Is Lennox Lewis the most skilled "giant" in boxing history?

Not up close. Lewis was more well rounded, he was real mean up close. He also had that junkyard dog in him that AJ is lacking these days.

And Wlad was better than either at range.

 

A fighter who gets knocked out twice by B level fighters is nowhere near the most skilled...

 

Wlad went a decade with barely losing a round. He also faced the widest variety of styles. More movers than most and more southpaws than anyone HW in history. That’s the definition of skills. He was a better out fighter than anyone else was at in fighting or whatever else. Now was he the most well rounded, no, his inside game non existent. But skill wise his outside game was the best.

 

I think he is. The only thing Lennox didn't have was a chin. I don't think his chin was pure glass but it wasn't good either. Average at best IMO. Lennox could box from distance, box on his toes, fight in the pocket, in the inside, and threw every punch in boxing from the head to the body at a high level. Excellent timing and accuracy. Very good power as well. He did leave his hands down at times that got him trouble when guys were able to close distance (Similar to Hearns) but outside of that, Lennox had it all. I don't think there's been a giant heavyweight who has done all of what Lennox does in the ring.

 

Yes, Lewis stands atop the 'Skilled Giant' hierarchy, in my opinion. While Riddick Bowe was arguably his closest peer, in terms of raw talent and physical dimensions, Lewis ultimately proved to be the more complete, disciplined, and enduring technician, with the greater two-handed power. The Lewis right could be lethal.

Bowe was an excellent inside fighter. In close, he could still deliver crisp uppercuts, body shots, and short hooks with fluidity (His mid-to-short-range uppercuts were particularly wince-worthy.) He also had some fast hands and his combos flowed more naturally than Lewis’s, particularly in toe-to-toe exchanges. He also showed tremendous durability in wars with Holyfield and others, walking through punishment that would have deterred most.

However, Lewis's Ring Generalship and adaptability under Emanuel Steward, showed him to be the superior strategist - able to dictate pace, switch styles, and dismantle world-class opponents with tailored game plans. His control of distance - helped greatly by an elite jab - combined disruption with damage. The jab was used variably to manage and a neutralize.

Lewis, particularly post-McCall, became a conservative and defensively sound practitioner, using measured, deliberate, and tactically smart footwork that was central to his ability to control fights from the outside, minimizing risk. Given the type of aggressive, in-the-pocket style of fighter that Bowe was, he could also be quite defensively responsible, though would often abandon safety in favor of a brawl.

So, when it comes to Lewis, it is not just his physical gifts, but how systematically and intelligently he applied them. His biggest weakness was an occasional mental drift into complacency, which caught up with him on a couple of occasions. However, other than that, he fused brute force with technical precision, adjusted tactics across an array of opponents, and remained composed under pressure.

 

Nice AI slop that doesn't actually say anything. Now, care to give an actual technical breakdown of Lewis and what he does well vs. other great giants, or are you just gonna leave this here for the masses to slurp up?

 

I think AJ had a better overall game than both. Better head movement, better guard, better combos and good punching at all ranges.

But Lewis had more dog in him as you say and both he and Wlad were better ring generals.

 

Your series of posts on this topic up till this point (I can't read more of this thread as I have to jet for now) articulates what I felt about this issue far more eloquently - and comprehensively.

To summarize: I often hear fighter A is "more skilled" than fighter B, because A handily outboxes B. But you can out-box another because you either have ridiculous physical gifts - or one set of skills that are difficult to deal with. I think Ali and Roy Jones were the two most outstanding examples. Both had inhuman speed, and thus they could get away with doing things that are technically unsound. That doesn't mean they are more skilled than the fighters they beat.

 

Lewis is more skilled. Lewis has a stiffer jab and used left hand to measure and frame more than aj. Aj rarely throws double jabs. Lewis could hide his right hand behind the jab and follow up with more fluid combinations. He turned his jab into a left hook. aj had better fundamentals but he was still stiff and textbook. Lewis was stronger and had a longer reach. Lewis didn't use as much lateral movement against Tua as aj did against Ruiz because he was just that much more effective at long range against someone with more power, defense and durability than Ruiz

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Aj is more athletic, a better combination puncher at midrange, moves his head more but lewis had better upperbody movement, rolled with punches and varied his punches at close range/more creative offense.

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A man who goes a decade controlling the division and barely loses a round is the indeed the most skilled.

 

Are you suggesting Joshua's was a wasted talent then?

 

Bowe is more skilled and coordinated if you count him as a Giant

 

This reply is a bit all over the place. What has strength and reach to do with technicla skill?

And you say that AJ moves his head more but Lewis had better upper body movement. How does those fit together? Lewis moved his chest better? Or are you saying he was a shoulder roller? Would disagree in that sense.

You say that AJ had better fundamentals, is a better combination puncher at midrange and moves his head more, which seems to pretty much equate what I said.

Lewis was smarter and mentally stronger. On that we agree. Would have been interesting if he had ran across a prime Usyk, though, what that would have done to his legacy. Props to AJ for doing better in the rematch. Who knows, if he hadn't ran across the, to my mind, most skilled HW ever, maybe he would have rebuilt his confidence and his career developed differently.

 

More movement from the waist, Lewis was more agile and flexible/fluid, he was also better at leaning back from punches. Lewis rolled with punches better and was just as good at blocking punches.

You said joshua has a better overall game but Lewis does almost everything better and has more tools, joshua is more athletic but only a better combination puncher at midrange. Lewis has superior combination punching at close range and had a better 1-2

 

AJ had better guard, so better at blocking punches. Yes, Lewis leaned back more, but that's a negative in terms of head movement. Lewis had a a good uppercut in close, but I prefer AJ's uppercut overall and I haven't seen much inside game from Lewis except for thet one.

Maybe better 1-2 from Lewis, but overall more variety to AJ.s combos, and better counters.

Lewis had much of the "big guys flaws", i e things you get away with due to being bigger. Sloppy guard, pulling the head back, stiff arming (which actually is against the rules) and often pawing with the jab (it was very good as a classic jab when he used it as such, though) and 1-2 as pretty much the combo. Wlad was even more so, but they got their style to work very well for them after some early set backs.

AJ was a big fighter with proper fundamentals, if a bit stiff. Did everything well. He never pulled himself together after his setbacks and found a groove like they did, but they on the other hand didn't have to fight Usyk twice.

But I'm kind of just repeating this, so I'll leave it at that.