BoxRec

Holmes

Ali

Foreman

Frazier

Norton

Patterson

Liston

Marciano

Beaten more often than not by Holmes. Could win a 12-rounder here & there, however, & would never be disgraced.

Would struggle more with Ali than Holmes, IMO. This is not one-sided, but Ali is a plain victor.

Occasionally would pull Foreman apart, but we're talking one in ten or more bouts. Foreman's too quick from the first bell & finishes it. Lewis has the smarts, but doesn't have the manueverability or the durability.

Could see it ending any which way with Frazier, being honest. Lewis could poleaxe him in the opening rounds, or Frazier could end things late, when Lewis' motor died.

Tough to predict with Norton. I am going with a Lewis decision, but only if it's 12-rounds.

Lewis knocks out Patterson every time, though some may be surprised how long Patterson lasts.

Liston is another difficult one to envisage. I would probably favour Lewis to get himself knocked out at some point, however. Wouldn't rule him out.

Lewis has too much for Marciano.

He'd knockout Patterson, outpoins Marciano, splits fights with Norton. Loses to the rest.

Lewis vs Ali...Ali on points or KO
Lewis vs Foreman...One shot by Big George and it is over
Lewis vs Holmes...Holmes on points or late TKO...It will be a battle of jabs by the very first rounds.
Lewis vs Frazier...One left hook by Frazier, the Frazier of circa 1968-71 and the fight is over...Too much grit and determination...A great fighting machine that Frazier was.
Lewis vs Patterson...Beats Patterson every time...Too big for Floyd.
Lewis vs Liston...Liston by KO and quick
Lewis vs Marciano...He is probably too big for the Rock....He wins by decision. He ain't gonna stop Marciano.

elmersalsa wrote:Lewis vs Ali...Ali on points or KO
Lewis vs Foreman...One shot by Big George and it is over
Lewis vs Holmes...Holmes on points or late TKO...It will be a battle of jabs by the very first rounds.
Lewis vs Frazier...One left hook by Frazier, the Frazier of circa 1968-71 and the fight is over...Too much grit and determination...A great fighting machine that Frazier was.
Lewis vs Patterson...Beats Patterson every time...Too big for Floyd.
Lewis vs Liston...Liston by KO and quick
Lewis vs Marciano...He is probably too big for the Rock....He wins by decision. He ain't gonna stop Marciano.

100% agree especially the frazier fight

Liston would be the absolute worst match up possible for Lewis. He would get out jabbed and forced back by Liston. When Lewis was out jabbed (Bruno, Mercer) he looked vulnerable and he never looked good going backwards. Add the power of Liston to the mix and I don't see how Lewis could possibly last the distance with Sonny let alone beat him.

hhaehre wrote:Liston would be the absolute worst match up possible for Lewis. He would get out jabbed and forced back by Liston. When Lewis was out jabbed (Bruno, Mercer) he looked vulnerable and he never looked good going backwards. Add the power of Liston to the mix and I don't see how Lewis could possibly last the distance with Sonny let alone beat him.

I'd go along with this.

For all Lewis' prowess & his own jab, he was horribly easy to out jab at times.

If the ponderous Frank Bruno could out jab him, I can't see him getting past either Holmes or Liston's jabs.

Saying that, the 1993 version of Lewis was a different beast from the 1995 - 2001 version, to be fair to him.

Holmes
Lewis loses by Unanimous Decision. He was outjabbed all fight.

Ali
Lewis loses by late stoppage. Lewis would be dead tired chasing Ali.

Foreman
Lewis gets knocked out in 4 rounds.

Frazier
Lewis loses by late stoppage.

Norton
Lewis just outpoints Nortin

Patterson
Lewis beats Patterson by stoppage in the mid-rounds.

Liston
Lewis loses on points

Marciano
Lewis is stopped in 6 rounds.

Goodnight, Irene wrote:Foreman's too quick from the first bell...

Foreman and too quick should not be allowed in the same sentence, even for you. Had you merely said that George would have been too determined and powerful it would be hard to argue, but that statement clearly shows that you've never actually watched a Foreman fight with your eyes open.

And yes, I would favor George slightly over Lewis, but more on his sheer determination than anything else. George takes 3 out of 5 very competitive fights, none of which see the final bell.

Goodnight, Irene wrote:Beaten more often than not by Holmes. Could win a 12-rounder here & there, however, & would never be disgraced.

Would struggle more with Ali than Holmes, IMO. This is not one-sided, but Ali is a plain victor.

