Lennox Lewis Was A Big Puncher

Efil4zaggin · Aug 4, 2007

^good point, indeed

cross_trainer · Aug 4, 2007

Zakman said:

Well I'm certainly not saying that Holyfield was a bigger puncher than Lewis, all I'm saying is that if Lewis was such a big puncher, how come it took a lesser puncher like Holyfield to put Mercer down, when the supposed "big puncher" Lewis couldn't take him out. That, imo, is worth more than Mercer's subjective comments that Lewis supposedly hit harder than anyone he faced.
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I would take the testimony of the (iron-chinned) guy who actually took the punches of both fighters for multiple rounds as more important than our own subjective impressions of a single knockdown.

Zakman · Aug 4, 2007

The Kurgan said:

I think a distinction needs to made between being a "puncher", which is a power-dependant style of boxing practiced by boxers like Shavers, Tyson (who was in his earlier career more of a puncher-swarmer), Foreman and Tua; and a "hard puncher", which is just hitting hard regardless of one's style. Herbie Hide could punch VERY hard but was a boxer in style (and a pretty bad one at that). Roy Jones Jnr. hit hard but was not a "puncher" in his style.

Lewis was a boxer-puncher who could hit very hard but was often willing to just jab and arm-punch.
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This is essentially what I have been trying to argue. There is a difference between the guys known as "big punchers" and someone like Lewis, who as you say was not as "power-dependent." In some sense, incidentally, that actually means that those who are saying this are saying he was more versitile.

RUSKULL · Aug 4, 2007

Ring Master said:

I think most respected his power after the Razor fight.
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I was sold on his power after the Ruddock fight myself.

Power in both hands but mostly with his overhand right. Nice, powerful jab too!

Ding · Aug 4, 2007

The Kurgan said:

I think a distinction needs to made between being a "puncher", which is a power-dependant style of boxing practiced by boxers like Shavers, Tyson (who was in his earlier career more of a puncher-swarmer), Foreman and Tua; and a "hard puncher", which is just hitting hard regardless of one's style. Herbie Hide could punch VERY hard but was a boxer in style (and a pretty bad one at that). Roy Jones Jnr. hit hard but was not a "puncher" in his style.

Lewis was a boxer-puncher who could hit very hard but was often willing to just jab and arm-punch. For instance, if he'd loaded up against Holyfield in their first fight, I think he could have stopped Holyfield in the middle rounds, but he instead opted to jab. Lewis threw very few full-body shots in that fight because he was just looking to pile up points.

Contrast that with Lewis when he's looking to get his opponent out quickly, like in the second Rahman fight, the last two rounds of the Bruno fight, the second Oliver McCall fight, or the Andrew Golota fight. Then he becomes a very aggressive puncher who still boxes quite a bit. In the Tucker and Mavrovic fights he did an interesting mix of both.

The important thing for Lewis was getting the appropriate strategy for his opponent. He boxed too much in the first fight against Rahman, I think, because he was looking to get rests to compensate for his lack of conditioning. He tried to punch too much against McCall which resulted in him getting him caught by a punch he practically ran into.

So, in conclusion, Lewis was a hard puncher sure, but in his style he wasn't a "puncher" (I prefer to use the term "slugger").
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Good Post :thumbsup

LennoxGOAT · Aug 4, 2007

Zakman said:

Seems it was Evander Holyfield, not Lennox Lewis, who was the first man to put the iron-chinned Mercer on the canvas, so I'd take that with a grain of salt.

Lewis a bigger puncher than David Tua?? C'mon. This is all revisionist history. Back in the 90s, nobody was calling Lewis a "puncher." Punchers are guys like Tyson, Tua or Shavers, who ANNIHILATE most of the guys they face and go into EVERY fight trying to end it with one punch. Lewis clearly did not do that. It is only since he took out glass-jawed Hasim Rahman so quickly that people have been calling him a puncher - like there haven't been several guys that KTFO that joke.atsch
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Blah Blah Blah.....Evander is the greatest, Lennox sucks.

Jinx · Aug 4, 2007

jimmie said:

Yeah Lewis is a big puncher thats like starting a topic saying Ray Leonard was fast.
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:rofl

Thread Stealer · Aug 4, 2007

Shotgun said:

Come on Zak, the shot that Holyfield dropped Mercer with was a body shot. He wouldn't be the first nor the last guy with an iron chin who was vulnerable to the body. Mercer was never down from a head shot until he fought Wlad in 2002, which was also the first time he was stopped
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Holyfield didn't drop Mercer with a body shot. It was a left hook to the head that hurt Mercer, Mercer reeled back, then took a knee.

Fighting Weight · Aug 4, 2007

The Kurgan said:

I think a distinction needs to made between being a "puncher", which is a power-dependant style of boxing practiced by boxers like Shavers, Tyson (who was in his earlier career more of a puncher-swarmer), Foreman and Tua; and a "hard puncher", which is just hitting hard regardless of one's style. Herbie Hide could punch VERY hard but was a boxer in style (and a pretty bad one at that). Roy Jones Jnr. hit hard but was not a "puncher" in his style.

Lewis was a boxer-puncher who could hit very hard but was often willing to just jab and arm-punch. For instance, if he'd loaded up against Holyfield in their first fight, I think he could have stopped Holyfield in the middle rounds, but he instead opted to jab. Lewis threw very few full-body shots in that fight because he was just looking to pile up points.

Contrast that with Lewis when he's looking to get his opponent out quickly, like in the second Rahman fight, the last two rounds of the Bruno fight, the second Oliver McCall fight, or the Andrew Golota fight. Then he becomes a very aggressive puncher who still boxes quite a bit. In the Tucker and Mavrovic fights he did an interesting mix of both.

The important thing for Lewis was getting the appropriate strategy for his opponent. He boxed too much in the first fight against Rahman, I think, because he was looking to get rests to compensate for his lack of conditioning. He tried to punch too much against McCall which resulted in him getting him caught by a punch he practically ran into.

So, in conclusion, Lewis was a hard puncher sure, but in his style he wasn't a "puncher" (I prefer to use the term "slugger").
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Good post but I disagree on one thing - Hide was actually a very good boxer with lightening speed but he relied on reflexes too much and when you combine that with a horrible chin....bad news. He certainly could put punches together very well.

JAM Killer · Aug 4, 2007

Lewis was a huge puncher, that allowed him to play it safe a lot in his career, because most people weren't stupid enough to just come in, they feared his right hand, in all of its forms.

Dekkers · Aug 4, 2007

I like to let film decide these things :yep

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achillesthegreat · Aug 4, 2007

Lewis was a devastating puncher. One of the best ever.

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Lennox Lewis Was A Big Puncher

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