Larry Holmes v. Lennox Lewis (in their primes)

[diamondDave]

Who takes this one? Lewis may have been a little more athletic but Larry definitely had the better chin. Lewis may have hit a little bit harder but Larry had the much better skills.

Also, who do you think had the better jab?

I am gonna take Larry by a close decision.

[mr. magoo]

I will join you in your pick and go with Larry Holmes by a close decision. I think that his boxing skills, speed, stamina, chin, heart, and reasonable size perameters ( though a tad smaller than Lewis ), will amount to coming out on top on the cards.

I will say however, that he would have to show up in top form such as the way that he did for the Cooney, L. Spinks, and Berbick fights. If he shows up complacent or lazy like he did in the Snipes fight, he isn't going to beat Lennox Lewis.

[Bill Butcher]

Holmes on points, better boxer & a bit tougher too + that jab, awesome, I think that jab will work wonders at keeping LL at bay for a nice close but clear technical boxing victory.

[round15]

This all depends on what is considered to be Lennox Lewis' prime. I never thought Lennox actually had prime years fighting because he always seemed to be evolving and getting better as his career progressed. Young Lennox was more of a raw power boxer type who didn't rely on much footwork. Later in his career as he called himself a "pugilistic specialist," Lennox would use the ring more with footwork and defense.

Perhaps the best version of Lennox would be the fighter who fought Holyfield the first time, Michael Grant or his victory over Golota. Lennox wasn't in his prime when he fought Mike Tyson.

As for a fight with prime Larry Holmes, prime vs prime, I think it would be a battle of jabs with some serious right hands landed by both fighters. I'd favour Holmes in a close UD win because he was technically a better boxer than Lewis.

[Boilermaker]

This is a tough fight to call. Common sense would suggest Lennox Lewis to me, because he has the big advantage in Reach and size. And it is also unlikely that Holmes would knock him out. But, Lennox has never fought anyone who fights like Holmes (at least none i can think of). Holmes jab would beat Lennox and Lennox may not know what to do. I think that i would favour Holmes to grit his teeth and eek out a controversial close decision (he has experience in winning these).

[heehoo]

Holmes outjabs Lewis to a close 12 round decision.

I believe Lewis himself went up to Holmes many a time asked Holmes to teach him how to throw Holmes' monster jab.

Holmes always denied his request, citing Lewis as a possible opponent.

Nowadays at his gym, he'll teach anyone who wants to know.

[mcvey]

Who takes this one? Lewis may have been a little more athletic but Larry definitely had the better chin. Lewis may have hit a little bit harder but Larry had the much better skills.

Also, who do you think had the better jab?

I am gonna take Larry by a close decision.

Larrry takes a majority decision.

[Beeston Brawler]

Lewis IMO.

[TFFP]

I've always liked Holmes' chances. The better jab is the key.

[Ponysmallhorse]

12 rounder- Lewis
15 - Homes SD
Regarding to Renaldo Snipes fight i must say that Lennox has a majority chances to KO Larry.

[Holmes' Jab]

Holmes: narrow UD.

[lefthook31]

Lewis in his prime had a pretty good jab, plus he mastered the art of fighting tall. It would be a difficult fight to pick. Maybe Holmes jabs his way into fightin closer to Lewis and gives him fits.

[beecho1988]

Lewis UD

[Rico Spadafora]

I often think about this match up. My thoughts are this:

Lennox has 2 inches and about 30 pounds on Holmes (Prime Holmes was about 215 give or take a few pounds)

Lennox fought and beat the better competition but you can't really hold this against Holmes as his era was just not as strong he beat everyone they put in front of him.

Holmes was probably the more well rounded fighter

Lennox also had a good jab and knew how and when to clinch effectively and put all of his weight on the opponent how would this effect Holmes in a long fight?

I tend to think that Lennox would beat Holmes. I just think his skills and size would take over for a big man Lennox was really skilled and he fought a smart disciplined fight the majority of the time Holmes had a tendency to get wild in there which could hurt him against a man with the size and skills of Lennox Lewis.

[abraq]

If Larry stepped out from a time machine to fight Lennox, it would mean an exceedingly close fight which could go either way. The reason is that whatever edge Holmes would have in skills might be cancelled out by Lewis' size advantage. Lewis might blow Larry out, but when one thinks of the Holyfield fights a decision win for Larry is quite possible.

If Larry matured during Lennox's era, he would definitely be heavier without losing much of his speed and reflexes. Of course, he would have the same skill. Such a Holmes would be a favourite to outpoint Lewis, IMO.

[MAG1965]

If Larry Holmes was the height and weight of Lennox Lewis he would have never lost. Larry had a great jab and right hand. Good heart also.

[he grant]

Holmes by decision , pretty clean ... Lewis was being outboxed by Frank Bruno for Gods sake ,...

[Bad_Intentions]

Holmes UD12.

[ChrisPontius]

Holmes by decision , pretty clean ... Lewis was being outboxed by Frank Bruno for Gods sake ,...

Since when are fights scheduled over 6 rounds? If so, then Holmes was outboxed by Witherspoon, Weaver and Norton, for Gods sake ,....

