I agree that Larry has a good chin but it is dentable and Lewis is a top-notch puncher, especially with his right hand and uppercuts. I agree with ou that Holmes would win the jabbing contest but i think Lewis uppercuts on the inside will be too much for him.
Relax, guy. I'm not frustrated at all. :good Feel free to respond to my arguments at any time, though.
I think Larry's chin was good enough to keep him up from those uppercuts. Even if one did drop Larry, I doubt it'd knock him out.
I see Lennox Lewis running out of gas towards the end of this 15-rounder, for a catastrophic loss. - Holmes learned from the greatest heavy boxer of all time and developed into an excellent technician, with great physical dimensions, speed, chin and durability. - Lewis was king of the hill of an era of tremendous steroid-inflated punchers, an impressive bunch of powerhitters, BUT also technically-limited fighters who would drop fights to a savant, albeit lighter hitter, of the ring like Holmes. - The Holmes-Mercer bout is a clear example of cross-generation competition: Mercer came all power and disdainful youth and was soon and totally neutralized and schooled by a grandfather version of a complete fighter. Though not a silver-tongued diplomat by any means with his rantings, Holmes is right and has proven it when he says, "These guys can't fight," about later generations. Because the technical level and general roundedness of heavyweights have increasingly gone downhill since Tyson lost the unified title. - The main reason Lewis stood head and shoulders over his peers was his comparative technical correctness. Once he finally found his groove (under Steward), he developed into a cunning technician with tremendous power. The way he immolated Rahman was amazing. But Rahman was an innocent lamb. He was wide open for that right and was clearly asking for it out of technical deficiency. - Holmes was famously vulnerable to the right, and I see this as Lewis' best chance, but Lewis is not fast enough to catch a wary Holmes by surprise on speed with a pinpoint right. For perspective, Shavers took 19 rounds to land a killer right on Holmes, who pitched a 12-round shutout in their first meeting over the huge right-hander. - Holmes will win the battle of the jabs, thus forcing Lewis to come forward and uncharacteristically going for the kill, becoming more aggressive, but, contrary to his impressive early kayo forays against much more technically limited foes, against Holmes he will find a prepared technician with his guard and stance properly in place, and will not score readily. Even if Lewis lands cleanly, it is not clear that he wins: Holmes will most likely go down, but I just don't see Lewis catching lightning in a bottle twice in a matter of seconds against Holmes to finish the job. And such an effort, if ultimately unsuccessful, may very well fatally drain the stamina of the larger man. - Lewis will have to fight at a faster clip than he is used to and I see the huge hulk suddenly unraveling towards the end. Holmes wins.
Holmes outboxes and decisions Lewis.... Holmes performances against Mercer and McCall at age 40+, when compared to Lewis's performances against those men in his prime tells us a great deal.
Yeah, he was. Mason, Biggs, Ruddock, Tucker, Bruno, Mercer, Morrison, Akinwande, Golota, Briggs, Mavrovic, Holyfield, Grant, Botha, Tua, Tyson, and Klitschko all owned him.
Agreed, especially considering that nearly half the men you just listed were shells of their former selves, while some of the others never really accomplished much other than records built on wins over mediocrities and washed up has beens....... You also left out his incredible performances against McCall and Rahman in his first meeting with them.... Absolutely tremendous :good
I hate Lewis's style, I often find him almost unwatchable. Awkward and untidy. But he got really clever, and was a tremendous puncher. I also dont buy into the idea that his chin was weak, or that he was always safety-first. Against Shannon Briggs he finishes that with tough-man menace, took some real hard shots. Fights withs Mason, Bruno, Mercer were also sometimes gruelling, as was his swansong v.Klitschko. At his best, Lewis was obviously a tough man to beat. I dont think as much of his opposition as some do, but he beat a decent crop. I believe Holmes beats him though. Holmes at his absolute best was VERY SHARP and technically superb, probably better than Lewis in every department except punch power.
Lewis got starched twice, Holmes once... Holmes got KO'd by one of the most devestating punchers ever. Lewis by two decent but one dimendional bangers... Oliver McCall couldn't even KO Frank Bruno. Holmes took on a lot of C class fighters during his reign but he never lost to them like Lennox did. I rate both men very highly. Both could win this fight and in a 10fight series i see it being 6-4...to Holmes