How would a scheduled 12-rounder between Lennox Lewis and Joe Frazier look?

The Joe who fought Ali in FOTC was not the same who fought after. People disagree all you want, but I've lovingly watched those fights after too many times, and it ain't quite the same guy.

I don't think any fighter could be the same after what Joe did. It stands as one of the most amazing performances in the history of the sport imo. Joe was never the same after.

Frazier kept getting up against Foreman, so he damn sure would keep getting up against Lewis.

 

Not at all. This was one single instance. Having said that I've never used the fight as a surefire blueprint. Tua hits harder, has a better chin and isn't near as busy as Frazier would try to be. Frazier would be right there and do or die. He only knew one way and had more stones than Tua.

For sure mate.

Sure Stewart wanted more later but Lewis sure gave it to him early. Hearns also never allowed Cuevas any respite. I'm confident he would have Lewis going hard early, he's too great strategically not to.

Lewis will not be intimidated by Frazier. Lewis was immensely self confident to the point where it cost him once. He jumped straight back in there with a guy who flattened him and schooled him from go to show.

Frazier would be the smallest man he ever fought as a fully fledged pro. Lewis would simply keep banging on him as he did others, as Foreman did.

 

Getting up to be knocked down again is not winning a fight.

 

Cut the "12 rounds" crap and hitch your wagon to the distance of champions, as it was meant to be in boxing's better days Mark.

 

The thing about Lewis' confidence is that, as you pointed out, he paid dearly for it twice. Thus making him adopt the more cautious style that made him infamous.

Its kind of a pick ypur poison scenario with lennox in h2h discussions. Either you go with the younger more aggressive version who had less skill and experience and had lapses in judgement and defense, or you use the older more defensive and cautious one. You can't have it both ways. We have a clear time line as far as the progression of Lennox's skill and temperament goes.

It's kind of like when Tyson fans use fights after he went to prison to boost his heart and chin and applying it to his prime while ignoring the flaws.

 

Ramos, Foster, Mathis beat the count barely but was rendered helpless.
How many did George Foreman put down for 10? Jack Dempsey? Morrison?

 

Ramos quit.
Foster was a lightheavy.
Mathis was on his feet.
Foreman scored 26 actual kos .
Dempsey 37
Morrison 15
Frazier 6

 

Yes the first loss showed him he had lots to learn and needed a much better team to fulifil his vast potential.

I don't struggle to pick my poison on this one, i always go for the latter version who was a vastly better fighter. The first version had some good wins and that demolition of Ruddock but he was a very flawed fighter living on raw ability and power.

The latter version was far more complete and less vulnerable. Far more fighters would beat the first version than the second and i'm not overly sure anyone who beat the second version would lose to the first.

The second version got guys like Golota, Botha and Grant out of there in quick time. If someone is coming after him relentlessly he's going to be throwing some serious leather back.

 

Ah but therein lies the paradox. Frazier didn't come at you "recklessly" (he had good head movement and cut off the ring) and it took him a few rounds to warm up. So if we take the veteran version of lennox against the best prime frazier it could actually be interesting.

 

To me, and I prefer Frazier personally, I see it going via KO by Lewis

 

Frazier is a great fighter and it's great to see him getting dues, even if in this particular case i don't agree with a Frazier pick. Frazier's awesome.

 

Must've been someone else. Frazier was a chinless defenseless bum.

 

I loved that part of the match to, but was it really as impressive at it seems? Ali had very little trouble touching Frazier, and did so very often throughout all their matches. It was cool no doubt, but a little bit of smoke and mirrors. Even laymen people can goad somebody to punch them and time it so they miss. It was more cool than it was impressive, nor an indication of how little Ali could hit him.

 

Joe Frazier’s chief and foremost weapon was the left hook - which wasn’t a particularly useful tool against Lennox Lewis who regularly destroyed left hookers... in addition Lennox had 5 inches in height and on any given evening could out weigh Joe by anywhere from 25-40 lbs.. He was also one of the division’s hardest punchers and could box pretty damn well especially while Emmanuel Steward was running his corner....

This is a mismatch

 

Agree with everything here.