Peak George Foreman Versus Peak Lennox Lewis

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by ThatOne, Apr 1, 2024.


Who wins

  1. George

    53.7%
  2. Lennox

    46.3%
  1. Marvelous_Iron

    Marvelous_Iron Active Member Full Member

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    Lewis was 90% jabbing followed by a right with the occasional flurry including hooks and uppercuts, he couldn't ko Holyfield and preferred to clinch rather than try Holy on the inside
     
  2. Ney

    Ney Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    I’m not, to be clear, suggesting Lewis’ jab was poor - merely that it’s over-rated. He semi-frequently would lapse into bouts of pawing lazily with it, & often fought cautiously at range, which means a lot of jabs thrown, so when he wins, the jab gets an inflated mark of approval. I’m 5’10 & I could keep a guy like Tua or the ghost of Tyson on the end of a jab, BTW (not literally I’m just making reference to some of the competition Lewis outjabbed).

    I would take young Foreman’s faster & more thudding jab personally, but either way, I can’t abide the suggestion Lewis had a far better jab - he used it more & relied on it more - that is not the same as being great with it. If he had a better jab than Foreman, which I don’t personally see, it would be by a small margin. For it to have been far & away better than Foreman’s would put it in top-tier category. Anybody want to suggest Lewis had a left hand in company with the jabs of Louis, Liston or Holmes? I certainly hope not.
     
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  3. Ney

    Ney Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    I’d have to disagree for most of that. Power was relatively similar but still distinctly in Foreman’s camp, & his power was more evenly distributed, as he was a better left handed hitter than Lewis by a clear margin IMO. I like his footwork better than Lewis’ too. Between 1969-76, only Peralta & Young had any success removing themselves from Foreman’s punching range. That’s a different kind of footwork from Lewis’, but I think he was better at positioning himself going forward than Lewis was going backward. Both were good though.

    But where I’d really take issue is with heart. Foreman didn’t often have to show much heart in his first career, but what he pushed through vs Lyle, to me, I couldn’t ever see any version of Lewis replicating. Lewis’ biggest shows of courage were what, Mercer & Klitschko? Pretty decent outings yes, but against Mercer he had every conceivable advantage in the ring, & people frequently excuse Lewis’ struggle with Klitschko (who couldn’t punch the skin off a pudding & had the fluidity of molasses) to being out of shape - Foreman endured far worse against Lyle without having been in the ring in nearly eighteen months!

    The state he was in at the end of the fourth round was face down on the canvas looking like a fish on rocks. Lewis couldn’t even beat the count against Rahman. Heart goes to Foreman.
     
  4. Clinton

    Clinton Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    I like Lennox in this one too as he is the better heavyweight. But anyone that thinks he is blasting Foreman out is crazy. Lennox didn't stop past it, smaller than George, Evander on either occasion. He is not stopping George. Lennox by decision.
     
  5. NoNeck

    NoNeck Pugilist Specialist Full Member

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    False assumption. George had far worse stamina than Holyfield and was much easier to hit cleanly than 99 Holyfield. If Lyle and Ali could tag Foreman in the first round, Lewis could with greater effect. I’m also not sure that George would respond well to Lewis leaning on him and throwing sneaky uppercuts to break clinches.