I don't think they were flush like McCall shot or even Vitali in round 2. Tua has short arms, he needs to land really hard. He landed many shots through 10 rounds vs Jeff Wooden, far more than vs Lennox, and never put him down. Tua is a very hard hitter but his accuracy isn't too good.
Agaisnt Rachman, it was a punch that would have KO most great fighter out or at least knock them out for an 8-9 count. Not because Rachman exactly a very powerfull puncher but because the way the punch was thrown and landed. Against Mccall though, it wasnt a very powerfull punch but Lewis was still dazzled at the count of 10. Lewis was wobbled against someone like Bruno and Klitchko also wobbled him and it wasnt even his best punch, Lewis did not fell down because he hugged Klitchko like finding his long lost brother after 10 years. No I dont think he has a glass chin but obviously far from having a great chin either. Nowhere close to Ali , Foreman or Holmes. Holmes was only stopped once in countless fight, and that was by 80's Tyson and it wasnt even a single punch, he was already dazzled by a big punch to his forehead and followed by more punches before that final blow to his chin.
Agreed. Lennox didn't have the typical "china chin". The first Rahman bout, especially, debunks the "china chin" myth. Rahman simply landed the perfect shot. Many heavyweights would have gotten KO'd by that punch from "The Rock".
The thing is,, China chin. Is nonsense. Nobody on top of their game really has one within their own level. A good punch knocks everyone out. Guys get knocked out when they are out of their depth and or don't see the thing coming. Fighters hit hard. The object is to land.
Good point , the way the punch landed play a huge role. Lewis floored Botha with combination but Botha still able to get up but when Tyson landed , it was just a single shot, but Tyson turned his whole body while Botha was coming forward... so its not always about the power but timing, accuracy, angle, play a huge role on creating a devastating effect. Holyfield was able to take Foreman, Tyson and Lewis best punches but then he was knocked down and knockout by Bowe. That third fight KO was far from the hardest punch Bowe ever thrown but Holyfield was charging forward.
WOW, Lewis wasn't any chinner than Holmes? Just wow. I'm not talking about attrition based knockdowns, Lewis was starched twice by one punch without sustaining much damage in either fight, and the ending was early. Stop with those names! Tyson landed nothing after round one. Morrison landed nothing the entire fight. Ruddock didn't last long enough to land either. These fights have absolutely nothing at all to show how good or bad Lewis chin. Vitali landed some and shook up Lewis and had him very tired also cut, and swollen around the eye to the cuts stoppage. Bruno landed some, and also had a lead until Lewis landed his own lottery punch, backing up. It looks like Lewis wasn't even looking at the target when he threw the punch to end it. So he had a " lottery punch " too. Mercer wasn't a true power puncher, he landed his jabs and gave Lewis a black eye. An interesting fight was Lewis vs. Marovic. Lewis was in the lead by a good margin, then Mavrovic landed a solid right ( round nine I think ) and hurt Lewis, but failed to follow up. Lewis played it safety first for the rest of the fight. Had Mavrovic pressed it I think he gets the TKO. Why? Lewis himself collapsed in his dressing room....he was there for the taking vs a fringe level fighter, who wasn't a big puncher.
I think Lennox had a good chin. He took some good shots from several big punchers and ended up the winner. McCall and Rahman hit hard and landed at the perfect place and time. One of those also came when Lewis was 35 years old and clowning around.
Good post, but I disagree about Lewis - Mavrovic as Zelko wasn't a hard hitter and he never seemed close to put Lennox down. But that story about Lennox collapsing in the dressing room after the fight - is that true? I haven't heard it previously.
Lewis had roughly 150 fights, amateur and pro. He was the Olympic Gold Medalist and retired as the heavyweight champion having beaten everyone he faced as a pro. He was stopped twice as a pro, and avenged both losses. He was stopped once in his 100 amateur fights, from a body shot. If you told someone you could win the Olympic Gold medal, beat everyone you faced as a pro and retire a multi-millionaire as champion ... EVERY pro boxer would take that career. Larry Holmes was knocked out twice by Nick Wells and dropped and soundly beaten by Duane Bobick in 22 amateur fights, and never even made the Olympic team. He was floored by Kevin Isaacs. He was floored by Renaldo Snipes. He was floored by Earnie Shavers. He was floored three times and stopped by Mike Tyson. Yes. Lennox Lewis was no "chinnier" than Larry Holmes. As I pointed out, the McCall knockdown and the Snipes knockdown of Holmes aren't much different. Both guys beat the count. Lewis held up his gloves and stumbled into the ref, and the ref waived it off. Holmes got up, had zero balance, and crashed head first into the corner while the ref was escorting Snipes to the neutral corner. Had Holmes gotten up and fallen into the ref instead of the corner, the ref would've stopped that fight, too. Lewis was totally coherent when it was waived off. He just didn't have his balance. Same as Holmes, who was using the ropes to keep himself up. Hell, you could argue Lewis had A BETTER chin than Holmes. Lewis certainly faced better opposition and more punchers than Holmes did, both in the amateurs AND ths pros.
This is of course ignoring the fact that Holmes was never knocked out could by one punch and just generally responded to taking shots better. Hell, an old Holmes took way more punches from McCall than Lewis and wasn't even bothered by it.
I didn't realize Lennox Lewis was Willie Pep and managed to win all those fights by not allowing his opponents to land a single head shot? I watched Lewis' entire career. He got hit THOUSANDS of times in the head. He went down twice, and only remained down once. That's not a chinny fighter. Sorry. Just because he didn't go down doesn't mean they didn't hit him flush in the head. That's ridiculous. It means he took it.
And you're ignoring the fact that Lewis was hit THOUSANDS of times in the head as an amateur and pro, and went down TWO times from head punches. Holmes didn't "take shots better." Holmes was down THREE Times as many times as Lewis as an amateur and THREE TIMES as many times as Lewis was as a pro ... against lesser competition than Lewis faced. I don't know how that qualifies Holmes as having a better chin. By all accounts, that shows he didn't have a better chin. Frankly, I'm being nice to Holmes by saying Lewis wasn't any chinnier than him.
I don't think either of them had "weak" chins.. But getting " floored" isn't as indicative of a weak chin as getting knocked out.