Occasionally would pull Foreman apart, but we're talking one in ten or more bouts. Foreman's too quick from the first bell & finishes it. Lewis has the smarts, but doesn't have the manueverability or the durability.

Could see it ending any which way with Frazier, being honest. Lewis could poleaxe him in the opening rounds, or Frazier could end things late, when Lewis' motor died.

Tough to predict with Norton. I am going with a Lewis decision, but only if it's 12-rounds.

Lewis knocks out Patterson every time, though some may be surprised how long Patterson lasts.

Liston is another difficult one to envisage. I would probably favour Lewis to get himself knocked out at some point, however. Wouldn't rule him out.

Lewis has too much for Marciano.

I'd go with this.

The Great John L wrote:

Goodnight, Irene wrote:Foreman's too quick from the first bell...

Foreman and too quick should not be allowed in the same sentence, even for you. Had you merely said that George would have been too determined and powerful it would be hard to argue, but that statement clearly shows that you've never actually watched a Foreman fight with your eyes open.

And yes, I would favor George slightly over Lewis, but more on his sheer determination than anything else. George takes 3 out of 5 very competitive fights, none of which see the final bell.

I am saying, too quick to storm the ring and affect his fightplan. He would end this quickly, like so many

Holmes UD15 - A highly competitive fight, I think only the very best version of Holmes beats Lewis in a competitive, but clear decision.

Ali UD15 Lewis - Lewis can't blast Ali out, so this becomes a technical fight where Ali's superior speed and stamina allow him to dominate down the stretch and take a wide decision.

Foreman KO4 Lewis - A winnable fight for Lewis, though only if he fights smart to take a mid-late stoppage or decision. I think he has problems with Foreman's jab and for once, he would not be the stronger man in the ring. I see Foreman finishing it with a right hand after three competitive rounds.

Lewis TKO7 Frazier - Providing Lewis is in top condition, I'm confident he takes this one. He was always more vulnerable to the right cross than the left hook, which he generally defended well against. Lewis has a big size and strength advantage.

Lewis KO9 Norton - A highly tactical fight where both fighters are hurt at times.

Lewis TKO5 Patterson - Floyd goes down three times prior to the stoppage, I think he wins 1 fight out of 10 against Lewis, at best.

Liston KO7 Lewis -A competitive fight, but Liston wins the battle of the jabs, knocking Lewis out in the 7th while being up 4-2 on scorecards.

Lewis TKO8 Marciano - Lewis has 60lb, 7 inches in height and 17 inches in reach over Marciano - this is truly a super heavyweight against a Cruiserweight. That said, Rocky has the power to knock Lewis out, no question. Lewis always took body punches well and I can see Marciano eating a lot of uppercuts on his way to a cuts stoppage while well behind on points.

My feelings about Lewis ranged from ambivalence to dislike when he was fighting. I've learned to like him a great deal more in the last few years, especially in comparison to his successors.

I would favor Ali and Liston to beat him. I think he and Holmes give each other hell in a brilliant fight, and I think he and George could go either way, but if I had to decide I'll say Larry wins more times than not and George loses more times than not.

I'd favor Lennox over the others, all by stoppage. I think he batters Frazier early and stops Rocky late, but if they made it the distance I wouldn't be surprised, nor would I be shocked by an upset in these two cases.

Might I add, he stops Wlad. Assuming Lewis is in shape/in his prime, and assuming no massive cuts, I think he beats Vitali by a very clear decision.

I Feel Fine wrote:My feelings about Lewis ranged from ambivalence to dislike when he was fighting. I've learned to like him a great deal more in the last few years, especially in comparison to his successors.

I would favor Ali and Liston to beat him. I think he and Holmes give each other hell in a brilliant fight, and I think he and George could go either way, but if I had to decide I'll say Larry wins more times than not and George loses more times than not.

I'd favor Lennox over the others, all by stoppage. I think he batters Frazier early and stops Rocky late, but if they made it the distance I wouldn't be surprised, nor would I be shocked by an upset in these two cases.

Might I add, he stops Wlad. Assuming Lewis is in shape/in his prime, and assuming no massive cuts, I think he beats Vitali by a very clear decision.

