Pick a light heavyweight to beat Lennox Lewis

I'll go out on a limb after giving it a fair amount of thought and say outright that NO lightheavyweight, past or present would be able to beat Lewis, or even last the distance with him. What lightheavy does ANYBODY think could do this?

 

Gene Tunney would be the only one with the remotest chance of lasting the limit, but not beating him.

 

It's hard enough picking any heavyweights to beat him with any re-assurance, let alone a 175'er.

 

Billy Conn puffed up to 174 for the first fight being a 168 pound fighter and 184 for the second being out of the ring for a while...


Height and span reach...total reach is too much for any to win. Conn could have hit and run for a short 12 round fight. Moore was a hard hitter, with a good jaw.



Then there is the other Moore who walked into Forman's punch,
This actully a RRJ question...all about how great he was..in he actually did once and complained about it for years, what Archi did for years and never complained..what for BS...who was not serious or he fought his manditory Tua or Vittili.

Of course the others fought real men, and not Ruiz but that was not the question was it.



So Conn and Fitz would have fought him at @170 and did well.

Tunney would have to be offred a hell of a lot of money to get skinny again, like any of the others. Given the same time that Jones actaully had, yep they too could have gotten down to 175, if they knew they'd have a full 36 hours to get back to normal after the weigh in.
Archie would just love it, having a full 36 hours to "rehydrate" and with all the "modern" crap.
Yep, any of them could do what Jones did, in the same time, and go from 195 down to 175 36 hours before the fight.

 

totally disagree. tunney has a unproven chin at heavyweight, he never faced a heavyweight above 200lb, and his style is too primitive to beat lennox. tunney is not a puncher and doesnt know how to fight on the inside. lennox would own him all day on the outside. u cant beat lennox lewis fighting with ur hands at ur waist.

Ezzard Charles who was slicker,faster hands, more versatile, better puncher than tunney matches up better. i also think charles had more proven chin vs big punchers than tunney. that said charles was vunerable to a long left jab, so he would never beat lennox.


sam langford has the best chance, dont count archie out. archie was 22-1(19kos) against heavyweights over 200lb. whats trunneys record against 200lb + tall heavyweights?

 

Exactly the reason I am reluctant to pick many of the 180/190 something pound heavyweights of the past over Lewis when it comes down to all time HW's. The CRITERIA for picking all time HW's would have to be varied as when I begin to think of Lennox Lewis Head 2 Head versus guys like Tunney,Patterson,Charles,Marciano,etc.... the tasks seems too daunting.

 

Archie Moore, Bob Foster and Ezzard Charles. I pick these three fighters to have an outside shot at beating Lennox Lewis. Realistically, their chances are slim to none, prime for prime against Lewis.

ChrisPontius hit it right on the head. Lewis is too big, too skilled and too atheletic as a big man to succomb to any light heavyweight. I think the light heavyweight versions of Floyd Patterson and Bob Fitzsimmons would surprise Lewis but ultimately lose.

 

The only fighter I can think of is Dempsey when he fought Willard who weighed 240. Dempsey weighed about 187, maybe he could have possibly dropped another 12 lbs.

I know this isn't the normal answer, but thought that thinking outside the box wouldn't hurt.

Going from power to speed, perhaps a prime Jones would outbox Lewis if he fought either a very green version, or an out of shape version.

 

Lewis, whether very green or out of shape, is always going to land, and when he does i don't think Jones is gonna get up.

What makes you say that? How is he more vulnerable to it than, say, Moore or Tunney?

 

The reason I posted my 'funny' comment was the caveat of the thread starter that said they have to be able to get back to 175! No Cruiser that has a chance to "get back to 175" has a chance against Lennox. (and I'm in the camp that thinks he's a tad overrated)

my $0.02

 

Hard to disagree, just clutching at straws..can't think of anyone else with much of a change. The changes of a LHW outpowering him probably close to nil, so that leaves only trying to outbox him as an option. And in terms of speed, that leads me to Jones.

 

I'd look at certain variables before making a choice:
1. Demonstrably (or surely) capable of handling height and weight.
2. Technical skills. Make that exceptional technical skills.
3. Physical strength and durability
4. A good shot.

Three names come up.
1. Sam Lanford. 4/4. The best choice.

2. Harold Johnson. He handled Valdez who was 6'3, but not much else in terms of size. He could be stopped -usually by punchers like Moore and Joe Walcott who outweighed him by 17 lbs. Remember that these guys technical geniuses themselves. Johnson could punch like hell when he wanted to, and he was among the best technical fighters ever. I love those angles.

3. Tommy Loughren. He could handle giants. And he did in Impelletiere. And Walter Cobb. Victorio Campolo was listed at over 6'9 and an 86 inch reach. He was a master boxer who could harder than listed, except that his right hand was prone to break so he boxed. He was brilliant too -concerned about Primo using his weight in the clinches, Tommy put this stinking brilliantine on his hair and in the clinches would jam his head up under Primo's nose. This guy was a trickster.

 

Zero.....if Lewis really fights as Superheavy.....then just too much power & size.

 

I cant really see any doing it but the ones who might have a good chance of coming a little close would be: Ezzard,Archie,Conn