Lennox Lewis vs Larry Holmes - WHO WINS?

That's how I see it. Lewis liked to fight at his own, steady pace; Holmes could out work Lewis over 15 rounds. Still a very hard fight for both guys, though.

 

If it weren't for Holmes' jab, I'd take Lewis 7/10. If that makes sense.

 

Holmes vs Spinks was in 85, even though Larry was still a great fighter at that point.

You've got to try and work out what you think would have happened when they were both at their peak. Otherwise you could go on forever, saying things like "Mercer almost beat Lennox, and McCall knocked him out, so....."

It's hard though, because they were two great fighters.

 

Tiger Williams lost to Richard Dunn, please can not compare. Holmes fought no one close to Lewis offensively complete except Tyson, If Lewis misses his chance could Holmes survive, yes but fighting defensively will not win it for him and I seeing Larry trying to exchange and getting caught simply because he cannot match Lewis for Power and there is no one close to Lewis that a prime Holmes has fought

 

Id take lewis in any year to defeat Holmes.

 

Holmes fought nobody as good as Lewis on a good night for sure. Lewis looked a great fighter on very few nights like against Golota, Ruddock and Grant. The rest of the time there was a lot of debate as to who really was the best heavyweight during Lennox Lewis prime. There was no debate during Holmes's prime we just wish some extra matches could have been made. But without moving on to resume and the boxing politics of an era when Lewis was not on "kick ass mode" he was quite a cautious one paced disjointed boxer albeit with great fundamentals. Lewis was capable of smashing up good fighters but only broke good fighters down when he had total control of the pace. then he became more measured and sparing with his work. On one of those nights Holmes would have his way and I feel there were a lot more nights like that than here was if Lewis' impresive fast starting mow downs. I don't see Lewis of the Holyfeild fights doing a job on Larry and that's the best guy Lewis beat.

 

Lewis earlier in his career, pre-Steward, actually did some nice things in there. He was mobile and more inclined to box. He was inexperienced and it showed, but he looked good.
Steward basically turned him into a puncher who can box, whereas before he was a boxer who could punch.
The tradeoff was that Lewis' boxing skills tended to suffer in my opinion. He became a big, heavy punching lump who used mostly superior dimensions and size to control range and the ring centre. Yeah he could move but he didn't look quite as good as before.
Look at the Mercer fight. Ray was a decent enough boxer but he was hardly some technical master, but Lewis looked sloppy and bothered by the jab when he realised his go-to card, his power, had no real effect on the granite-like Mercer.
I've always wondrered what would have happened had they continued to keep Lewis a boxer first and foremost.
But Steward liked punchers so hey...

I think Lewis the boxer gives Holmes more problems than Lewis the puncher. Great jabs bother 99% of fighters and Lewis was bothered by Bruno's jab, Rahman's jab and Mercer's jab, to name three.
Larry's jab was a rapier.

 

^ good post

 

I go Holmes by very close decision ,his speed and mobility giving him a slight edge.

 

Not one first mentioned Lewis's ATG right hand and Holmes huge vulnerability to a good right hand, a mega flaw he never fixed during his career

 

Larry Holmes

 

Or the fact that Lewis was kod twice by right hands?:think

 

by punchers who Lewis didn't focus on..lets be real again holmes wouldnt do anything to a Lewis type fighter,he struggled with spinks who occasionally threw his weak jabs,imagine Lewis.

 

It is a given that both fighters are prime in match ups.Lets be real ,Holmes was definitely not prime for Spinks.