During the fight week of the Canelo-Crawford bout, an interesting conversation emerged. However, instead of the two protagonists, it brought together two legends who had their own mega showdowns back in the day. On September 13, Terence Crawford handed Canelo his third professional loss. He also became the new undisputed champion at super middleweight. While discussions about the next move for both pound-for-pound stars remain rife, attention returned to Canelo’s past and his place among boxing’s greats.

Boxing greats Lennox Lewis and Hasim Rahman share two fights between themselves. In 2001, they enthralled fans with a back-and-forth that saw three belts change hands in six months. So ahead of the super-fight at the Allegiant Stadium, the duo joined Seconds Out’s Radio Rahim for a discussion. As it progressed, the darker side of boxing surfaced, especially its ties with banned substances. Lewis and Rahman reflected on the repercussions of life in the fast lane.

“Can’t be in that conversation” – Lewis and Rahman agree on the consequences for cheating

“I think whenever you’re in a championship fight, you should get 20% of your purse until all the testing comes back. And if it comes back, you’re dirty. You pop dirty. Half should go to commission, half should go to the fight,” Hasim Rahman stated. He also suggested a two-to-three-year ban and forfeiture of money. That way, teams would have an incentive to keep fighters clean.

Rahman’s idea focused on deterrence through economic penalties. It aimed to change behavior by hitting both wallets and careers. Earlier, Radio Rahim told Lennox Lewis that Hasim Rahman considered Canelo ‘disqualified’ from the ‘GOAT‘ conversation. So Rahman explained. Referring to recent controversies that seemingly placed trainer Eddy Reynoso’s stable in the spotlight. He said, “When you got steroids, things go in your head, right? When you got that kind of stuff, when you ain’t 100% clean. Can’t be in that conversation. You can’t be in the conversation...”

Lennox Lewis warned that steroid use carries consequences. A fighter must weigh the risks and ask if the long-term cost is worth it. The former heavyweight champion added, “People that cheat don’t believe in themselves. And people that cheat don’t want to do the work. They don’t want to do the work that it takes to be a champion.”

Also, steroids don’t fix skill, chin, and timing, the essentials of boxing.

Lennox Lewis: Earn greatness with sweat and grit, not shortcuts

Lewis said from experience that he could handle opponents on steroids because their vulnerabilities, such as their chin, remained. It was at that point that Hasim Rahman offered corrective measures to curb the menace.

Clearly, the two legends spoke from different perspectives. Yet both circled back to a single issue.

Lennox Lewis wanted fighters to earn titles through hard work and skill, not shortcuts. “Your brain has to make you work hard. That’s what makes you work hard. Don’t take a pill or a shot to make you work hard,” he remarked. Hasim Rahman, on the other hand, seemed frustrated with what he viewed as lenient penalties. So he offered a concrete deterrent rooted in economics. He pushed for system-level change.

Lewis and Rahman, who gave fans memorable fights in the first year of the century, must have found it painful to see fighters getting dragged into unnecessary controversies.

What about you? What’s your take on Lennox Lewis and Hasim Rahman’s pointed observations?