What if Manny Steward trained Lennox Lewis from when he turned pro?

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Threetime no1, Jan 29, 2011.


  1. Threetime no1

    Threetime no1 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    I'm relating this thread to the 'What if Lennox Lewis had never been born' one.
    So Manny Steward claims he wanted Lewis straight out of the olympics after being impressed with the way he overwhelmed Bowe. Manny said he organised a meeting with the young olympic champion in 88' in Detroit. But he could'nt be there due to some commitments with Tommy hearns, so the young fighter was stood up and then his career took a different path for that and various other well chronicled reasons.
    So what if these two worked together from the moment Lewis turned pro? How would the whole of his career gone and would he have been even better. Bearing in mind he was touching thirty years of age, a full seven years and a title reign later when they finally did hook up. What if they were together from when he was 23?
     
  2. lefthook31

    lefthook31 Obsessed with Boxing banned

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    He might have fought Holyfield before Bowe did. He wouldnt have lost to Mcall, but I still think he would have lost to Bowe and possibly a younger Holyfield. Even though Lewis became very good at holding, he was never truly comfortable on the inside, nor was he that effective for anything more than in spots of infighting. A young Holyfield or prime Bowe would have made him work a lot more on the inside and those guys would be able to counter that holding stuff a lot better than most of the fighters Lewis faced. Overall he still beats all the mid level guys he faced but hes possibly in the mix a lot sooner and fighting the likes of Holy, Bowe or Tyson, where he shows he belongs in the number four spot of that group.
     
  3. Threetime no1

    Threetime no1 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    A fair post. Like you say he would of been in the mix earlier, and able to prove himself earlier one way or the other. Has for his infighting i don't think it was that bad for a man of his size. Though he even admits it could of been better. But he always threw a lovely right to the body followed by a right uppercut to the head then maybe a left hook on top,(see Mercer and Jackson fights). He also always positioned himself well on the inside to land right hands from awkward angles.
    A lot of fighters found that although he did'nt have the best inside game, his natural strength was enough to control them and stop his opponent from working too. Infact i think there was only Billups and Mercer that had any success on the inside with him, and Mercer caused him most trouble on the outside with the jab due to the small ring they fought in. I think his lack of an inside game (though it were'nt that bad) is really negated by his physical strength anyway.
    It is worth wondering whether with Steward from the start, how acclompished he could of been and become? Like erasing his early faults of being right hand happy with poor balance and fighting down to his opponents level and learning to fight tall from the age of 23.
     
  4. he wouldnt of lost to mccall but he probably would of never fought him since mccall was trained by steward
     
  5. MAG1965

    MAG1965 Loyal Member banned

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    he might have had an even bigger right hand but more reckless a style. In reality, Hearns was an exception. Hearns was great and Manny never had another fighter like him.