How the HW division needs a warrior! The aggression, the hunting down the opponent, the unleashing of fury! Remember Lewis vs Mercer? WHEW!!!!! Bring back the days!!!
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How the HW division needs a warrior! The aggression, the hunting down the opponent, the unleashing of fury! Remember Lewis vs Mercer? WHEW!!!!! Bring back the days!!!
Yes I miss Lewis and Duran, and Hearns , SLR, Hagler and so many others,! but you must look
forward in boxing, but it is nice to look back.:)
The thing I loved about Lewis is that he boxed masterfully, but if he saw and opening he would take it and if he smelled blood he would attack like a pit bull and get the finish.
Wlad used to be like that until he got KTFO and now takes no chances.
Lewis vs. Mercer was one of the better fights in that era... probably within the top 5 best HW showdowns of that late 90's era. The late 90's, now that we look back at it, had a lot more competition at HW than it does today.
Back then we used to talk it down too... but that was a crude time when they were becoming more sophisticated and bringing more technique into the game, ala Ali, when people wanted blood.
Blame it on color TV and PPV. If I spend 50 bucks, someone better leave the ring dead!!!
:eek:
Yes his classics against Mavrovic and Tua really bring back memories.
The division is pretty weak, so if Lewis was fighting now everyone would be calling him a bum.
If you are beating weak competition, then you are a bum in the eyes of many fans.
Lennox would be the wlad of today just beating everyone put in front of him.
Wlad v Lennox would be an awesome fight.
I don't think so.
Wlad has turned his career around and now really dominates everyone. Lewis never had as long a dominant period and as mentioned looked shaky and vulnerable too in some fights that he did win. I think he beats Wlad but Wlad has been more dominant. Lewis, apart from Holyfield who I felt he didn't really beat, even in the second fight which I thought was Holyfields, the Mercer fight he should have lost etc.
a prime Lewis KOs Wlad within 5
A class act Lewis was.
After the robbery of Holyfield 1 all he had too do was not get kayoed or lose like a chump to get the decision the second time round.
Mercer was close. I believe he was just getting on top in Vitali fight too - and Vitali was messed up anyway so tough shit.
He lost twice. The second time for not preparing - criminal for a champion. As for the first well he just got caught flush. Many believe he should have had the chance to continue in that one, being champion and all, and I agree though he was undoubtedly in deep trouble. I've seen fighters hurt more given the chance to continue.
I honestly believe if Lewis came back now he'd be Wlad's toughest rival
lennox would smoke wlad in one spliff
Agree with many of the observations already made, especially those discussing Lennox's lack of consistency, Evander winning the rematch, the Mercer fight being close, and the 90's having tougher/more respectable competition. Some additional thoughts/observations:
1) Other great heavyweight fights of the 90's: Ibeabuchi vs Tua, Holyfield vs Bowe, Holyfield vs Tyson, Holyfield vs Mercer, Lewis vs Mercer and Foreman vs Moorer.
2) I'm not convinced that Lewis beats Wlad every time. I would make Lennox the favorite as I think he was sturdier and beat better competition, but Wlad is a little faster and more mobile than Lewis. I can see Wlad having a slightly longer reach and being a little quicker of hand and feet and causing Lennox some serious problems. Lennox fought well against Grant, who was tall, but seemed to struggle vs Akinwande in between all the clutching. I can see Lennox eventually catching Wlad with a big right, especially late when Wlad tires out, but I can also see Lennox being caught by a big right from Wlad and having issues with Wlads jab and movement.
Lennox would out muscle Wlad who does not have the toughness his brother has in the chin department. Wlad is too passive to engage and trouble Lennox like his brother did.
The only thing about Wlad is that he didn't quit and he didn't let his mind make him quit. He is still in top physical condition. Unlike a Mike Tyson, who had all of the skills, but mind simply would not let him get back to the top and stay on top. Unlike Holyfield too, who for his last 15 fights was more headbutts and bluster than he was a winner like we knew him before Bowe 3.
But, Lennox too didn't give up. Lennox could have packed it all in after the McCall affair... and never turned back on boxing. But, he didn't. And it bode well for his entire career.
If I'd have my money, I'd say the old Lennox post Tommy Morrison KO's the younger Wlad and decisions the old Wlad.
Lennox was simply a cut above the average HW's. The only person with the skills and qualities to beat a good Lennox was Ali between Frazier 2 and Spinks 1 (and between Liston 2 and Frazier 1), a prime Holmes during his championship run (and even when he lost controversially to Spinks), and a hungry Tyson of the early to mid-80's- before the crack cocaine and whores.
The Heavyweights have generally always sucked. What tends to happen is in every era there is one or two dominant Heavyweights, and the rest suck.
But to be fair to our Brockton Blockbuster, he has picked one of two eras that the Heavyweights did not suck, the 1970s and 1990s were golden era of the division.
As well as Lennox, we had Evander and Riddick and the then 'Mighty Mike', still with (small) hints of his pomp. But also we had a very good 'next' tier: Foreman, Ruddock, Morrison, Mercer, Moorer, a cute old Holmes, McCall and Bruno all added something to the division.
Probably.
Rahman? Tua? Botha? Grant? Mavrovich? McCall? Mercer? Akinwande? Briggs? Golota?
This list is not much different to Wlads. The only opponent Wlad would probably lose to would be Holyfield. The others could all be nulified.
Remember Lewis's boring style of holding and leaning? Wlad was taught this shit by the same teacher and is now a fucking boring master of it.