Lennox Lewis vs Muhammad Ali

Take the greatest fighter that ever lived, give them excellence in their greatest area of weakness, and there would still be somebody who would beat them!

 

I would pick Ali to win, but it would not be a walk in the park. Ali would have to really work to win the decision. This one goes the limit, and probably no knockdowns. I see the fight as more of a chess match than a thriller, although that could potentially change from round to round.

 

Lennox had a good ring IQ, was a two time Olympian. He could do everything, but the era he fought in the whole division trained for strength and building weight and size. That played into Lewis's assets. His assets were size and ring generalship. The best version of Lewis, the one that beat Ruddock would have been a tough fighter for any heavyweight in history. But after that I think Lewis is flattered by the experimental training period that slowed down a generation of heavyweights that allowed Lewis's size and ring generalship come into its own.

Lewis would have struggled more if the shorter heavyweights kept their weight down and concentrated on outworking Lewis. There is a reason he skipped Byrd, Sanders and why Manny Stewart was so concearned about Henry Akinwande and Mavrovik. Speed and workrate was the antidote to what Lewis brought to the table.

ALI is all wrong for Lewis.

 

Forget the **** that people WANT you to believe. Most of them are merely trying to boost their own worthless ego's. It is really quite simple. Until Ali NO ONE had seen a Heavyweight that could get up on his toes and move like a Welterweight, and punch with the hand speed of a Welterweight whilst doing so.

That is why Lennox Lewis, and many other Heavies tried their bests ( but failed ) to emulate him.

By the way Joe Louis doesn't even come into the equation. Ali humiliates him, and Lennox destroys him inside 3 rounds. Too slow, too small, and an ordinary chin at best. Very good fighter in his own era, but that is ALL.

Edit.

Make that an exceptionally good fighter in his own era, but still not enough for the 2 above mentioned.

 

Lewis was a much bigger and more powerful man than Ali, with a helluva lot more power, if he caught Ali flush i could see Ali hitting the canvas and not getting up, Ali went down hard against Frazier in 1971, and Joe at 205 dosen't have nearly the punch Lennox had:-(,

I could also see Ali up on his toes jabbing, using everything in his arsenal to out box Lennox and win a close decision...

In a 15 round fight i SLIGHTLY favor Ali on points, simply because Lewis might tire in the late rounds:deal..

NO WAY IN HELL WOULD I LAY ANY MONEY ON THIS ONE:-(

 

Yeah, I got no call on this one.

If I could see a few rounds of it, I could guess the rest. But I just don't know what those few rounds would look like.

 

Yes Henry Akinwande, mavrovik and Sanders kind of matched Lewis's dimensions so that neutralised one of Lennox's assets. Then there was the fact that they were lighter and had more pace than Lewis too. Manny recognised this because Lennox was getting towards the age Holmes was when taller younger Carl Williams almost made a fool of Larry during his reign. In order for any fighter to keep winning he needs most of the advantages over an opponent be it experience, size, strength, speed, pace or skill. Sanders was past over, no big deal because he was no higher rated than others. Manny was worried about Akinwande because he could box. I remember him being very concerned. Luckily Lewis was able to bully him. Mavrovick posed as many problems and proved too lively and was a very difficult fight. Speed and comparable size was a problem. Two inches shorter and more of everything else but punch power Ali is likewise as bad a match.

 

This board never ceases to amaze me.....Lemmie went 24 close rounds with a washed up Oldiefield but now he is simply "too big and strong " for Ali ? LOL.

Over 15 rounds he is toast, he aint no conditioning wonder...

He might win a close decision over 12, maybe.

Also Lewis has no late power, period, and hisclumsy footwork will further handicap him

I am not going into the chin issues....

BTW, Ali's utter destruction of Foreman trumps anything Lewis has done.

Now to define Lewis's career what are his best wins ?

Holyfield and Golata were brutalized by Bowe..

Ruddock was finished after 24 with Tyson

So that leaves us with the Mohawk, the White Buffalo, HBOGrant,GrandpaHolmesed Mercer and VK......and he struggled with half of them.

 

Hmmm? Somebody got Brutalized in the Bowe v Golota fights but it sure was not the mad pole.

 

This is an intruiging thouught indeed. Elaboration is welcome. It may well be true, not sure about prime though. If you gave Ali great defensive techniques besides his natural gifts, I do not know if he loses.

Foreman was 6' 3" maybe marginally more, & 220 when he fought Ali.
With his chin & speed I think he is as likely tobeat giants as anyone.

Who beat a past prime Ali has little utility to predicting how likely he loses when ligfhtning fast in the 60's. Though true Ali often gets the hagiography treatment.

Would need to favor Ali over Louis & Lewis.

 

Pre exile I take Ali to eke out a fairly comfortable UD.
Post exile I think it's more or less 50/50 post Foreman I'd favour Lewis.

 

Post Foreman Ali still had good 15 rounders with Wepner and Bugner plus the Lyle KO so I think he might still have too much for big Len. post Manila spinks beat ALi. That would be Lennox's best chance.

 

I would bet on Lewis. Lewis had everything Frazier and Norton had, plus size, reach, and a ****y attitude. People have turned Ali in this unbeatable destroyer, which he wasn't. Yes, he outslicked many cruiserweights in the 60's. But he struggled with so many mediocrities too. Can you picture Chuvalo going 15 with Lewis....NO WAY! Evangelista would have been out in one round. Do you think a passive Joe Bugner would go the distance TWICE with Lennox....never!