1997-2002 Lewis was prime Lewis imo. He had damn good distance control ability and ring IQ. Lennox by UD.
Steward did say that Klitschko was technically better but also stated how Lewis was the more versatile fighter of the two & was able to adapt & deal with any style whereas Wladimir was not., Lewis also had one of the biggest right hands in the history of the division which is incidentally the classic sucker punch for a southpaw & would more than likely have knocked Usyk out.
There's no evidence that Lewis could adapt to any style because there are several prominent styles that he never fought. It's not just that Wlad was more technically skilled than Lewis, he was also more athletic, more intelligent and had the bigger punch, with far more experience fighting good southpaw heavyweights than any other HW in history. Lewis never fought any southpaws or 6'3 movers of any note whatsoever, let alone the best ever. He fought a well past prime small cruiser in Holyfield twice and couldn't stop him, lost 7 rounds. Vegetarian Mavrovic with exclusively domestic level wins was smaller than Usyk and also won several rounds over 12, had Lewis gassed. Usyk on the other hand has fought a long-reigning SHW world champion as the B-side in his backyard and beat him 9-3, also schooled Joe Joyce and others in the WSB years ago.
I can't see a KO in this fight, even with Lewis suspect chin, and his power against a smaller opponent, whose chin appears to be near granite. Lewis cannot win a boxing match, but if he can turn it into a dirty brawl his chances increase. Overall, I would favour Lewis on his size and strength,and proven ability to take it into the trenches and win. That being said, Usyk, the slick southpaw with unparalleled footwork and gas tank, may be able to take Lewis into a discomfort zone, particularly later in the fight. That is, I choose Lewis on size; at the same size Usyk wins this.
Watch more than 1 of his fights. Usyk doesn't get caught clean very often, but he was hit with some solid leather against Breidis, and at least once by Gassiev, with no discernible impact on him.
I can assure you there is no HW in history that will just blast him out early without taking huge risks aka Teo in first round against Kambosos. Will Usyk beat the great HWs, I doubt it, but being a boxing, moving southpaw will cause a lot of problems for anyone. If you assume the modern over past theory, due to technology and training, then Usyk beats the old timers. I personally do not prescribe to that belief. Let us use Rocky Marciano as an example. Similar size if not smaller than Usyk. I can see Rocky breaking him down late, with the constant pressure and staying inside Usyk's ideal power range. Granite chin or not, the Suzue Q is no joke. However, it is possible that Usyk was stylistic Kryptonite for the Rock, staying at range, jabbing, moving, never allowing Rocky to set his feet. To confirm, I pick Marciano, but see different possible outcomes.
A hard fight for both men I think. On resume you have to favour Lewis. In reality it would be a close-ish fight I think.
On cards - probably. But Lewis never stopped anyone late and he definitely wouldn't do it with Usyk who has great stamina
Scratch that then, early stoppage or points. Usyk's stamina doesn't get him to round 12, it's his energy management. He takes quiet rounds.
How can you say that though, he's not taken a real punch at this weight. I'm not saying his chin is bad, but it wasn't tested against AJ. CW proved he's not got a glass jaw, but I want to see him beaten up at some point to prove it.
