewis era. The Lewis era began with Lennox's winning the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world from Evander Holyfield in their first fight. The fraudulent official verdict in that fight was a draw, but by nearly shutting Holyfield out on most competent scorecards, Lennox earned recognition from everyone who matters as the undisputed champ.

He successfully defended his title against Holyfield in their rematch. He then knocked out Michael Grant, the man perceived as his mandatory challenger, in two rounds. That was followed by a two-round blowout against a top 20 guy in Frans Botha. Then came another defense, this one a dominating points win over the leading contender David Tua.

So he let down and lost by knockout to Rahman, himself a legitimate top 10 contender. Turns out, that was probably just a blip on the radar screen. The rematch left no doubt as to who the better fighter is between the two. Lennox obliterated a thoroughly prepared and confident Rahman. He fought the fight we have been hoping for since he captured our collective imagination with his second-round knockout of Razor Ruddock on Halloween night nine years ago.

The once again champion struck a perfect balance between effective boxing and controlled aggression: he used his jab, doubling up on it when it was to his advantage, he dropped right hands in when the opportunities presented themselves, he used just enough lateral movement to offset Rahman's rhythm, and he ended the fight when his trainer told him to. After the third round Emanuel Steward told Lennox to go after Rahman, that Hasim was ready to be taken. Sure enough, Lewis dropped a right hand in the very next round and the fight was over. Not only did Lewis knock Rahman out a round earlier than Rahman had knocked him out in their first fight, but he did it with the same punch he himself was caught with in South Africa -- a looping right hand that landed on the chin.

Afterwards Lewis was still smarting from the verbal abuse Rahman had dished out leading up to the match. He called the now former champion "Has-been" Rahman, betraying the fact that Hasim had indeed gotten under his skin with all of his pre-fight taunts. If this fight was an indication of how an angry Lennox Lewis deals with opponents, it is a shame that he is usually so cool calm and collected. Perhaps had more opponents been able to upset him the way Rahman had, we would now be referring to Lennox Lewis with the same reverent tone we use when referring to Joe Louis. If I were Vladimir Klitschko, Chris Byrd, John Ruiz or Kirk Johnson and I had a fight coming up with Lennox, I would keep the pre-fight build-up very polite. And no, I did not forget about Lewis' potential upcoming showdown with Mike Tyson.

Mike Tyson has a puncher's chance against any heavyweight in the world, or any fighter who ever lived for that matter. Mike has legitimate one-punch knockout power in both hands. He still has above average hand speed and he has a lot of world class experience. In Lennox Lewis however, he would be facing a fighter seven inches taller with a reach 14 inches longer -- a fighter who has been more successful against better opposition over the course of the last decade. Lennox also outweighs Mike by 30 pounds. Were Mike Tyson to accept Lennox Lewis' challenge, he would for the first time in his storied career, enter a fight as the underdog.

Not only is Lennox the bigger man, and for over 10 years now been the more successful man, but at this point he is the better man. Lewis might have an edge in handspeed, and his power has been underrated for years. Lewis' right hand ranks among the most devastating weapons in the history of the heavyweight division. Ask Razor Ruddock, Andrew Golota, Michael Grant or Hasim Rahman about Lennox's lethal power. The four of them combined lasted less than 10 rounds. Maybe Lewis does not hit with Ernie Shavers level power, but then again Lennox has almost 40 pounds on the Shavers, so maybe he does.

Finally, everyone is beginning to want to evaluate Lennox Lewis' place in history. It is still too early. Here is what we do know: