(PRIME) Lennox Lewis vs (PRIME) Oleksandr Usyk

Discussion in 'World Boxing Forum' started by Boxingiq2020, Sep 1, 2024.


Is (PRIME) Lennox Lewis too much for (PRIME) Oleksandr Usyk?

This poll will close on Sep 17, 2027 at 9:02 AM.

  1. YES!

    57 vote(s)
    69.5%

  2. NO.

    16 vote(s)
    19.5%

  3. Maybe. It's 50/50.

    9 vote(s)
    11.0%
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  1. bailey

    bailey Loyal Member Full Member

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    My first initial thought was Lewis but then I thought a bit more about it.

    I think it would be extremely competitive but could see Usyk winning a close decision

    Holyfield was a former CW who gave Lewis a tough return fight
    But it is the Mavrovic fight that I am thinking of.
    Mavrovic was similar in height and stature to Usyk and gave Lewis a fight
    I would think possibly lighter than Usyk?

    Lewis won against the above but I think Usyk is a good mover and southpaw

    I wouldn't confidently pick but I think Usyk may get this on points
     
    bailey, Sep 1, 2024
    bailey, Sep 1, 2024
    #16
    FastSmith7, catchwtboxing, Serge and 1 other person like this.
  2. Jacques81

    Jacques81 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Lewis didn't fight southpaws for a reason...

    Usyk would have probably walked him, snipered him to a clear UD.

    Can't count out Lewis power ..

    I went 50/50, ONLY because of Lewis power.

    I feel Usyk could outbox most HW H2H in history
     
    Jacques81, Sep 1, 2024
    Jacques81, Sep 1, 2024
    #17
    Serge likes this.
  3. Serge

    Serge Ginger Dracula Staff Member

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    We've seen Usyk in there with a whole bunch of much bigger and more powerful giants and we know that his speed, skills, slickness, footwork, elusiveness and IQ causes them fits, conversely, how many slick elusive southpaws have we ever seen Lewis in there with, let alone ones as skilled, tough and fit as Usyk?

    Styles make fights and we have never seen Lewis in there against someone with Usyk's style and attributes

    There's no reason to believe that Usyk's attributes wouldn't cause Lewis fits too

    And Usyk is and was 37 y/o when he fought Belly and he has been past his prime for a long time and has clearly slowed down a lot. That's the same age as Lewis was when he was supposedly washed up against Vitali so what I'm going to do is pit the prime much faster version of Usyk with mongoose like reflexes vs the 37 y/o heavier version of Lewis who fought Vitali because that's the grace the boxing nostalgists will always grant the greats of previous generations when pitted against Usyk in fantasy match ups.

    And obviously Usyk isn't going to stand right in front of Lewis and walk him down like he did against Belly, which obviously made it much easier for him to get hit than when he wants to be elusive

    The fact Usyk was able to become undisputed at 37 y/o when past his prime and pretty much all his attributes have declined is a testament to his greatness
     
    Serge, Sep 1, 2024
    Serge, Sep 1, 2024
    #18
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  4. fistsof steel

    fistsof steel Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Lewis was in a far stronger Era....He destroys most of this lot.!!!
     
    fistsof steel, Sep 1, 2024
    fistsof steel, Sep 1, 2024
    #19
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  5. Jackstraw

    Jackstraw Mercy for me, justice for thee! Full Member

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    Absolute best version of Lewis vs absolute best of Usyk? Gotta go with LL. Too big, too powerful, too skilled. If LL were to come in complacent? Maybe a different story, but I guarantee that Emanuel Steward would’ve taken this fight very seriously. Manny was concerned that Lennox wouldn’t take Jones serious and could lose that fight, and Usyk would be a greater threat than Roy.
     
    Jackstraw, Sep 1, 2024
    Jackstraw, Sep 1, 2024
    #20
  6. turbotime

    turbotime Hall Of Famer Full Member

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    Lewis by uppercut KO in the mid rounds.
     
    turbotime, Sep 1, 2024
    turbotime, Sep 1, 2024
    #21
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  7. AdamT

    AdamT Boxing Addict banned Full Member

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    Lewis wins EASILY
    Because usyk struggled by a fat oaf, who spent 3 years out of the ring drinking 20 pints per day, while off his rocker on coke and beats another hype job in Aj, that means he can hang with Lewis? Lol no

    Lewis takes Usyk seriously and stops him dramatically in late rounds
     
    AdamT, Sep 2, 2024
    AdamT, Sep 2, 2024
    #22
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  8. dmt

    dmt Hardest hitting hw ever Full Member

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    Lewis beating Holyfield is irrelevant here because a 37 year old Holyfield had a lot of wear and tear on him. This Holyfield had 3 wars with Bowe and had taken a lot of damage in those fights. Plus he had taken some damage vs Moorer 1, Mercer, even Foreman etc. Holyfield was a very old 37 while the 34 year old Lewis was at his peak.

    Usyk moves much better than this version of Holyfield. Usyk is better defensively and can maintain a higher work rate.

    I do think if Usyk ate the same uppercut from Lewis that Fury landed he could end up in big trouble. But here we are going with the best version of Usyk which i believe was the first Joshua fight. That version was a shade quicker.

