Better Inside Fighter (Joe Louis or Lennox Lewis)

Louis, and by a mile. While I do agree that Rocky has a better chance prime vs prime against Louis than most think around here, Louis is a still a good inside fighter. Lewis isn't... in fact Lewis is one of the worst inside fighting Heavyweights I've ever seen. I don't see how the Tyson fight is a good example. He got in an uppercut, and held. Yeah, Lewis knew how to clinch. While Louis didn't like to be crowded, his inside and mid-range was much more complete. And his punches tender to be short and compact for that range anyway. Lewis, was just way more comfortable on the outside to jab his opponents. Any inside fighting was bothersome to him.


I don't see how your boyfriends thinks Dempsey beats Louis, though. I never really saw Lewis go toe to toe or fought a scrap on the inside. I think even Ali, who was uncomfortable, but at least more comfortable was better than Lewis on the inside. At least he showed some great in-fighting in the Manilla fight. While Lewis just didn't like to fight on the inside. Most tall, langley, and long fighters tend not too. Bowe was such an offensive force, and a very fluid fighter that he could do great work on the inside.

 

I don't like Louis's tendency not to stand his ground on the inside. He could be backed up against the ropes very easily, as Godoy did to him. However he was adept at fighting that way and was landing the cleaner punches despite Godoy crowding him, clinching and mauling. In the rematch he simply got tired of Godoy's antics and decided to let his hands go more. The uppercuts really did a job on Godoy.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-Cp2TVw_Q0[/ame]


Obviously Louis did not like getting crowded, he admitted this much himself, but there was a big price to pay for trading with Louis in close as Godoy found out in the rematch.

 

Also I don't know how this constitutes as infighting:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16-ZwScDnWg[/ame]

2:00

Lewis was doing his best to avoid fighting Tyson in close.

 

Lewis admitted he didnt like fighting inside but he has a hell of an uppercut and rabbit punch, plus he knew when to hold. The answer is Louis at mid-close range for the most part though but other than uppercutting there isnt much a much taller man can do

 

I give Joe a huge infighting edge over Lennox on the basis of the Godoy rematch alone. For my money, Godoy II was the most evolved performance of his career. I also agree with Pete that Ali displayed some fine infighting at Manila, repeatedly spinning Frazier's head with hooks as Smoke slowly bore his way forward. (Referee Carlos Padilla deserves some credit for this, denying Ali the opportunity to illegally yank down on Frazier's neck by repeatedly slapping his gloves away. Padilla had a role in forcing Muhammad to fight his way to this win.)

 

Lewis could fight inside? :yep

 

It was certainly an improved performance from the first fight but Joe was still having his troubles with Godoy's awkward style in the early rounds.

 

Tell that to Bowe (though the uppercut was indeed one of his best weapons inside). Major under-achiever due to lack of conditioning and basic motivation past a certain point, but in his prime I honestly thought he was one of the most talented big men of the past 30 years, probably the most talented among the Super Heavies. The best in-fighter of any of them, for sure.

 

:shock: Tell your guy ESB Classic wants to have a word with him...But, seriously, add that I thought Mercer won that fight.

 

Lewis was efficient at grabbing fighters around the back of the head and clubbing them with uppercuts or rabbit punches.(see Grant and Vitali). Not really great infighting and not really legal either, I guess you could say he knew how to take advantage of a clinch.

 

Agreed.

If anything, Lewis was somewhat vulnerable to guys who took it to him on the inside, especially if they jabbed their way in - ie: Bruno, Mercer, Rahman. I'd say a razor thin fight with Mercer is an argument against his being a great infighter.

Conversely, Louis usually tore guys apart on the inside.

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojYzKAPq6-Q[/ame]

 

Louis is no demon on the inside but Lennox was more or less totally ineffectual there his whole career. He was so much more comfortable at range he would often use his size to avoid coming inside, either by clinching or stepping back jabbing. They are not comparable, in fact I think Lennox, great as he is, is one of the worst inside fighters I can think of.