BLTV Highlights an all unbeaten clash between two big punching Brits, Lennox Lewis & Gary Mason. Lewis was the underdog going into the bout! And many predicted the fight would end in a knockout!
I played Rugby League against Mason, he was a big powerful man but surprisingly athletic and dexterous. He was also a true gentleman, really down to earth and easy to chat with. RIP Gary Mason you did well
My favourite memory of Gary Mason was actually during the first Bruno-Tyson fight. Gary Mason was at ringside jumping up and pounding on the canvas screaming "f### him up Frank!" Great tv coverage from back in the day.
I once had the great pleasure of meeting Gary Mason when he was working as security in a club in Wimbledon after he had retired . I was always a fan of his boxing ability but was so impressed with his engaging personality. Happy to chat with a drunk fat lad about boxing after realising I had followed his career. We must have chatted for 10 minutes about the sport he obviously loved. Rest in Peace Gary, a true gentleman 🙏
@brutusleao well Brutus, that may say more about than you realise. Even though I’d had a couple of beers I know how to conduct myself, especially in front of people I admire.
In the pantheon of heavyweight boxing Mason has been quickly forgotten, but 37 fights with just a single loss to one of the greats, and many wins over some tasty opposition, that's a hell of a record.
Gary Mason was a really good fighter and had plenty big wins to his name ! His only loss was to Lennox Lewis and that's nothing to be ashamed about ! RIP Gary !
For me (controversial) but Lewis was one of the best if not the best HW there’s ever been. When his head was in the game, I’m not sure who could of beat him. Mason was an underrated warrior
@@alunmorgan2352 Toughest era in Heavyweight history. Ali, Foreman,Frazier, Ken Norton, Ron Lyle, Earnie Shavers etc. Any of those would have made mincemeat of Gary Mason.
@@andyelliott8027I doubt it. He would be severely physically disadvantaged from one of the most technical HWs in history with the benefit of the sports evolution. And the way they win fights was essentially the same. Same reason Joe Louis wouldn’t beat Lennox. That were flag bearers of their time limited by time itself. But pushing the sport forward single-handedly at times so Lennox could run while they trudged ahead. In his absolute prime, Lennox would struggle to beat Liston. Ali had uniquely a granite chin AND incredible speed. Lennox has a solid chin and good speed but Liston at his peak you’d need those two In spades he was weirdly vulnerable but only to a specific style. But Ali was the only one really with a jab so fast it negated liston’s lethal jab. It literally knocked people out. Lennox depends on his jab, fighting the guy with by far and by all his peers and near-peers the strongest job in boxing history is not going to be favorable matchup. It’s a battle of the Jabs that in his prime I can’t not pick listons unless he’s other world quick like Ali’s. Not sure he’d beat Holmes either for similar reasons. Another giant using his jab but Larry was dynamic with it. Lennox’s entire game plan depends on unsettling his man with his jab. I’m not a fan of Larry but that wouldn’t work. His jab isn’t as solid as Larry’s despite being very good. Larry could bang too. And could wear punishment very well. Lennox had this weird thing where he went from 100 to 0 real quick. Almost no fighters in history would be able to get inside long enough to make the damage accumulate and him lose focus. Larry is that type of guy as was Sonny. Other than that, I’d probably put my money on Lennox vs the field who I think is the most prolific HW specifically of all time in terms of who he fought and his success /dominance against ATGs consistently .
@@andyelliott8027 Again I can't argue too much. All I can say is the era Lewis was in was pretty special also. Both era would have ruined everybody in this one
Thank you for showing these stories! So many greats like Gary Mason i have yet to hear about. That last rally after Lennox hurt him showed that he had the heart of a champion. Unfortunate to hear he has passed away but glad to know he left a lasting positive legacy outside the ring and is remembered well. Rip Mr. Mason
thank you for bringing Gary Mason into view to more people, i remember watching his fights live on UK tv , he was great to watch , always fought hard and over time has not received the acclaim he was due. video's like these help to correct that. great record , great guy. sad to hear he has passed away, RIP the gentle giant.
