Aside from Ali , who beats Lennox?

I think its a bad fight for Holmes. He has to out jab a tall man with better reach. Even if he does out jab Lewis, which is plausible, he then has to avoid those Lewis right hands. Holmes was a sucker for a right hand. I also wonder if Holmes may try and brawl with Lewis if Lewis starts to apply some pressure, if he does i dont see that going to well for him.

 

Incidentally, my top 5 list of atg heavy's consists of these:

1. Muhammad Ali
2. Joe Louis
3. Rocky Marciano
4. Larry Holmes
5. Lennox Lewis

6. Gets complicated.

 

Besides Ali ?

Cassius Clay,for a kick off


Holmes would have stood an excellent chance. Foreman would have had a 50-50 shot too.

 

My apologies, then.

Given that it came right after my post and given its content, it appeared to be directed my way.

 

IMO fighting outside the comfort zone orchestrated the fatal error both times. The pace and distance was not controlled by Lewis both times. rahman and Oliver set that pace that resulted in the panic over that distance. You ought to try it. so much harder when you are forced to respond rather than impose the response from the other man when he has ring centre.

It is nothing of the kind and I think you know it.


Lewis was capable of sucking it up and turning things around - I never said he was not. he did this in the Shannon brigs fight a better example of him fighting within his outer comfort zone - it did not always result in a bad loss for sure. I put it to you though that in some of those fights Lewis was having to fight not just his opponent but also his own gas tank, this was when he was vulnerable. The foes you mention took breathers themselves, they had to and though they forced moments of discomfort for Lewis they also provided respite, time and distance for Lewis to get back in control.

Lewis used a different aproach to fights. It is my belief that on this ocasion he had not planned a golata style "blow out". He expected to keep oliver at arms length but oliver took him by suprise in the first round. mccall was running into him and taking room, time and space away from him, lewis therefore forced to change tack set out to "be first" at the start of round two, meeting the pace that oliver had set and force oliver to back off and give him that desired space. without oliver setting that pace lewis would not have been forced to atempt to be first at the start of rnd2. It orchestrated the error because that is exactly what stewart wanted oliver to counter.

and shannon briggs but neither Briggs, Tyson, bruno or grant could control the distance for the entire rounds of those fights. In each fight lewis had the space he wanted to re set his feet for the majority. Tyson in round one could contol the distance but he soon tired, tyson (at that stage) could not work hard enough to control the distance against a good fighter like lewis.

 

Head to head, I pick him over the best versions of every heavyweight except Ali. And that one could go either way.

 

Louis, Tyson, Liston, Frazier.

I can't pick between lenny and larry nor lenny and wlad (incidentally I can't pick between larry and wlad neither).

 

:thumbsup

 

I am not sure Ali could beat Lennox.

 

I'd definitely pick Holmes over him. The jab, speed, and movement being the main difference.

 

If I had to pick only one fighter to fight a prime Lewis and there was money on the line I'd either go with Holmes, Ali or Tyson.

 

I've opined that I'd favour Ali and Louis, and that I'd make Foreman a 50/50.

If I had to add a fourth fighter to the mix, it'd be Holmes or Vitali.


However, I slightly favour Lennox over both.