How Would Lennox Lewis Do Against The ATGs In Their Primes? (No Haters Please)

[TheStoneRoses]

Good post mate

I think Earnie Shavers will probably knock Lewis out

[TheStoneRoses]

Ali - Prime Ali too fast on his feet, wins a comfortable DC
Louis - Lewis KD's Louis, gets ****y, KO'd by a blistering 3 punch combo
Holmes - Larry gets KD'd but gets up to use his jab and take a SD
Foreman - 10 round version of the Lyle fight, George by KO
Johnson - Jack survives for 10 b4 getting KO'd in the 11th
Marciano - Lewis too rangey, Rock can't get inside, gets stopped on cuts 8th
Dempsey - Hurts Lewis to the body, but gets drilled by an uppercut in the 5th
Tyson - Prime Mike loses a close DC with no KD's
Frazier - Lewis fights of the back foot and closes Joe's eyes around the 11th
Walcott - Outscores Lewis until a big right bomb stretches him in the 6th
Wills - Most say Dempsey would'a beaten him, so I doubt he beats Lewis
Holyfield - 50/50 match in their primes, but Lewis shades it for me..

I disagree with you on Mike Tyson.....I reckon Tyson will win by Knockout in his prime....the first round of their fight you can clearly tell that Lewis was struggling when Tyson was rushing him

[TheStoneRoses]

This should be a great thread if people can prevent it from turning into a shouting match. Lewis provides some really interesting match ups for fighters given his size and skill level. I think most of these fights would take quite a few paragraphs to really breakdown so I'll just give a very brief summary of why I'd pick who I would pick.

Vs. Ali: I think Ali wins fairly comfortable UD. Although Lewis has a great jab and is a good boxer I don't think his feet are quick enough for him to deal with Ali's constant circling and awkward angles. On a side note I think Prime Lewis would beat a Post-Prime Ali such as the one that fought in the Thrilla in Manilla that couldn't shuffle and move his feet very well.

Vs. Louis: I think Lewis would keep Louis at bay with his jab for a good portion of the fight but I think as the fight wore on Louis would begin to inflict quite a bit of punishment with the left hook to the body that would slow down Lewis. Eventually Lewis gets tagged by a Louis counterpunch that puts him out for the count. Still I wouldn't bet much money on this fight given that both men have excellent power and chins that have been known to give way at times.

Vs. Johnson: Lewis's size gives him the edge. Lewis uses his jab extensively to keep busy against Johnson. Lewis would struggle to land much other than his jab cleanly on Johnson but his reach keeps Johnson from mustering up much of an offense. He wins a clear but ugly UD with not many punches landed cleanly by either man. I'm afraid Johnson doesn't have the punch to really shake Lewis up either.

Vs. Dempsey: Dempsey tries to wade his way inside on Lewis but gets tattooed by jabs and right hands on his way inside. When he finally gets inside Lewis ties him up and pushes him away easily. Rinse and repeat for a few rounds and eventually a big enough punch clocks the courageous but outgunned Dempsey in the first 6 rounds.

Vs. Holmes: Lewis and Holmes put on a clinic on how to throw the jab. As good as Lewis's jab is Holmes's jab is faster and he works his angles a bit better than the slightly clumsy on his feet Lewis who gets out boxed in a competitive but clear UD. I don't think he could KO Holmes either which removes his punchers chance that he normally has against most other Heavyweights.

Vs. Liston: Very tough fight to judge. Liston and Lewis have the same reach and jabs so I'd imagine that that would be a wash. I think Lewis would effectively counterpunch Liston while Liston would try to overwhelm Lewis's attempt to turn the fight into a pure boxing match. As the fight wears on Lewis tires and Liston lands one of his left hooks cleanly on a tired Lewis and puts him to sleep for a late round KO.

Vs. Foreman: Lewis boxes Foreman's ears off and stymies Foreman's attempt to brawl in close quarters by tying him up. I think the main question would be if Foreman lands a bomb before he gets too battered by Lewis. I think this fight could go either way but I would fancy Lewis in most cases to chop Young Foreman down before the bomb lands. Also I might be in the minority here but I think Foreman may get intimidated by the bigger Lewis when he finds out he can’t push him around and actually finds himself getting pushed around by a man bigger than him.

Vs. Holyfield: Just like their fights went. Lewis in a razor thin decision.

Vs. Marciano: Way too much of a size difference here for Marciano to make up for. Lewis batters around Marciano as he tries to come inside then ties him up and batters him up some more when he gets there as he ties him up and mauls him. I don't think this is a very good style match up for Rocky as I don't think he has the defensive skills to box with Lewis and is at too much of a disadvantage to try and fight inside without getting tied up and battered around. I’ll take Lewis by a wide UD or late stoppage.

Vs. Tyson: I don't see Lewis being able to move his feet well enough to keep Tyson away from him as I don't picture him being able to hit Tyson with his jab easily. Personally I think a lot of Tyson's greatness is lost due to people focusing only on his flashy knockouts but in his prime he was a very good defensive boxer who was hard to hit. Back on point, Lewis gets clocked by a Tyson left hook and KO'd before the half-way point in the fight as he never finds an effective way to keep Tyson away from him.

Vs. Frazier: Lewis establishes his jab early and rides it to a UD. He keeps Joe at bay with straight punches and when Joe finally gets inside is clinched and pushed away easily. Eventually Joe eats too many straight right hands and stiff jabs and the fight is stopped after a raging Joe Frazier's face is too bloodied to continue. I think Joe might have problems trying to land his hook on Lewis with the height disparity taking some of the steam off his punch.

Vs. Willis: I have only seen highlights of Willis fights and doubt I could make a worthwhile prediction on how the fight would turn out without watching much more film.

