Is it unanimously agreed that prime Holyfield beats prime Lewis ?

Prime Holy > Prime Lewis.

I would bet on Evander without hesitation.

 

No, it isn't agreed upon at all....a Game Plan "A" Lewis would have overpowered Evander. That was "Game Plan "B" Lewis that twice fought Evander...i.e.,...just a bit too "safety first" and over cautious...one of the traits however, of a smart fighter.

 

No he would not. Young Lewis would go all out attack on him and overpower him with superior brute force and punching power

 

Just make sure that it was a "dry" bet....that is, a bet without any money on it.

 

Lewis for me, probably by decision but if Holy wants to lay everything on the line he could well get stopped.

 

You pick Evander to? (Seeing as you're the guy who doesn't have Louis in the top 5) I'll have to reconsider my pick!

 

I would favour prime Holyfield but only by 60:40.

 

Exactly.

 

That is why the final verdict of 1-0-1 for Lewis is fair. Neither fight was judged fairly. The first fight was win for Lewis and the 2nd fight could have been a draw.

 

The best version of Holyfield against Lewis is Bowe 2 or Tyson version.
He was just as strong as in 99 but quicker.
One of Holyfields big weaknesses is his arrogance which lead him to fight stupid sometimes, especially early in his career.
He needs to be written off and a big underdog to fight smart and be at his best.

A younger Holyfield would have thrown alot more punches, moved in and out quicker and outscored Lewis. Same gameplan but more effective.

After Tyson his reflexes started deteriorating. Against ruiz he got hit much more clean by the same type of lunging right hands that Tyson threw at him.

 

Lewis-Holyfield I: Lewis wins an upset decision as the underdog.

Holyfield-Lewis II: Holyfield KO's Lewis to regain the championship.

I have little doubt of that.

 

Lewis > Holyfield.

 

Holyfield by UD. He was much quicker, had better stamina and work rate in his prime. And if past prime version of Holyfield gave Lewis all he could handle in their rematch, prime Evander would win, though the fight won't be easy.

And it's ridiculous some people are claiming that younger version of Lewis might stop Holyfield. LOL, the best version of Lewis couldn't drop or hurt Evander in 24 rounds, so how less skilled, 20 lbs lighter version of Lewis would? Like he KOed Ossie Ocasio and (I was KOed by everyone but Lennox Lewis) Levi Billups? Oh, wait...

 

I reckon a younger Holyfield would win more often than not. I reckon their second fight was a draw and similar to the Holmes Holyfield fight in 92 where most concluded a younger Holmes would’ve won, I feel the same here. The hand speed and Holyfield being able to fight at a higher pace should be the deciding factor over 12. 8-4, 7-5 decision for 88-93 Holyfield imo.

 

I rank Holyfield slightly higher than Lewis, in terms of resume and head to head, so I would go with prime Holyfield to beat prime Lewis most times, but not every time.