    I am going with Usyk. I think Lewis was too prone to being caught. Briggs stunned him with a left hand and Holyfield staggered him in both fights with left hooks but couldn't follow up. Usyk's left is too hard for Lewis to anticipate and as such, i see Lewis being knocked down at some point and losing a competitive decision while also hurting Usyk at times.
     
    dmt, Sep 2, 2024
    dmt, Sep 2, 2024
    #23
    FastSmith7 and Serge like this.
  9. Serge

    Serge Ginger Dracula Staff Member

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    Again, Usyk was 37 y/o when he fought Belly and he has been past his prime for years. That's the same age as what Lewis was when he fought his last fight and was supposedly washed up according to many of those picking Lewis to win and let's not forget the vast vast majority of them also picked AJ to beat Usyk and an awful lot of them picked Belly to beat him too

    Lewis is a supposedly bad style match up for Usyk despite the fact, as said, we've seen Usyk beat many giants with Lewis' physical dimensions and we've never seen Lewis beat any slick elusive fleet of hand and foot southpaws like Usyk.

    There's two fantasy match ups talking place here:

    Usyk vs Lewis

    And Lewis vs any slick elusive fast-handed southpaws

    Lewis couldn't put a real dent in a 214lb Mavrovic let alone put him away and Mavrovic made things a lot harder for himself in that fight by opting to fight Lewis' fight as opposed to boxing and moving. The speed, toughness, and stamina of the smaller man caused Lewis problems and he had him blowing out of his ass during the championship rounds.

    Anyone who thinks Usyk's speed of hand and foot, slickness, movement, footwork, elusiveness, toughness, work rate, and counter punching wouldn't cause Lewis major problems is talking directly out of their ass.

    Newsflash: Any elite fighter with all of Usyk's attributes is always going to cause much bigger and slower behemoths problems. Lewis is simply not going to be land like he usually does against those much more stationary and slower targets and that saps your energy reserves, especially in the back half of the fight and we all know how Usyk turns the heat up then.
     
    Serge, Sep 2, 2024
    Serge, Sep 2, 2024
    #24
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  10. Serge

    Serge Ginger Dracula Staff Member

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    Usyk has 370 + fights of wear and tear on his body amateur and pro, Belly has 70 amateur and pro

    Go watch Usyk in the WSB and at CW the difference in speed, reflexes, reaction times and fluidity is stark.

    And Belly holds enormous physical advantages over Usyk: 40lbs in weight, 7'' in reach, and a considerable amount in height too all of which makes Usyk's task that much more difficult trying to overcome them when he loses a step or two.

    You stick prime Usyk and prime Belly in there with each other and Usyk kills him with speed. Belly wanted nothing to do with a much closer to prime Usyk and he is the one who tried to age him out

    You guys are the ones who only see what you want to see, like this mirage of Lewis vs a slick elusive fleet of hand and foot southpaw which no one has ever actually seen
     
    Serge, Sep 2, 2024
    Serge, Sep 2, 2024
    #25
    bailey, OldSchoolBoxing and Smoochie like this.
  11. gollumsluvslave

    gollumsluvslave Boxing Addict Full Member

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    I guess it depends on whether Lewis really did avoid southpaws because they were his kryptonite?

    I rate Lewis as H2H maybe the best heavyweight ever, but Usyk does bring things he never saw....
     
    gollumsluvslave, Sep 3, 2024
    gollumsluvslave, Sep 3, 2024
    #26
    Smoochie likes this.
  12. OldSchoolBoxing

    OldSchoolBoxing Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Lewis didn't fight a slick and skilled boxer like Usyk. Usyk does the same treatment to Lewis as he did to Fury.

    Usyk by KO in round 10.
     
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2024
    OldSchoolBoxing, Sep 3, 2024
    OldSchoolBoxing, Sep 3, 2024
    #27
  13. chico g

    chico g Let's watch some Sesame Street...lmao Full Member

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    Oct 18, 2008
    Would have said Lewis a few years ago, but I don't think he could match Usyk's work rate. Goes the distance, but I think the Ukrainian edges it.
     
    chico g, Sep 3, 2024
    chico g, Sep 3, 2024
    #28
  14. Clinton

    Clinton Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    This is one great thread.
     
    Clinton, Sep 3, 2024
    Clinton, Sep 3, 2024
    #29
  15. Bigplatts

    Bigplatts Member Full Member

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    Aug 20, 2024
    I have Usyk winning on points. My thought process is:

    - Usyk has fought people with significantly bigger physical advantages (height, reach, weight) than Lewis would have over him.
    - Lewis never really fought a cerebral boxer like Usyk. Holyfield sure, but he was way past his best by then. Whereas I could see Usyk getting a read on Lewis's more 'traditional' style.
    - Lewis has a wider resume but Usyk's is better, as in higher highs. He proved he could win at a higher level.
    - Lewis would be the biggest puncher Usyk has ever fought, and would have the best jab. But Usyk would be the fastest and smartest person Lewis ever faced.
    - If Ray Mercer can outbox you then Oleksandr Usyk sure can.
     
    Bigplatts, Sep 3, 2024
    Bigplatts, Sep 3, 2024
    #30
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