Gary was a very good friend of mine who I miss dearly. Such a lovely funny kind hearted generous man. Sorely missed. Taken too early. Knew his strengths in and out of the ring. Proper knockout merchant in the ring and a proper gent this side of the ropes. Think of you often Gary. Miss your smile and twinkle in your eyes. Rest in brother.
Gary was an excellent fighter who trained at Terry Lawless's Royal Oak gym in his early days, a man who trained 4 fighters to world titles. Sadly Gary Mason died in a bicycle accident at the age of 48.
Rare respectful gem of a video, where it's not about trashing some unfortunate loser, but about highlighting a forgotten champion by showing how he dealt with adversity. Beautifully told short story about two greats.
I knew Gary after he retired and was living in Camberwell. We usually bumped into each other at the newsagents in the morning. He always had time to reason about boxing and he was so down to earth. RIP big man 🙏🏾
Lennox was an all-time great with quality in every area. Arguably the best resume of any heavyweight in history, imho (but that's open to debate) Rest in Peace, Gary, one of my heroes growing up and was I first falling in love with Boxing.
It's not My opinion,it's the opinion of Ring magazine and a matter of public record and recorded boxing history. It's there in black and white.@@jukeboxtimebomber
Another excellent vid. Mason had a great record better then most. The injury put paid to his career but he was as tough as they come. And you're right he was a great guy, humble, very intelligent and just a top bloke.
Fantastic video...and thanks for sharing Gary's story. He was a good man and his mentality should be encouraged. HOO-YAH & God Bless Gary's Soul and Memory.
@@ppuh6tfrz646 Lewis wasn’t prime either. He was older than Tyson and only fought one more time. A good big man usually beats a good small man and when Lewis was good, he was very good.
@@timthompson8297 It isn't as straightforward as you make it out to be. Fighters don't all peak at the same age. Tyson peaked in 1988 and was 14 years past his prime when he fought Lewis plus he was out of the ring for 4 years between 1991 and 1995. That's a lot of ring rust.
the fact, that this fight is the only one lose in Mason's record is pretty weird. i think all of the fighters from the top were just afraid of giving him a chance. such a puncher.
Gary's bravery that night against Lewis was admirable. He had eye problems with a detached retina or something and Lewis had damaged it during the fight with it almost closed due to swelling but fought on like a true warrior. If you're going to lose a boxing march, that's the way to do it. He earned a lot of admiration in defeat and always came across as a decent, likeable guy.
As someone that grew up watching boxing during this era I never heard of Mason which after this blows my mind. He was a talented, hard nosed fighter that went in against Lewis with basically one good eye… I looked and saw he passed in 2011 so RIP brother
You learn something everyday, i never knew that Gary Masons record was that good, 1 loss to Lennox and he give him a great fight although his eye was damaged he would of prob' carried on had it not been stoped. Lennox is an all time great far as im concerned, just shows how good Mason was, its sad injury forced him out the game, luckily we have memories that live on forever 🙏
Had relatives that went to the same high school (Cameron Heights, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario) as Lennox. Said he was too tall for the desks while surrounded by a bunch of Vietnamese refugees late 70s lol.
Ahh, it's glorious to see proper heavyweights before they dropped the super heavyweight division and allowed the big slow dumptrucks to bore the life out of us. They bore us even when not fighting, it states in this that Gary Mason fought 6/7 times per year, I mean how times did Mike Tyson defend his belt within the first 12 months of winning it? 4 or 5 times off the top of my head. Middleweight and below are what I enjoy watching most, proper boxers
The last truly great heavyweigh, fought and beat everyone in his generation prime for prime that had the balls to face him and showed how to come back from something everone is terrified of....... Defeat. Everone loses its how you come back, Lennox Lewis did it better than anyone and thats why he is a true all time great imo. RIP Garry Mason a British legend that feared no one and only lost to the best.
