One thing I've notice when Lewis is often mentioned in hypothetical match ups, is that those who don't favour him, often describe him as slow and ponderous. Fact is, in his younger days he was pretty damn fast, both with his hands and his feet.
Yeah, I've always respected Lewis and in this fight he is absolutely awesome. I often wonder why he isn't ranked higher than most rank him. Probably has a lot to do with his sometimes very cautious and controlled style of fighting, and maybe also to some extent due to the fact that he isn't American. I think it's ludicrous to rank Holyfield above him, but then Holy had a bigger liking for mixing it up in the ring. Head to head there is hardly anyone I would pick over him, probably only Ali in his prime. But with that said I always think it's kind of unfair to compare over great timespans.
There were pundits who came back with "Well, yeah he won but Golota froze". If Lennox Lewis made him 'freeze' then all credit to Lewis, simple. Lewis later said he saw him hurt, back up early and went in with some real good straight combinations.
I like that the little spin move he did off the ropes after grabbing him. Lewis was smart enough not to get pinned on the ropes. Golota was not. And let's not forget that little Tysonesque combination at the end -right to the body and then up the middle. I don't want to rain on the parade but Golota wasn't even in the stadium at fight time. He jumped into a police cruiser and had to get escorted to his own title shot. Unprecedented? The other thing is that Golota was stage fright. The bigger the event, the more likely his potential to have a nervous breakdown on TV. However, he was great, and I mean great in sparring. I think it was McCline who wouldn't even get in the ring with him. Lewis, to his credit, may have known about his stage fright and never gave him the chance to get comfortable in there. A comfortable Golota is dangerous. Early on, he's a stiff. Great performance, however.
There is always an excuse when a top fighter gets iced in the first round. Often it is valid. Either way it dosnt happen verry often.
Lewis at his best, like the Lewis we just saw, was probably the best HW to lace 'em up. I think this performance puts to rest the question of how Lennox would do aginst the likes of Marciano, Louis, Johnson and even Dempsey for that matter. He's just(or was) too damn big and skilled. A prime Ali would be the only HW that I would feel comfortable picking over a prime Lewis and even then I would'nt be positive of the outcome. Like a previous post claimed, Lewis seemed to kick it into a higher gear when faced with a good big man who was dangerous and he would do the same against any of the ATG's and probably win as well.
I think this a bit of a stretch. Marciano, Louis, Johnson, and Dempsey were cool under fire. Hell, Johnson laughed at pressure... Golota is an utter head-case who'se insecurities were magnified in the spotlight. Lewis is dangerous to be sure, but he was not without a couple of glaring topples from grace that neither Marciano, Louis, Johnson, or Dempsey ever experienced once they got that belt.
I personally don't think that's a stretch at all. All you've pointed out is that Lewis isn't as consistent as some of his peers, and perhaps that's a valid comment. But when he gets himself into seek and destroy mode he'd be hell for anyone to beat, never mind a sub 200lb fighter. I personally think it's somewhat under appreciated how he was able to use his size to the best of his advantage while also having good inside fighting skills. These attributes alone would make it difficult for a Marciano, or a Dempsey to win, add his power to the mix..and it's a hell of a challenge. I'm not suggesting he's invincible, just not an easy fight for anyone.