Yeah but I do think Witherspoon poses more of a threat he has good defense good jab and a dangerous overhand right which Lewis was KO'ed twice with. I'm not sure why Witherspoon didn't get a shot vs Lewis, Holyfield, or Bowe in 90s. Maybe he was black balled by Don King after Witherspoon left him on bad terms.
Lennox Lewis is obviously a heavy favorite but Tim due to his awkward style, durability, Power and guts could give him a tough night or dare I say pull off an upset. All this is contingent of course on Spoon being in good form.
Don't agree, Lewis was in dreadful shape against Rahman, overweight & out of condition, he hadn't prepared for the high altitude of Gauteng either which definitely played a part in his downfall.
To make it fair will assume both are their best selves. For me that’s the 83-85 version of Tim and the 97-2000 version of Lennox. I would have to favour Lennox under those conditions, it’s very hard to pick against Lewis at his best. Both are pretty complete fighters, no glaring weaknesses. I don’t expect a stoppage if both guys are prepared. It might look similar at moments to Witherspoon’s fight with Pinklon Thomas where a battering ram of a jab makes his crab defense less efficient. But Lewis doesn’t do that for the whole fight like Pinklon did. Might be a bit boring, I see a Lewis decision in most cases, something like 8-4 in rounds. Tim was an excellent fighter who had an excellent career. Lennox is an ATG top 5 heavyweight in my opinion. There in lies the difference. Love both these guys so much as fighters.
I think Thomas has a more potent jab than Lewis plus Thomas has a much sturdier chin than Lewis aswell. Whilst Lewis is a better fighter than Thomas there are certain attributes Thomas has that matched up better against Witherspoon. I don't think Lewis could be as aggressive with the jab as Thomas was, like I said Thomas in his prime had a rock solid chin Lewis does not he would have to be more cautious of Witherspoon's right hand. You could say a prime Witherspoon on a H2H basis would be top 5 most dangerous opponent Lewis would've fought in his career.
I agree, Lewis is the obvious favorite,,,,but, Tim has a window to victory and could KO Lennox. If Rahman and McCall could get to him so could Witherspoon who has a better overhand right in my opinion. Don't get me wrong Lewis is the better overall fighter and would probably be a ,what 2-1 or 3-1 favorite? . I'd drop a dime on Spoon at 3-1, and would bet on this fight going the distance
No argument re the jab, I did note Lewis would not be doing that for 12 rounds. I just find his jab more like Pinklon than Holmes, for example. I agree Witherspoon would be amongst the best Lewis fought, if he were at his best. In my opinion however Lewis would have been the best Witherspoon fought, as Holmes was just passing his best. Tim could win, and I would be happy if he did, but I really favour Lennox most of the time.