Peak Lewis vs 70's version of Ali

I think Lewis would win, or at least i'd favor him by a slight margin. Rope a dope is what Ali used against big punchers everytime in the 70's (Foreman, Lyle, Shavers), but Lewis' game is too deep; that wouldn't work. In a way, you could say he has Norton's jab and Shavers' power. Obviously things are a little more complicated than that, but he'd pose a big threat to Ali nevertheless.

 

Ali wins by lop-sided decision in a boring fight.

 

Close, very close. 50/50 in my opinion. No stoppage but a decision either way wouldn't surprise me.

Pre-Vietnam Ali, by UD: unless he chooses to stand and trade (which he wouldn't).

 

Interesting 1, Ali would look to rope a dope and counter, Lewis would look to jab and try to pick his spots a bit like Norton but better. Ali will counter right over Lennoxs jab, and catch Lennox when he makes mistakes. Lennox will throw plenty of shots from range.

Lennox won't get to land his biggest shots for the most part but will do well from range and land the occasional big right himself

Overall it would be a messy fight with Lennox edging it

 

Depends on which part of the decade they fought in. I would probably pick Lewis to beat Ali anytime post 1974, but a 1971 FOTC version would have my vote to take a decision. Ali was way too durable and busy to get knocked out by Lewis, and was definately a better boxer by far than any Lewis ever fought. His speed, stamina, skill, and willfulness would lead to him stealing a lot of rounds away from Lennox.

 

I think he was by far at his best during FOTC (in the 70's). When else did he show such a workrate (61 punches per round), speed and ability? Against Foreman he showed it in now and then but was on the ropes most of the time. Against Frazier, he was punching for 5 straight rounds and survived another 10 against arguably the best swarmer of all time at the peak of his career.

 

Lennox Lewis was superior to every one of Ali's challengers of the seventies, and I'm not taking a thing away from any of them. He was too smart to be suckered by the rope-a-dope, and he was, at his peak, a very, very dangerous man in the way he exploited his power. But Lennox also had a plan "B", and that was to box cautiously behind his hard jab and he had the patience to effectively outbox an opponent with discipline. The abberations on his record when he was stopped on those two occasions would never have happened when he was on his game. The most impressive thing about him was his devastating, fight ending power. Lewis could do anything Ken Norton could do, except he could do it better and then some. I believe that he would have pitched the perfect game against Ali, using a mix of his patience, size and power to outpoint Muhammad Ali. So take me apart you Ali nuthuggers!
Lewis W15 Ali.

 

Lewis wins. He was too patient for Ali's baiting of big punchers. And Ali was too depleted to beat Lewis with speed and footwork. Not even that close a fight towards the end.

 

Three points:

1. FOTC Ali was not the peak version of Ali in the seventies. No way a fighter can be at his peak after coming off a 3 and a half year tension filled layoff, take three really tough fights at a stretch (bad strategy) in five month's, and perform at his best. What we see of Ali in the FOTC was the response, in spite of being still rusty and sapped, of the "greatest" to the pressure put on by the most relentless HW swarmer the sport has ever seen, at his absolute peak and literally fighting out of his skin. The version of Ali who fought around the time in Quarry II, Norton II and Frazier II was the best in the 70's.
2. Ali took the best shots of Liston, Foreman and Shavers not to speak of Norton and Lyle and came out unscathed. In fact, he let probably the strongest puncher of them all, George Foreman, punch him at will. While an old man, he took the best shots of Shavers, a feared power puncher. Would Lewis' power have accomplished something the above mentioned worthies could not?
3. We talk about Lewis' advantage in size and power. Put Ali on modern steroids and he will be as much of a beast as Lewis.

Having said this, I will say that I am not demeaning Lewis in any way. I think that he is a very fine fighter and an all-time great. I am just trying to put things into its proper perspective.

For whatever it is worth, IMO an early 70's Ali beats a prime Lewis in a close fight. 1975 and after, Lewis beats Ali.

 

It could end up like the Lyle fight - a late stoppage for Ali. Lewis had problems with stamina in the later rounds as did Ali in his first fights after exile. 1974 Ali could take advantage. I can't see Lewis stopping Ali.

 

Lewis has never tested positive, nor even been on the radar as suspect for steroid use.

Meanwhile, Ali admitted taking an array of "supplements" in his latter fights.