What if Bowe had faced Lewis in his first defense

Manny Steward said part of the reason he wanted to train Lewis, was to help make the greatest all-round fighting machine ever.

 

Bowe was a pretty good fighter but Lewis was a great one. Ko win for Lewis.

 

i dont really like to predict outcomes in fights of this nature, but it sure would have been a very competetive fight.. Bowe may at that time have had an edge over Lewis, He also was the more proven heavy atthe time which can play a role in confidence for the Brooklyn man.. Lennox would never havebeen anyones pushover but became a more whole heavyweight years later after regaining the title.. Losing to Oliver was the best thing to have happened to Lennox..

 

Bowe was better than him in 92. I would go with Bowe taking on the younger Lewis. I would go with the later Lewis to beat Bowe though.

 

Lewis was the better fighter

 

Yeah but not until he got Manny Stewerd as his trainer.

 

Had Bowe had any confidence of beating Lewis, they may actually have fought.

 

I think that Steward summed up what happened in the ams, and said it would have happend in the pros.

He said Bowe outboxed Lewis early. After that, Lewis got more physical, and tried to rough Bowe up - who didn't like it.

Same thing in the pros around that time IMO. Bowe was probably the more complete fighter at that stage, but I think Lewis eventually gets to him and stops him. Bowe wasn't hard to hit really.

IMO, Lewis (at that point in his career) turns it into a brawl, and takes it by TKO.

 

Lewis was a better fighter under John Davenport than Pepe Correrra, he looked good aginst Ruddock in the early days of pepe but once Pepe`s influence took effect Lewis`s progress stagnanted a bit and his jab wasnt half as snappy as it was under Davenport.

 

Yeah but Bowe became a mean snarling heavyweight after winning the title. He puched out larry Donald at the press conference for talking ****, and absolutely destroyed Gonzalez, one of the worst beatings Ive seen. It would have been a good fight,but Bowe just had too many weapons at that time compared to lewis.

 

Who gives a **** what he did at press conferences?

Lewis had just about taken Ruddocks head off in the ring. So what? Tyson bit Lewis on the leg in a press conference, didn't seem to do him much good in the ring.

Bowe may have been mean and snarling against guys he was bigger than. I really don't see that counting for much against Lewis. And it certainly woudln't have helped his already average defence.

In fact, it just proves my point that the fight would have become a brawl, which at that point in time, I would favour Lewis in.

 

Agree completely, and for all the reasons you covered. The early 90s Bowe was simply a more developed fighter than the early 90s Lewis. Believe me, no one is more disappointed that they did not meet than I, for I think they would be both be viewed quite differently had this occurred.

 

You said he didnt like a rough fight, which was clearly not true after he won the title. Also if it became a brawl, Bowe was much better equipped to brawl at that point. He had an awesome uppercut and right hand.

 

Bowe would lost then we would have 3logy between Holyfield - Lewis,
then Lewis would won, then Golota would bounce Lewis nuts for a while.

 

I guess we agree to disagree then. Bowe liked a rough fight IMO when the other guy was smaller than him eg Holy. I don't think he would have liked it as much when the other guy was just as big as him.

In a battle of right hands, I think Lewis's is harder, and would have landed more. Of course Bowe could have won, but I think Lewis was more likely to win.

Of course with 2 guys like that, both are very good fighters so nothing is certain.