Dream Match
Larry
Holmes Vs Lennox Lewis
By
Paul Concannon
Readers
of BoxingHelp will need little introduction to the two participants of
the latest dream match, so just a brief reminder of the achievements of
these great heavyweights will suffice.
Larry
Holmes was the outstanding heavyweight of the eighties. He won the title
with a 15 round split decision over veteran Ken Norton and would defend
with success on 20 occasions. His title victims included several former
and future champions and few of the outstanding contenders were ignored. A
slippery boxer with a famous jab and underrated power, it took a pair of
bitterly controversial decision defeats to Michael Spinks to finally
deprive the outspoken legend of the title in 1985-86.
Lennox
Lewis, of course, is the main man of the nineties and is currently seen as
the true undisputed champion, despite the claims of IBF Heavyweight
Champion Chris Byrd, & recently crowned WBA Heavyweight Champion Roy
Jones, JR along with WBO champion Corrie Sanders. Lewis is a veteran of 17
World title bouts and a former British, Commonwealth and European
champion. Need I say more?
Profiles
Larry
Holmes
Country: USA (Easton, PA)
Status: Active
Record: 69-6-0 (44)
Style
and strengths: Cunning, fast mover with a potent right hand. Durable
and famous for his ability to shrug off knockdown blows and recuperate
fast, Holmes was a true box-fighter that could slug his way out of trouble
when the chips were down. Neat footwork and a tremendous and constant jab
were the fundamentals of this great all rounder.
Weaknesses:
Susceptibility to good jabbers, sometimes a little plodding.
Notable
victories: Earnie Shavers (Twice, Holmes floored heavily in the second
fight), Ken Norton, Mike Weaver, Muhammad Ali, Leon Spinks, Trevor Berbick,
Leon Spinks, Renaldo Snipes (Holmes down in round 7), Gerry Cooney, Tim
Witherspoon, and Bonecrusher Smith.
Notable
defeats: Twice to Michael Spinks and a crushing KO defeat to Mike
Tyson at age 38.
Lennox
Lewis
Country: England (London)
Status: Heavyweight Champion
Record: Won 40- 2- 1(31)
Style
and strengths: Tall (6 feet 5 Inches), fast handed, huge puncher with
a long reach and laid back, relaxed style of boxing. Can dominate from the
outside behind the jab to set opponents up for huge hooks and uppercuts.
He is a true one punch KO artist with tremendous physical advantages over
many of his peers.
Weaknesses:
Sometimes over confident and fragile; his two defeats were one-punch types
to Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman. Sometimes fights lazy and with too much
caution.
Notable
victories: Razor Ruddock, Tony Tucker, Frank Bruno, Tommy Morrison,
Ray Mercer, Oliver McCall, Henry Akinwande, Andrew Golota, Evander
Holyfield, Michael Grant, David Tua, Hasim Rahman, and Mike Tyson.
Notable
defeats: Aforementioned knockouts to McCall and Rahman, both avenged.
The
Fight…
As the two square up, Lewis
simply looks what he, the bigger man. Broader, heavier, more muscular and
two inches the taller man, Lewis eyeballs the veteran during an intense
stare-down. The crowd is visibly excited in anticipation of a cracking
heavyweight match.
Lewis goes
looking for Holmes early, as though he doesn’t want the smooth boxing
veteran to find a rhythm, his jab lands first and he tags Holmes with a
fast right hand that sends him peddling against the ropes. A
right-uppercut, left-hook combination sees Holmes hurt early and Lewis
piles in looking for a sensational finish. Larry bravely fires back with
his own right; Lewis takes the punch and grins. Holmes fires a combination
and breaks free from the ropes momentarily. Lewis applies heavy pressure
and steps in behind his heavier jab. Another stinging right connects for
Lewis as Holmes totters back in to a neutral corner, hurt yet again. In a
show of bravado Larry beckons in the bigger man-it will be a futile
gesture, a monstrous left-right combination connect to leave Holmes
sprawled on the canvas. His eyes glassy, Holmes wobbles erect at the count
of 9. Lewis is in explosive form and dishes out a further combination as
Holmes ties him up with a minute gone in a wild first round.
Using all
his savvy and experience, Holmes pokes and fiddles his way through the
next minute, he has been in the position before with both Shavers and
Snipes. Lewis has momentarily punched himself out and opts to jab from a
distance before rocking Holmes again with a fast right late in the round.
Lewis wins the first by a 10-7 margin on all the cards.
Lewis
steps in with the jab in the second, it his straight left that is
prevalent in the early going. Larry attempts his jab, but seems genuinely
surprised at the vigor of the bigger, stronger, Britain.
Finally
Larry begins to find a groove, moving from side to side he lands the jab
and a few right crosses hit the mark. A left hook gets through, but Lewis
takes the punch well. A right hand sends sweat spraying from the dred-locked
Englishman. It’s a good spell for Larry; his jab lands well and Lewis’
somewhat contemptuous guard is allowing for the odd sneak right and left
uppercut to get through. Lewis, unconcerned, looks for his own left hands
as he stalks the fast moving Easton man until the bell. Round two to
Holmes.
Larry has
found a new lease on life and is seemingly over the bad early spell. He
connects with rights and lefts in the opening seconds of the third and
even backs Lewis up. Lewis replies with an uppercut and jabs his way off
the ropes. Lewis is now the man going backwards as he dances away from the
smaller man.
Both men
land with crosses a minute in, then Lewis lands a cracking hook high on
the head of Holmes and Larry jabs his way out of trouble. Holmes goes at
him again, as though testing his mettle. Fast jabs and combinations go in
as Lewis ties his man up, leaning on him with all his extra weight. The
crowd is behind the veteran, admiring his courage after that terrible
start. A fast combination and Lewis is suddenly unsteady just 10 seconds
before the bell. Two quick rights and a left hook go in as Holmes helps
himself to another round.
Sensing an
incredible turnaround, the crowd roars on Holmes as he stabs his jab at
Lewis, coming through his opponent’s greater reach to score well. Lewis
smiles and begins to push out his own jab, for the first time in a round
and half he is the man coming forward.
Suddenly,
it’s all over; just as Holmes times a fast right at Lewis, a gigantic
slashing Lewis uppercut connects flush, snapping his head back on it’s
shoulders, a following left hook and thunderbolt right hand connect,
exploding through the defense and depositing the American flat on his
back. It’s a highlight reel KO. Larry somehow gets to his feet just as
the referee’s count reaches nine, but his glazed expression and wobbly
legs convince the referee to call off the bout instantly.
Holmes is
furious, and bitterly objects to the stoppage once his head has cleared.
Lewis points out that as great a fighter as Larry was; he never did meet
anyone with the combination of height, weight, speed, power and
athleticism of himself. “I had the jab of Carl William’s, the size of
Cooney and the power of Shavers-tonight Larry just met his match, for
real,” says an enthused and remarkably relaxed Lewis afterwards.
Result.
Lewis TKO 4
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