Lewis had issues with good jabs Bruno and Mercer out jabbed Lewis and even Holyfield in their 2nd fight gave Lewis issues with his jab. I think Holmes would outjab Lewis and win a decision but Holmes may get caught with Lewis's right hand and get dropped and may have to overcome a few sticky moments before prevailing.
I can see arguments for favoring either man. I would give Larry Holmes the ever so slight edge to win a decision by virtue of : - his mobility - elite left jab - 15 round experience - proven durability of course there are very good reasons for favoring Lewis as well and I won’t dispute anyone who does.
Wretched fight. The fans’ only hope would be for Lewis to go after Holmes early, & commit. It’s perfectly reasonable for him to do so & he has good reasons to try it, so you can bet your house on the fact he won’t. He will cautiously jab & box & try to win on points, the same way as he did with other big names like the shot-to-bits versions of Holyfield & Tyson he bested (the latter not even having the heart or endurance to survive Lewis’ snooze tactics). It’s a big mistake & Holmes has every chance to make him pay for it. Lewis’ jab is the single most over-rated punch I think in division history. It’s a lazy reach finder & Holmes will win that battle even without the reach. Beyond that though, he’s got his own problems. He can take no advantage of Lewis’ main weakness, his chin, & certainly well-proven to be vulnerable to someone who can crack like Lewis can. Lewis is probably too cautious & lazy to knock him out, but he might accrue points knocking Holmes down or visibly hurting him. I think he probably lets the opening slip from his grasp if he does hurt Holmes, & my money’s on Lewis to lose a winnable fight. In the battle of the two most over-rated genuine greats, Holmes leaves Lewis with the undesirable mantle in a horribly boring affair. Holmes 7-5.
Holmes (Norton fight) IMHO loses to Lewis (Golota fight); because of Lewis' greater "eye of the tiger" and greater "killer instinct" than Holmes. Holmes loses yet again in his career; by knockout.
Holmes wasn't 100 percent in Norton fight and Holmes had plenty of killer instinct he just didn't have Lewis's power overall.
Holmes by close but clear UD in 12-rounds fight, Holmes by TKO13-14 in 15-rounds fight. Holmes' was far, far superior to Lewis' one. Both would have had some advantages on their sides: Lewis - size and power, Holmes - speed, chin and overall skills (although Lewis was very skilled himself). But I think Lewis just couldn't match Holmes stamina and late-round intensity. He simply didn't have a gas tank for that. Remember that he scored exactly 0 (zero) late round stoppages in his career, while Holmes was at his best in the last quarter of the fights
Depends on what Lewis does. Does he try to box? He may well lose. Does he go into full killer mode, like against Golota, Ruddock, and Gant? Probably too much for Holmes to deal with.
Yeah he really looked top of the world crushing cans in those late rounds. Lewis isn’t Tex Cobb. All Holmes’ best opponents, all of whom were clearly inferior to Lewis, gave him very close fights.
I'm not sure who wins. You can make arguments for both. Lewis is bigger and punches harder. Holmes is a better boxer and mover and better chin and better jab.
Certainly true, though what would Lewis do with an ageing Norton? Blow him to pieces would be my guess. Swings & roundabouts. Lewis wouldn’t arguably lose to green Tim Witherspoon or get turnbuckled by Renaldo Snipes, but Holmes is not getting one-shotted by Hasim Rahman or Oliver McCall, either. We could do that dance all day. The truth is though that Holmes never beat anyone even nearly as good as Lewis, & struggled with the ones nearest him in quality. I picked Holmes but it’s a very close run thing & I wouldn’t hang my hat on him looking convincing against that wretched crop he reigned over.
I think Lewis at his best is simply too big and powerful and aggressive for Holmes. In real life and away from idealized conditions, I could certainly see scenarios where Holmes beats Lewis.