Last Sunday, Lennox Lewis was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. On the same day, the New York Times ran a story about ex-heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe selling memorabilia at a New Jersey flea market.

It's a story of stark contrasts. Lewis and Bowe met in the 1988 Olympics. Lewis stopped Bowe and won the gold.

In the pros, Bowe had a distinguished career, although he avoided Lewis and never fought Mike Tyson. Bowe fought Evander Holyfield three times, winning twice, including taking the heavyweight title. His one loss to Holyfield was the only defeat of his pro career.

But his two fights against Andrew Golota were strange, even by boxing's strange standards. He won both fights because Golota was disqualified for repeated low blows.

He had a truly bizarre stint in the Marines Reserves. That lasted less than a week.

He was in trouble with the law when he abducted his estranged wife and children.

And now he's selling memorabilia at flea markets to make ends meet; and at 42, he still claims his boxing career isn't over. Sad.

Lewis, on the other hand, overcame two losses by knockout (to Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman) and ended up as the best heavyweight of his generation -- better than Holyfield (whom he defeated once and got a draw that should have been a unanimous decision in his favor in the other); better than Mike Tyson, whom he pulverized and, of course, better than Bowe, who wanted nothing to do with Lewis.

Lewis also stopped Razor Ruddock, Frank Bruno, Shannon Briggs, Golota, Michael Grant, Tommy Morrison, Vitali Klitschko and Hasim Rahman.

And now Lewis is in the Hall of Fame. Good for him.

I'm going to write more about Lewis and Bowe in my Sunday column in The Press Democrat. You don't have to be a boxing fan to appreciate their stories. Check it out.