Best Heavyweight of the 90's

So you actually believe Holyfield won the rematch then? Your original post said 'you could make an argument that Holyfield won the 2nd fight' not that you actually believed he did.

I'm all ears, how did you score that one? I scored it at the time it happened and had it 116-112 in Lewis's favour.

 

Rahman sucks, come on don't hype the guy up. I'll give McCall some credit because he could punch and take a punch, but he still wasn't an elite fighter. He was good, that's it.

And Holyfield WAS a cruiserweight when he started his career and WAS at a size disadvantage his entire career at heavyweight. Do you really think Lewis would have been as good if he didn't have a freakish reach and size? I don't think in terms of talent he was any better than Holyfield.

 

I had it a draw, its been a long time since I've seen it so I couldn't give you the scorecard. I'll need to rewatch it, I do know that if Lewis won the fight, it was by 1 round at best.

 

Lewis beat Holyfield head-to-head clearly.

He beat better opposition than Holyfield.

Lost only twice whereas Holyfield has been beaten far more.

And didn't cheat by taking performance-enhancing drugs.





However he can't be considered the best because he wasn't American.


Zacman - keep taking the drugs.

 

Rahman wasn't the best champion ever I'll freely admit it but 'sucks'? Nope, '2nd rater' nope, he beat Sanders remember who according to the Klit-ites is the most dangerous puncher that ever lived :nut

A figher like Lewis losing to a fighter like Rahman is embarrassing I admit, but he avenged the loss in brutal fashion. Doesn't erase what happened in Africa but Lennox did the right thing in immediately avenging it. No-one in their right mind would suggest that Lewis took Rahman seriously in that first fight - and he paid the price.

I actually agree with your last paragraph, but it's irrelevent. Lewis was bigger, and had a longer reach and he used them, this thread is about the best heavy of the 90's, not the best 'small heavyweight that used to be a cruiserweight of the 90's'

 

Re-watch it then. The best I could ever give Holyfield is 4 rounds. No way did he get a draw.

If you had it a draw, how could you make an argument that Holyfield won, by the way?

 

Lennox Lewis

 

Lennox Lewis is head and shoulders above the rest.

 

American ashmerican - irrelevant - Holyfield is the HW of the 90's.

Lewis beat Holyfield in the first bout clearly, I had the second one MUCH closer, MUCH closer.

5 or more years before that fight and you have a different story altogether.

Oliver McCall cold cocked Lewis - Mercer edged him on many peoples unofficial scores and one of the official judges scores at that. Watched it again last night and could make a case for Mercer winning that fight, I thought Holyfield clearly won

I think in terms of legacy and momentous fights - Holyfield is the superior HW of the 90's for me.

 

I said you could make an argument, I didn't say he did. Scoring a fight is an objective thing, especially if you think it is close.

 

Lennox Lewis.

 

Of that 4, I rank them:

1.) Lennox Lewis
2.) Evander Holyfield
3.) Riddick Bowe
4.) Mike Tyson

Truthfully, I would be tempted to rate either Foreman or Moorer over Tyson in the 90's. Not necessarily head-to-head, but in terms of accomplishments. Hell, they both won the linear title, something Tyson relinquished in the beginning of the decade.

Anyway, I say Lewis first, followed fairly closely by Holyfield. All four on this list make my all-time top 20 (although only Lewis makes the top 10) heavyweight list. I just think Lewis did more during the decade. Although it's close. I wouldn't complain if someone picked Holyfield.

 

This thread is about H2H ("best") and not about accomplishment.
How could anybody vote for Holyfield? He was beaten by Bowe on his best night, so in that sense Bowe was better.

 

It's exactly that sort of attitude that demonstrates how overrated Lewis is and underrated Holyfield is. :yep

 

lewis did not go out with dignity he went out with his ass beat, and the only reason we have to have this discussion is because lewis was getting ko'ed by mcall instead of proving otherwise