Vs. Walcott: Lewis outboxes the game Walcott using his jab and reach to gain a clear advantage throughout the fight. Walcott has his moment’s landing some straight rights off counters but he never solves the riddle of Lewis's jab. Lewis wins a clear UD in a good action fight.

Also someone mentioned Wlad but I think Lewis would cold-clock Wlad fairly easily as he has the better jab and better counter-punching skills and I don't think his chin is nearly as brittle.

A Post Prime Ali will still beat Lewis.......FACT

[BKM-]

Muhammed Ali- I really don't think Ali ever faced a huge guy like Lewis with such skills, neither has Lewis faced a rare fighter like an Ali. Either way, size will not play a factor here, and I must say Lewis will have problems with guys who can outjab him. Ali and Holmes by UD.
Joe Louis- Lewis would have to be careful. I see Louis breaking him down and stopping him in the mid rounds.
Jack Johnson- Era's too diffirent. Can't really say.
Jack Dempsey- Lewis jabs him to death and ko's Dempsey.
Larry Holmes- The jab will be the key factor. I see Holmes winning this.
Sonny Liston- Again the jab. I think Sonny would beat Lewis up to be honest.
George Foreman- I saw what Briggs almost did to lewis. Foreman would finish it and his left jab would bother him worse than Frank Bruno did.
Evander Holyfield- I actually think a prime Evander has it in him to beat Lewis. Their second fight was remarkable. Either way it would be close.
Rocky Marciano- I really hate to say this, but I can't see Rocky overcoming the physical diffirences. Lewis by stoppage.
Mike Tyson- What i'm wondering is if Tyson can keep up a long enough pace to win enough rounds. It is very very tiring and difficult for Tyson to win rounds against Lewis. Meanwhile Lewis can coast and lean on Mike. But watching the Tucker vs tyson fight, I think a young Tyson was in good enough shape. UD loss for Lewis.
Joe Frazier- I doubt Frazier would be able to get to Lewis. Lewis by stoppage.
Joe Walcott- Walcott would eventually get caught and Lewis had one hell of a punch.

Great thread Poet. I liked it, made me really think about it a few times.

[Marcov]

Lewis could have done against the majority of the heavyweight champs. I think boxers like Ali and Holmes would have troubled him because even though he was a good boxer he wasn't the lightest on his feet. I also think powerful guys in their prime like Tyson, Foreman, Liston and Louis would have been a nightmare for him.

[mickey malone]

I disagree with you on Mike Tyson.....I reckon Tyson will win by Knockout in his prime....the first round of their fight you can clearly tell that Lewis was struggling when Tyson was rushing him

My heart agrees with your head my friend, i'm a much bigger fan of Mike than i am Lewis, but as good as he was, Tyson didn't quite have it mentally..
For sure, the up & coming (D'Amato/Rooney trained) Tyson would have destroyed the rising Lewis, but that was opportunity missed as far as i'm concerned because prime 4 prime, i'd take Lewis to win the rounds Tucker couldn't (if you get my drift)
Lewis would'a been on the ball for this one, and i'd take him to be a tadge too smart on the night.. Be a very close affair though, and i wouldn't put my house on it..

[StarshipTrooper]

Great thread Poet. I liked it, made me really think about it a few times.

I wanted to see what kind of answers would come up without the "hatchet jobs" that have been done whenever these kind of threads have been posted. So far all the replies have been reasonable and well thought out in the best traditions of the Boxing History Section. I can't ask for better than that.

PS. The usual smear merchant suspects have been blocked from posting in this thread which has contibuted greatlty to the quality of responses

Poet

[GameGod]

Muhammad Ali: Ali Wins UD
Joe Louis: Lewis Wins KO in 10
Jack Johnson: Lewis Wins KO in 10
Jack Dempsey: Lewis Wins KO in 6
Larry Holmes: Holmes Wins SD
Sonny Liston: Lewis Wins SD
George Foreman: Lewis Wins UD
Evander Holyfield: Lewis Wins MD
Rocky Marciano: Lewis Wins KO in 10
Mike Tyson: Tyson Wins KO in 8
Joe Frazier: Lewis Wins SD/Frazier Wins SD
Harry Wills: Lewis Wins KO in 5
Joe Walcott: Lewis Wins KO in 8

My thoughts.

[Earl-Hickey]

With fighters at this level it's always going to be fairly subjective, all of them have the ability to beat all the others

[Bigdaddy_Vh]

Muhammad Ali - UD. Too fleet footed/fisted for Lewis

Joe Louis - I would see Lewis as having way too much of a natural athletic advantage over Louis. Louis could POSSIBLY catch him early but i see Lewis by UD or late KO

Jack Johnson - Lewis by Late KO-too athletic for a lumbering Johnson

Jack Dempsey - I feel like Dempsey would be way too small to beat Lewis, though he definately had the power to KO him if he could catch him. Lewis by KO.

Larry Holmes - I pick Holmes by close UD in a fantastic fight

Sonny Liston - Constant pressure from Liston would eventually wear down Lewis and Sonny would get a late KO.

George Foreman - I think Lewis' technical skill prevails here as he cruises to a UD. Cant count out George for a KO though.

Evander Holyfield - Prime for Prime this would have been a war. Pick em fight

Rocky Marciano - Lewis is too big for Marciano. Lewis by UD.

Mike Tyson - Lewis stumbles early but(if he isnt KO'd early) eventually slows the pace down and stops Tyson late.

Joe Frazier - I think, again, Lewis is simply too big for Smokin Joe. Lewis by KO

Harry Wills - no opinion here

Jersey Joe Walcott - Lewis has too many physical advantages here. Too big, too strong. Lewis by late KO