Let Lennox Lewis be our hero now, finally. Yes, let those of us who picked Hasim Rahman to win again eat plenty of crow, but more importantly let Lewis shine in the light of being amongst the greatest heavyweight champions of all time, an accolade he has earned in the ring with his thorough mastery of Rahman en route to a devastating fourth-round knockout.

Let the disparaging of this individual, flawed like the rest of us, end. The only ones who avoid errors, lapses and blunders are the dead. Let history record that Lewis's classy and classic boxing clinic with Rahman forever rendered the verdict that his knockout in South Africa by Rahman was but a bad episode, a result of bad judgment and lack of preparation on Lewis's part. Rahman will be back, but as interesting a figure as he might be, he just is not in the same league as Lewis as a boxer. Perhaps if he put as much effort into figuring out how to counter a left-right combination as he did into speculating with whom Lewis sleeps, he might have had a better showing.

It was all there for us to figure out, really. On Oct. 23, a busload of media types was taken from midtown Manhattan to Lewis's training camp in Caesars Brookdale Resort in the Poconos. I wrote then, starting with what Lewis's trainer Emanuel Steward said, "'Even today, working out, certain things we were going to do related to the right hand,' he told me. 'Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't show 'em nothing.' He didn't want me to do anything today, just play around on the pads.' As both men laughed, Lennox grabbed the microphone from his trainer's hands, and said, 'Thanks, Manny. There's no secrets here.'"

What he was doing with that right hand, while playing around on the pads with Emanuel, was working on a left jab-left jab-right cross combination. I didn't write that then, unsure of its significance, since Lewis didn't do any live sparring while he was showcased for us. Lewis closed the show in the rematch in the fourth round with a left hook and that huge, sweeping right cross. It should have been clear that his plan was to regain what he called throughout his title hiatus "my belts" by using the left to set up a big right. Some in the media weren't paying attention in the Poconos, one was even reading a book during the workout, and most treated this like another press conference, although that exercise surely didn't require busing us an hour and a half from Madison Square Garden.

Lewis's triumph also vindicates the assessment of that former amateur boxer, and a pretty good freedom fighter himself, Nelson Mandela, who met with Lewis in South Africa following Rahman's knockout win. In a teleconference with the press on Nov. 6, in response to my question about his discussion with Mandela, Lennox recalled, "Even after the loss with Hasim Rahman, he said to me that, 'Boy, he's been watching boxing for years. He's been in the game for such a long time. These are the things that happen. I can definitely come back and beat Rahman. Just be more focused and make sure that I don't get caught by that punch again.' He was very forthgiving towards me, and he made me feel a lot better, especially coming off of that loss. Even speaking with him, talking to him about his life, really made me respect the man and admire the man tremendously." Lesson: Don't be so quick to ignore what Nelson Mandela has to say about fighting -- any kind of fighting.

Lewis's decisive and thunderous victory also should be good for boxing. No controversy, no second-guessing the referee, no funny judges' verdicts, no "trickeration" as someone might put it. Boxing's credibility, and the respect for the heavyweight division, which should be the sport's premier attraction, are at historic lows. Now there is an unquestioned dominant heavyweight king once again, a true champion who has earned all the respect in the world. And, for those chomping at the bit, he is someone who can make for months of wonderful debate over many pitchers of beer over what will happen when he steps in the ring with the man who remains the most interesting to boxing's casual fans and the general public, Mike Tyson.

All the hype, all the ESPN grappling, all the mock courts presided over by Don King meant naught as far as the verdict was to be, except, of course, to serve to sell tickets and pay-per-view buys. Rahman lost the title because he was outclassed, but expect him to remain a top-10 fighter and not self-destruct like Buster Douglas, both during and after losing to Evander Holyfield. But will HBO and Showtime take revenge on him and his promoter for when they spurned their original contract offers? Will he be forced to fight for real on that same network on which he out-wrestled Lewis -- ESPN? I guess it depends upon who comes up with the money.

So yeah, we shoulda known. That's why I write, but don't bet. I thought, like most, that Lewis would easily conquer Rahman in South Africa. I could say that I was just off by one fight, couldn't I? I didn't think so.

All hail the heavyweight king! May he restore the dignity, honor, and stature that has been missing for so long, even during his previous reign, in what used to be the most coveted title in all of sports. We need some good guys and heroes in the sports world today, and hopefully more will rightfully place Lennox Lewis in that category, if only starting today.