He ain't gonna beat the fighting machine of Frazier circa 1968-71...No way

elmersalsa wrote: He ain't gonna beat the fighting machine of Frazier circa 1968-71...No way

I think he could. Depends on how the fight was reffed. If Lewis got away with holding and muscling IMO it would be a hard nights work for Frazier to beat him. In a completely clean fight I'd go with Frazier but bear in mind Lewis would be the second biggest puncher he ever faced.

mrbassie wrote:

elmersalsa wrote: He ain't gonna beat the fighting machine of Frazier circa 1968-71...No way

I think he could. Depends on how the fight was reffed. If Lewis got away with holding and muscling IMO it would be a hard nights work for Frazier to beat him. In a completely clean fight I'd go with Frazier but bear in mind Lewis would be the second biggest puncher he ever faced.

Fair. Could see both men losing.

mrbassie wrote:

elmersalsa wrote: He ain't gonna beat the fighting machine of Frazier circa 1968-71...No way

I think he could. Depends on how the fight was reffed. If Lewis got away with holding and muscling IMO it would be a hard nights work for Frazier to beat him. In a completely clean fight I'd go with Frazier but bear in mind Lewis would be the second biggest puncher he ever faced.

Lewis never had that chin to begin with. His boxing skills are not good enough to beat that fighting machine like Smokin' Joe.

Loses to prime Holmes.Not quick enough and gets pummeled with the jab. Holmes hard to hit to especially by a slower super-heavy.

Loses to Ali too, either on points or late TKO.

Loses to pre-Ali Foreman. Too much power and aggressiveness from George. Post-Ali Foreman could draw a fight similar to Lyle, and Lewis's power can
end it or his chin can fail him. Can go either way. Old George too slow for Lewis.

Only Paterson and probably Marciano (both too small heavies) look like clear losers. Liston, Frazier, Norton are all tough gigs for Lewis because of his lack of lateral movements and poor backward fighting skills.

Holmes by un dec
Ali wins a shutout
Foreman win by Ko in rd 8
Frazier climbs off the canvas to win by 9th rd Tko
Norton gives Lewis trouble but losse's a close split dec
Patterson gets blasted by Lewis in 3
Liston Tko's Lewis in 8
Marciano behind on point's stops Lewis in rd 11

I seem to be alone in seeing Patterson as a threat to Lewis.

Lewis with his style would do well to plant a square, full-blooded shot on Patterson. He's hardly a big, hulking target like Ruddock, Bruno, Golota, Rahman. Patterson would see the enormous Lewis' punches coming a mile off. And Patterson has the speed to hit Lewis three power shots in the time it takes David Tua to load up one hook - which by the way were often within a whisker of connecting.

If Lewis did beat Patterson I wouldn't be surprised if he had his bell rung once or twice.

I'd only confidently back Lennox against Patterson & Marciano. of the rest I like his chances against Ali & Holmes.

SaadOffTheDeck wrote:I'd only confidently back Lennox against Patterson & Marciano. of the rest I like his chances against Ali & Holmes.

Same here

The Great John L wrote:

Goodnight, Irene wrote:Foreman's too quick from the first bell...

Foreman and too quick should not be allowed in the same sentence, even for you. Had you merely said that George would have been too determined and powerful it would be hard to argue, but that statement clearly shows that you've never actually watched a Foreman fight with your eyes open.

And yes, I would favor George slightly over Lewis, but more on his sheer determination than anything else. George takes 3 out of 5 very competitive fights, none of which see the final bell.

in contrary to most people here i think frazier
would struggle too much with lewis' height and
size to be effective with the hook. would depend
a lot on the ref if he allows the inevitable lewis-
leaning-on in the early rounds.

prime ali would dance him crazy and it could
be amazingly one sided.

foreman is a tough one since i think in principle
lewis has what it takes to beat a prime foreman,
but it depends on him being able to survive until
george's frustration kicks in. slight favorite george
for me though.

norton. tough fight, close decisions, no knock
downs.

holmes. very interesting fight. in the end holmes
takes him out or wins the later going clearly by
still having footwork that enables him to get in
and out.

marciano would be an easy win for lewis. super
heavy vs cruiser is no matchup.

liston. don't know. i would think liston is slightly
overrated on the board. could go either way.


all in all i just struggle to visualize lewis against
prime ATG opposition. the seventies heavies were
more agile than the later super heavies and still
were not small and thus dangerous. lennox was
due to his size a more stationary operation, with
the exception of the golota fight, where he was
lean and agile as can be.

Lennox Lewis would have beaten them all, if any of those beat Lewis then boxing hasnt progressed in over 30 years. Lewis would have been too strong for any of them.

I know I will get rediculed by saying that but Lewis would have had more power and better training facilities and better diet etc etc. Its called evolution really.