Lewis vs. Liston

I see Lewis knocking him out in about 5 rounds.

 

Lennox 100% he does everything Liston does...but better

 

Lewis is overated like mad on this Forum, the guy barely beat Ray Mercer when he was at his best. His jab which at times was a weapon, was far from constant and he would paw with it. The man gassed pretty easily and his work rate and aggression left a lot to be desired.

 

Liston KO. Better chin, jab, outside game, inside game, and punch repertoire.
Even if he gets dropped or gets his jaw broken I see him stopping Lewis within 8.
Decent defense and an underrated technician in Liston.

 

LEWIS by ko

liston is overated by all u mugs

 

What makes you so sure that Liston has a better chin than Lewis? Comparing their careers don't suggest that Liston had the better chin. Lewis got cracked by big super heavyweight punchers and got up inside 10 seconds on the first one, Liston got knocked out in one punch by Ali and knocked out cold by Leotis Martin. Lewis fought and absorbed shots from many more big punchers than Liston.

Better jab? Not really, Liston's jab is overrated.
Better outside game no. I give you that Liston may have been better on the inside but Lewis uppercut in close quarter was nasty e.g. against Grant and Vitali. Liston's 84 inch reach is a myth, Ali with his 80 inch reach appeared longer than Liston. Better punch repertoire? Again That two piece Lewis put Rahman out with is something Liston could never dream of doing.
Were not even mentioning the 5 inch height advantage and 30 pound weight advantage Lewis had.

 

I don't like lewis but he beat far better fighters than liston.
Maybe Liston had only one real good tall opponent in pro. And everybody knows the results.
But we must be objective!
Some Lewis wins:
-Mason? Who's this guy?
-Golota.I think he had big knee problem against Lewis.
-Tua.He was very fat against Lewis.Tua is overrated as hell.He was a slow and unskilled fighter.
-Morrison? He's an overrated movie star without good win.
-Grant. He's a nobody.
-Ruddock.I think his punching resistance and heart were zero after the Tyson fights.
-Briggs.Who's briggs?
-Botha? Oh, no thanks !
-Mercer? The 42 years old featherfisted Holmes beat him plus he was fat against Lewis.
-Tyson? Be objective!
-McCall? This fight was a joke.
-Akinwande? Another joke fight.
-Bruno? Bruno was better than Lewis after 6 rounds.
-Mavrovic.He's a nobody.His record is ridicolous.
-Rahman? Big thing...Povetkin beat the glass-chinned,slow and unskilled Rahman easier.
-V. Klitschko? He was lucky against klitschko.
-Tucker? He beat a fat Tucker.Tucker was far away from his prime.

 

Lewis.knocks him out in 6.:deal

Too big too strong too much size, Sonny at 215 would look little next to Lewis...

Sonny in his career was never hit as hard as Lewis would hit him:-(

And a lot of posters on here don't realize that fighting a guy that outweighs you by 30-40 lbs tires you out a lot quicker than fighting a guy your equal size...

 

VVM I di not think that YOU are objective. You are overly cynical & dismissive.

Just a few examples: Tua hasd decent hand speed. He was NOT unskilled, he had a massive punch, excellent endurance, power through the later rounds, & granite chin. These are SKILLS.

Morrison was a good, not great, & dangerous fighter.
Grant was decent. Thre is a difference between a top contender & a LEGITIMATE contender, as was Akinwande & Rahman. How many in the WORLD were likely to beat them then?

Some of your comments are facile & content-free like about Botha. Or rather nothing substantive said.

Mercer was better against Lewis than Holmes, who could hit.

Lewis was very good against McCall that his mind unraveled does not lessen the comeback fight.

So Bruno was ahead & Lewis came back-instead of crediting his effort or heart, you slam him for a victory? NOT objective.

He made the cut, & at least we cannot tell if he sould have won without the terrible cut, but it is a legitimate win when he waas past prime.

 

Liston backs him up and starches him with that monster right hand.

 

:good

 

Some heavyweight "head to head" matches are easier to call than others, but this is one that has always troubled me. I would say it is a real "pick'um" fight assuming both are at their respective peaks.

I think Lennox did struggle with a good jab, the Bruno fight and the second Holyfield fight been prime examples of this and one thing Liston did have was a terrific jab. Likewise, Lewis had a great jab when he bothered to throw it with purpose and if one fighter could establish superiority in this department, it would go a long way towards winning them the fight.

They could both be hit and hurt, although you wouldn't exactly call either of them chinny (Lewis was taken out a couple of time, but so was Sonny) and they both had the ability to knock each other out with one punch should they land. Liston was an underrated boxer, and he showed this in solid wins against Williams and Folley although as we all know, he struggled with Ali (Clay) in their first meeting, but who wouldn't have struggled with the great man back then. Lennox could obviously box beautifully as well at times, the Tua fight been a solid example. I appreciate that Tua is a fraction of the fighter that Liston was but the point remains. Lewis had that amatuer pedigree and could box well when he had too.

One thing I would say, is that Lennox fought at his best when he had some fear of his opponent. I wouldn't say he was ever intimidated by anyone, but if he respected you then he often seemed to pull out his best performances.

Really hard one to call, as I can easily see both winning. I can see Lewis outpointing Sonny or stopping him late, likewise I can see Liston taking Lennox out late or even nick a points win. Lennox could be pushed back in a fight, that is for sure. Bruno, Holyfield, Mercer all did it with success and if Liston got him under pressure, on the back foot and kept him there, then he could well take a tight decision or knock Lennox out.

Gun to my head, I would say Liston would win 6 out of 10 fights but I am in no way certain of that!

 

Lewis was young and slightly green when he got starched by the "Atomic Bull" McCall. He took Rahman lightly in losing their first fight, and then came back and looked spectacular in blowing Rahman away in the second fight.

You bet the naturally cautious and analytical Lewis would be ultra-careful against Liston. If Liston could replicate what Ray Mercer did to Lewis he wins hands down. This is extremely hard to pick. One of the most difficult H2H match-ups to come up with a winner for.

Because Liston could discombobulate mentally if he was in with an opponent whose skills and physical gifts exceeded his own, I will reluctantly go with the more mentally stable athlete Lennox Lewis by 10th round tko. I think ironically, Muhammad Ali and possibly Lennox, are two of the only fighters in history who's massive ring IQ's coupled with amazing natural physical gifts give Liston a reason for pause.