Lennox Lewis vs. Muhammad Ali

Ali wouldn't be able to figure Wlad out? With all due respect
I think you need to revisit Ali in his peak friend. Peak Ali is like nothing Wlad has faced before.

You think Wlad jumping back and forth in a straight line and having a three punch repertoire is going to perplex a fleet flooted Ali?!?....and he definitley ain't getting the chance to jab and grab.

For the record Ali is the only HW i wouldn't pick Lewis to beat.

oh yeah, Ali is not Haye? Not sure if you're taking the **** or being serious.

 

It'd be a great match up, I'd go for Ali on points. :rasta

 

It really is a difficult question. A prime version of Lewis would be competitive with any HW in history IMO. He had a truly great jab, a good right hand, and pretty good workrate. Ali was, well, Ali!

I can automatically rule out a KO victory for either man. Ali didnt hit that hard in all honesty, and Lewis had a pretty good chin as well. Ali had an outstanding chin, and took bigger shots from men with more power than Lewis (who could bang).

So, the question comes down to 'which Ali'? Are we talking the Ali of the liston fight? The quick wizard who could get in and out without an opponent catching him, but lacked the experience of his later years. Or are we talking 1970s Ali, the slower, defensively semi-poor version, who had the ring IQ to defeat anyone in boxig history?

Honestly, I cant choose. I think the younger Ali could be picked off by Lewis' long leathal jab and right hand. But he could easily utilise his speed to negate Lewis' size. 70s Ali, who laid on the ropes against Foreman, could well be beaten by Lewis who wouldnt gas like George, and who was much smarter in his attacks. Or Ali could use his greater ring IQ and win a decision.

So, in short. I dont know

 

I'm going to put it like this, pre Emanuel Steward Wlad loses via late stoppage against Ali you clownatsch

 

I have most of Alis fights on DVD. I've watched some of them 10 times over the years. As for Ali being "nothing" Wlad has faced before.......let's examine that.
Ali, at his best, would flick that jab out so quick that he could hit guys 2,3,4 times inside a second. At other times, he could sit on his jab and really bust a guy up with it over a few rounds. That said, he tended to pull it, and there's NO denying that. My opinion is that Ali could NOT work his jab against Wlad. And Wlads handspeed and footwork is highly underrated. He is better at distance than most think, and IMO, he would work the jab, jab grab to a perfection, if there is such a thing.
As for Wlad's going straight backwards, it WORKS. He leans and gets missed. Ali is not a huge HW with massive power, but he did have some hella reach, but not enough to catch Wlad consistent IMO.
This fight would look an aweful lot like one of the Byrd fights, with Ali doing his best to slip under shots, but Wlad catching him often enough to stun him multiple times and earn him a points victory over 12 rds. 15 rds.....IDK, can't ever say I remember what Wlad looked like from the 13th on.:think

 

Ali wins, if not a late round knockout then by UD - PTS. I just dont see lewis dealing with Ali very well. As much respect i had for lewis and his great boxing brain, he was just a bit too sluggish from time to time. Which to be fair, is quite ineresting because lewis, i believe, had the perfect attributes to be one of the greatest boxers ever, if not the greatest. But somehow could not apply to the level i always wished he could get to. But still.. lewis, what a boxer, cannot knock his record!!..

 

Haye actually had the tools to beat Wlad, despite it being a poor stylistic match up for him, he showed he could trouble Wlad especially in the 12th round. What inhibited Haye, was that he didn't trust his chin, and didn't want to put himself at risk.

Ali would have done whatever was necessary to win. He can find a way to get inside Wlad's jab and hurt him, elite head movement, elite footwork and unbelievable speed and a granite chin, all Ali is lacking is one punch KO power.

Wlad has stamina problems, that's why he reserves so much energy throughout fights, it's why he gassed against Purrity and Brewster. This fight is going over 8 rounds, and Ali would make Wlad work hard, make him miss and counter him to great effect. Ali would still be strong in round 9 and onwards, I think Wlad tires.

The problem with Wlad in H2H matchups, is that he has a weak chin, is completely afraid and unwilling to exchange, and has no inside game and a limited mid-range game. The likes of Chambers, Mormeck and Thompson are incapable of exposing these weaknesses. Haye was just as unwilling as Wlad, and in that fight the bigger and better man won. Due to the low level of competition (not Wlad's fault, he's not ducked anyone), we've seen Wlad be able to fight his fight, and do what he does best. However, we haven't seen him tested against top quality opposition, which is a real shame. There are things I see, which convince me otherwise about Wlad, such as against Mormeck, he was facing a shot to ****, feather fisted blown up LHW, and he was completely unwilling to exchange, everytime Mormeck got inside, he hardly attempted throwing an uppercut, he panicked and clinched. He is great at what he does, but at the same time he's limited. Some of the great fighters of the past would be able to expose Wlad's flaws, and a ring genius with the physical talents of Ali can exploit that.

 

Your post started well but i knew you were gonna use Byrd as an example, really that should be case closed but i'll continue.

Firstly, yes Wlad is very good at controlling distance, but who as he done this against with the foot and handspeed of Ali? NO NOT BYRD OR HAYE.

Seconly you only talk of Ali's jab, how about his two fisted flurries for example, how would Wlad handle them? Whenever anyone as got inside on him he has lost or looked absolutely petrified and completely doubts himself.
Ali could do this with ease, and as fast as you think Wlad is it doesn't compare to the speed of hand, foot and mind of Ali.

They would only be one winner here and it would be Ali by stoppage anywhere from 6 -10.

You obviously know more than the average Klitite on here which makes your notions a little harder to digest.

Anyway let's not make this a Wlad/Ali thread.

 

:deal I know.

 

I'm thinking something like this.

LL is tough to beat for anyone. Just like a prime Vitaly is... (their clash was two unstoppable forces colliding.. and Vitaly only had the better of it (until the freak injury) because LL was older I think).

Ali is a bit more creative and slightly faster... but LL would be very tough to beat repeatedly... So I think they would more or less share the iwns if they fought 10 times... But LL would win all the fights where Ali couldn't come up with something unexpected.

 

Gotta go with Ali.

Can't see Lewis knocking Ali out (Frazier, Foreman, Lyle, Shavers, Cooper, Chuvalo, Norton, Liston, Holmes et al. couldn't do it), but I could see Ali dropping Lewis in a rash moment when he left his chin hanging out. Points-wise, it's nearer 50-50.

Not saying Lewis wouldn't or couldn't win -- Norton managed it -- but in a one-off fight, I'd give Ali the edge.

 

Humane ref saves Ali from himself.

 

Head says Lewis, heart says Ali. I tend to take my head over my heart

 

If Henry Cooper, could put Ali down. Then i'd shudder to think what Lewis would do to him. :hey

 

There isn't really a stylisitc reference point from the careers of either man. Lewis never faced a heavyweight with anywhere near Ali's speed, or the constant movement and flurries of the 60s version.

Likewise, Ali never faced a big man with the ability of Lewis. Bugner would probably come closest, which gives you an idea of how much of a stretch it is.

While Ali could be hit and hurt, considering that he fought virtually every power puncher in the division from the 50s through to the 70s without being stopped, the chances are that he is going to finish on his feet in any mythical h2h match-up. While a Lewis stoppage is possible, it has to rank as unlikely.

There isn't a huge amount of difference in height/reach, and the likes of Bruno and Mercer were able to outjab Lewis in their fights. On the other hand, Norton was able to jab with Ali, back him to the ropes, and work the body.

Over the stretch I think Ali's flashier work would catch the eyes of the judges, and take a close decision in an uneventful bout.