Thread: Frank Bruno really outclassed Lennox Lewis - Lewis not in Top 10

Originally Posted by imp

Originally Posted by El Kabong

Bruno came to fight and Lewis was lazy for long stretches of the fight. Lewis survived due to his power and his brains.

Lewis is just better.

Top 5 heavyweight of all time.

Yes but an "on his game" Lennox Lewis blasts Bruno out with EASE....the Lennox that actually fought Bruno was just seemingly happy to be there, he looked like he gave a 4 effort out of 10

Originally Posted by El Kabong

Originally Posted by imp

Originally Posted by El Kabong

Bruno came to fight and Lewis was lazy for long stretches of the fight. Lewis survived due to his power and his brains.

Lewis is just better.

Top 5 heavyweight of all time.

Yes but an "on his game" Lennox Lewis blasts Bruno out with EASE....the Lennox that actually fought Bruno was just seemingly happy to be there, he looked like he gave a 4 effort out of 10

Good to hear you say that and im glad your aware when lennox is on it he knocks out those (robot style) type of fighter with ease...

agreed but the way Bruno fought him was right on the money---kept his hands high and utterly nullified, de-balled Lewis' right. Also outjabbed Lewis is a startling way. If Bruno hadnt got so brave and pressed him into the corner and started that 25-punch rabbit idiocy pitter patter (I could never understand that shit personally) Lewis wouldnta got the chance to land that hook which started the KO. Top-of-his-game Lewis STILL struggles with the Bruno that came into the ring that night.

I agree that Bruno was ahead, but he was running out of gas and I think Lennox would have found a way to get him out of there even if he hadn't stopped him when he did. It looked to me like Lewis was visibly shocked at Brunos skill (as he was really known for being a somewhat sloppy boxer with huge power). Bruno was good that night, and he always gave it his all.

I also agree that Lewis was not the same fighter when he didn't have significant advantages in height and reach. He came up always being the bigger guy and learnt how to 'fight tall' really well, just like Wlad. He did struggle with Bruno for a while, and he definitely was in trouble against Vitali.

Since he retired, there has been. A lot of revisionist history written about Lennox (as usual when fighters leave the sport), but AT THE TIME I always thought Lewis was a magnificent athlete, with a great boxing brain ..... But that he wasn't really a fighter at heart and was also somewhat gun shy.

And I say that with no disrespect to the guy, he ended up being a very very good heavyweight champion indeed.

Lennox played him like a pro, let him fade and then closed in for the finish. Lennox Lewis top 5 for sure he's knocking out everyone - Frazier, Norton, Foreman, Clay - if you transported Lennox back to the '70s he would have fucked everyone up. He would have earned a shaver by knocking out Earnie Shavers in about 30 seconds.

Yes, now I see.

Before I wasn't 100% completely convinced that Frank was 'out-classing' Lennox.

Originally Posted by X

I also agree that Lewis was not the same fighter when he didn't have significant advantages in height and reach.

Vitali - 6'7'' - stopped in round 6.

Michael Grant - 6'7'' 86" reach - KO'd in 2

Shannon Briggs - 6'5'' - KO'd in 5

Akinwande - 6'7'' 86" reach - dominated and DQed for holding like a f**

Tony Tucker - 6'5" - dropped twice, loses UD


The only guys to beat him were only 6'2''!

Lennox didn't give a fuck and would smash anyone regardless of size because he truly was the best around and nothing was gonna ever bring him down.

what you are failing to aknowledge is that Bruno was the best lb4lb fighter in history over 6 rounds

Originally Posted by El Kabong

Originally Posted by imp

Originally Posted by El Kabong

Bruno came to fight and Lewis was lazy for long stretches of the fight. Lewis survived due to his power and his brains.

Lewis is just better.

Top 5 heavyweight of all time.

Yes but an "on his game" Lennox Lewis blasts Bruno out with EASE....the Lennox that actually fought Bruno was just seemingly happy to be there, he looked like he gave a 4 effort out of 10

you know fuck all

Originally Posted by Bill Paxtom

Yes, now I see.

Before I wasn't 100% completely convinced that Frank was 'out-classing' Lennox.

Brock, it's obvious, Lewis had a particularly nasty chess problem to work out and couldn't concentrate on Bruno until it was solved. After he worked out a solution he got rid of Bruno double quick.
Seriously, I don't know if he should be in the Top 10, but I won't argue with anyone who says he should be. He beat everyone he faced, and avenged the two KO losses, which makes him the best of his era. It's hard to argue with success.

This was Lennox Lewis before he got together with Emanuel Steward. Lennox would have beaten Bruno with greater ease. That was the best Bruno version ever.

Originally Posted by Beanflicker

Originally Posted by X

I also agree that Lewis was not the same fighter when he didn't have significant advantages in height and reach.

Vitali - 6'7'' - stopped in round 6.

Michael Grant - 6'7'' 86" reach - KO'd in 2

Shannon Briggs - 6'5'' - KO'd in 5

Akinwande - 6'7'' 86" reach - dominated and DQed for holding like a f**

Tony Tucker - 6'5" - dropped twice, loses UD


The only guys to beat him were only 6'2''!

Lennox didn't give a fuck and would smash anyone regardless of size because he truly was the best around and nothing was gonna ever bring him down.

Looks great in black and white. Completely different if you acknowledge how the fights went down. But I will always love LL because nobody understood how good he was until he was gone so I made a killing on him. Suckers actually thought shot ass Tyson could beat him hahaha

Originally Posted by Ron Swanson

Completely different if you acknowledge how the fights went down.

The only thing that "went down" was Lennox's opponents!

Frank Bruno

"Honestly. I think Lennox could have taken me out anytime he wanted to. He
gave me too much space during the first 5-Rounds. I think his corner gave him the
incorrect 'Fight Plan' and told him to 'go slow' in our Championship Bout."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Exactly. As I was watching the bout, I was saying to myself, what the 'Fuck' is Lennox
taking it so slow for."

"I started to yell at the Television" > "Hit him Lennox so I can go to sleep".

"He must have heard me, because he blasted out that 'bloke' Bruno in a flash after that."

Catherine Bach

I think Lewis was a very fortunate fighter to be honest. If ever there was a guy who was in the right place at the right time it was Lewis.

Holyfield and Tyson are the only serious names on his record and both were well past their best when he fought them. Tyson in particular was a fat and empty shell of the fighter he once was and lost two of his next three fights to journeymen. Lewis' win over Tyson is about as legitimate as Berbick's win over Ali.

I just don't see Lewis beating a peak Holyfield or Tyson. Any fighter who gets flattened by a single punch from a couple of average fighters like McCall and Rahman isn't getting through a fight with peak Tyson and I think peak Holyfield would have out worked him for a UD. It's also questionable whether he'd have beaten Riddick Bowe.

Lewis struggled badly with Bruno who was comfortably beaten by every top heavyweight he ever fought and he also struggled with Mercer who was quite comfortably beaten by a positively geriatric Holmes, who Tyson easily blew away many years earlier.

Who did Lewis beat that was anywhere near the top of their game? Absolutely no one really. He's lucky Vitali was cut so badly otherwise he'd probably have retired on the back of a knockout defeat as well.

I'll give him credit for essentially beating every guy he fought due to him avenging his losses, but he was a very well managed fighter as much as anything else.