Funny I thought it was a fairly easy fight to score and that to get to 7-5 for Lewis I was giving all the close rounds to Holyfield. I simply couldn't score this fight any closer than that.
Round 1: Holyfield Round 2: Lewis Round 3: Holyfield Round 4: Lewis Round 5: Lewis Round 6: Holyfield Round 7: Holyfield Round 8: Lewis Round 9: Lewis Round 10: Lewis Round 11: Lewis Round 12: Holyfield Lewis 7-5. Close fight but a clear win for Lewis. Holyfield just didn't do nothing in the last half, I suspect he ran out of gas after the busy middle rounds where he was working the jab to the chest and loading up on power shots. Lewis wasn't really doing all that much in the late rounds himself but he shut Evander out by not letting him around the jab.
I started this thread to get some opinions and I agree with those who went with Lewis. My reason for the feedback was because I got into a debate on another forum with two posters who gave the fight to Holyfield and frankly in 15 years, I think that they are two out of maybe 3 people that I've heard honestly give Evander the nod. I thought it was rather strange myself.
It really depends how you score punches. I thought whenever Lewis increased his volume he tended to lose a bit on generalship (positioning) and aggression, kind of tapping off a flurry and then giving Holyfield chance to respond with something more forceful and forwardly assertive. Then it's a case of whether Holyfield did respond enough, and really he did not do so often enough, down the stretch. But for me, several rounds were close. If I focused more on volume as the essential decider, then more of the rounds were be CLEAR for Lewis.
A huge reason for the second fight being closer is that Lennox Lewis was not allowed to wear his trunks to his nipples the second time around. [url]http://www.fightsondvd.com/Lewis.jpg[/url]
I think the vast majority would agree with you. But I never quite got the fuss of the 'draw'. I had Lewis winning 7/5, but many rounds were close, so a draw seemed reasonable to me. I thought in his first 'huge' American fight, Lewis fought too cautiously, giving Evander too much respect, something Lennox rectified in the rematch.
Exactly. The picture was to reinforce what I wrote. In the rematch he had to wear his trunks properly and Holyfield was able to get his body. [url]http://www.pound4poundmemorabilia.com/fighters/lennox%20lewis/lennox%20lewis%20signed%2018%20x%2012%20vs%20holyfield%20ii.jpg[/url]
7 was a clear Evander Round. So McGrain actually has it as a draw. Or he didn't mean to give Holyfield Round 5.
Oh I see. Well Holyfield was able to hit Lewis to the body in the first fight too. He and the referee behaved exactly like the trunks were high. This isn't that uncommon. See round seven. Holyfield scores lots of punches that land "high". Nobody cares. It's the protector that's the problem, if anything.
No, five was a Lewis round - all i've done is written "five" instead of "seven" in Holyfield's column.