Does Lennox Lewis Get Unfair Criticism For KOing Tyson?

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Fergy, Apr 29, 2022.


  1. Fergy

    Fergy Walking Dead Full Member

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    Seems when that subject comes up, it's a case of Lewis knocking out an old man.
    Lewis was the older man of course.
    Also, did not Lennox want the fight years previously.?
    You can only beat the man in front of you.
    Marciano V Louis
    Ali V Patterson
    Holmes V Ali.
     
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  2. lepinthehood

    lepinthehood When I'm drinking you leave me well alone banned Full Member

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    Lewis was also past prime
    Tyson was just shot to smithereens.
    In the 90s lewis would have beat tyson.
     
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  3. Barrf

    Barrf Boxing Addict Full Member

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    It's a boxing match. What was Lewis supposed to do, play pattycake with him? Tyson was still dangerous at this point, as he never lost his power -- he KO'd his next opponent in less than a minute, I believe.

    Tyson is still healthy to this day. Recently scored a first round stoppage against some annoying dude on an airplane, in fact.

    The Lewis-Tyson fight was nothing at all like Holmes-Ali. Lewis gets credit for taking out Tyson and making it look easy.
     
  4. RulesMakeItInteresting

    RulesMakeItInteresting Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    That's ridiculous. I got the feeling the older and also past his prime Lewis either carried or was being overly cautious to Mike. I think at some point he might have felt a little sorry for him.

    It wasn't Holmes-Ali. But after round 1 I saw it degenerating into what ultimately resembled torture. Mike wasn't doing anything significant in the last couple of rounds, it should have been stopped in the 6th imo.
     
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  5. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    It was the fight that the world was clamoring for at the time.

    It obviously had to happen.
     
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  6. lufcrazy

    lufcrazy requiescat in pace Full Member

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    If by criticism you mean praise for one of his biggest victories. Then yes.
     
  7. Dynamicpuncher

    Dynamicpuncher Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Well Lewis was older than Mike Tyson, so i don't really see how the old man argument gets brought up. Tyson was for certain more past his prime than Lewis though who was a late bloomer, but why should Lewis get criticized for the fight ? it was a big money fight for him he did his job, albeit against a Tyson who was past his prime, but so what that isn't Lewis's fault.
     
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2022
  8. djanders

    djanders Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Yes. And it was the same situation when Holyfield beat Tyson.

    In fairness to Mike, however, his style of fighting usually doesn't age as well as the Boxer-Puncher style does.
     
  9. BCS8

    BCS8 VIP Member

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    Lewis was simply awful for doing what he was paid to do. What is this world coming to
     
  10. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    He certainly wasn't criticized in the mainstream media at the time.

    The day after the fight, they were acting like it was Louis Schmeling II all over again!
     
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2022
  11. Richard M Murrieta

    Richard M Murrieta Now Deceased 2/4/25 Full Member

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    No words were ever truer.
     
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  12. Mike_b

    Mike_b Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Yes that win was tainted, Mike was so far from his physical prime plus ring rust. He had one high flying round against lenn-ox as Brian Kenny would say, but Lewis's hw style was created to keep a fighter lasting longer, idk I just see that Lewis aged like fine wine and had his so called prime still in him because of that longevity style he fought with. Especially as a super heavyweight.

    Let me divulge, he jabbed with his hands down (extra rest for his shoulders), he threw a nice one two, didn't tire him out. He leaned on Tyson to zap his strength. The uppercut was there for the smaller man to eat up like m n m s. He stayed in his back foot (Vitali Klitschko style defence) he counterpunched without using all his energy all at once, Lennox was perfect in that fight! He also didn't power box like a Mosley or Holyfield who would keep bouncing at a rythm: he took his time finding out Tyson. So much so that es (rip) told him it was past the point of effing danger to get this man out of here already!
     
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  13. LoadedGlove

    LoadedGlove Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Mike had a dreadful habit of dropping his left after jabbing, especially the one he feinted to the body before he he launched the right to the head.
    Regardless of age etc.. Lennox is going to time Tyson and do him.
     
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  14. Fergy

    Fergy Walking Dead Full Member

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    If it hadn't, and Tyson had never took the fight or neither did Lewis, then people would say to this day that Mike could have beaten him.
     
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  15. Fergy

    Fergy Walking Dead Full Member

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    Never picked up on that tbh, just watched a couple of his fight and he does do that quite often.
     
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