[kolcade4]

the only thing that i like about holmes is that he could war 15 rds pretty damn good. his stamina was his true strength. i give him a 3 for ko poweron a scale of 10, so he would just simply outlast lewis. larry would peck the the jab the whole fight and run. lewis gets tired of chasing larry around the ring but larrys jab pecking scores enough to win the fight.

[bb18]

holmes on points after a classic up and down fight a *******

[Bummy Davis]

Lewis had too much of a right hand, i see Holmes going down

[Bummy Davis]

Lewis had too much of a right hand Holmes goes down hard and again for the RSC

[kolcade4]

lewis had too much of a right hand, i see holmes going down
i dont know , lewis did not have the ring savy that holmes did. Tough call

[Arka]

Holmes by decision , pretty clean ... Lewis was being outboxed by Frank Bruno for Gods sake ,...

The jab is the key.Lennox was a great puncher working off the jab.His jab by itself was mostly a paw,when he was aiming for accuracy.Holmes' jab was heavy,persistent and accurate.

At their respective peaks,I'd go for Holmes,by decision.

[robert ungurean]

Larry Holmes. Without a doubt!

[Shake]

Over 15, I see Holmes stopping Lennox on stamina. I'm not kidding, either. Lewis is a big, big man potentially prone to struggling in deep water and Larry is a willful bastard.

Over 12, it'll be close. I think Lewis wins many of the early rounds, might score a knockdown, while Holmes rallies late in the fight. Razorthin however it goes.

[Vanboxingfan]

Over 15, I see Holmes stopping Lennox on stamina. I'm not kidding, either. Lewis is a big, big man potentially prone to struggling in deep water and Larry is a willful bastard.

Over 12, it'll be close. I think Lewis wins many of the early rounds, might score a knockdown, while Holmes rallies late in the fight. Razorthin however it goes.

I believe it's a close call. Those who pick Holmes easily are in my opinion biased against Lewis. Whoever wins, it won't be easy. Hell even picking a winner isn't easy. Personally I think if it's a boxing match, Holmes wins, if it's somewhat of a war and if Lewis can land his overhand right consistantly, he wins by TKO.

[Jersey Joe]

I'd favour Holmes but not by that much. He's the better boxer, more heart and a better chin, but Lewis is a lot bigger and has more power. Lennox is probably one of the few fighters with a chance to KO Holmes. I just think Holmes' jab and ring generalship would eke out a decision.

[elgoadie]

Tough, tough, tough fight to call!

Holmes main advantages:

- Better technical skills
- Speedier punches
- Better footwork
- Amazing jab

Lewis's main advantages:

- Height/reach
- A lot more powerful punches, wearing Holmes' down
- Ability to end the fight with one big bomb (even though Holmes' was never knocked out by just one punch)

I'm torn with the ring savvy department... I can't decide between the two who used the ring most to their advantage. As Lennox matured he showed great ring savvy, as did Holmes throughout his career.

What makes this fight even harder to judge is that Lennox never fought the type of fighter Holmes is, and Holmes never really fought Lennox's type of fighter. In my opinion you can't judge this fight based solely on previous showings.

If I had to say who would win, I would have to say Holmes by close UD. But I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Lennox's hand was risen at the end.

[BoxingFanNo1]

I often think about this match up. My thoughts are this:

Lennox has 2 inches and about 30 pounds on Holmes (Prime Holmes was about 215 give or take a few pounds)

Lennox fought and beat the better competition but you can't really hold this against Holmes as his era was just not as strong he beat everyone they put in front of him.

Holmes was probably the more well rounded fighter

Lennox also had a good jab and knew how and when to clinch effectively and put all of his weight on the opponent how would this effect Holmes in a long fight?

I tend to think that Lennox would beat Holmes. I just think his skills and size would take over for a big man Lennox was really skilled and he fought a smart disciplined fight the majority of the time Holmes had a tendency to get wild in there which could hurt him against a man with the size and skills of Lennox Lewis.

Agreed.

[Mr Butt]

holmes boxing skills are just to good ,close but un decision

[Muchmoore]

Holmes UD.

Lewis has a shot because of his right hand, but Holmes was a master of surviving. Even if he does get dropped which is likely, I think he'd survive and be able to get the better of Lewis because of his jab (In my opinion the best ever)

[Muchmoore]

Since when are fights scheduled over 6 rounds? If so, then Holmes was outboxed by Witherspoon, Weaver and Norton, for Gods sake ,....

You can't fault Lennox much for the Bruno fight, Bruno was a good fighter with a good jab and got taken out. But looking over many of the fights in which Lewis struggled, a common similarity between his opponents is that they had quality jabs.

[godking]

Very tough fight either way

I pick holmes but it would be his toughest fight by far.

[ChrisPontius]

You can't fault Lennox much for the Bruno fight, Bruno was a good fighter with a good jab and got taken out. But looking over many of the fights in which Lewis struggled, a common similarity between his opponents is that they had quality jabs.

How many good jabs did Holmes deal with, though? An aging Norton ran him to a very close decision, Witherspoon basically drew with him and Williams beat him in my opinion. Now, he was getting old against Williams, but you can apply the same reasoning to some of his fights. A good jab is going to trouble anyone. Ali had his share of trouble with Jones, Norton and Young.