If two of the most unpopular former heavyweight champions met, who would win between Lenno Lewis and Larry Holmes?
Lewis was 41-2-1 with 32 shutouts after being stopped twice. By Hasim Rahman, 34-2 in five rounds near the end of his career. He stopped Rahman in their next fight. He put his hands to his side and was stopped 24-5 by Oliver McCall. In their rematch, he stopped McCall, who had a nervous breakdown after the fight.
Born in Jamaica, moved to fight amateur in Canada. He won the 1988 Olympic Gold medal in Seoul, South Korea, beating Riddick Bowe of the USA. Moved to UK for his professional career.
He ended his professional career by stopping Vitali Klitschko, 32-1, on a knockout and retired from boxing. He was down after five rounds and didn’t want to give Vitali a deserved rematch.
Holmes went 48-0 and lost to light heavyweight champion and former Olympic gold medalist Michael Spinks in back-to-back fights.
After losing to Spinks in the first one, the racist commented, “Marciano couldn’t wear my jock strap!” I think he forgot that it was Spinks who beat him, not Marciano, who would take his heart and knock him out!”
Holmes got away with holding his jab his entire career, and Marciano would have come up short under it, possibly with a right uppercut, and broken his elbow, in my opinion.
Holmes stopped Marvis Frazier 44-0 in the first round 10-0 and afterwards said “that’s for the whips your father gave me in sparring!”
Holmes finished with a record of 69-6. He lost by split decision to Denmark’s Brian Nielsen 31-0. Nielsen was 49-0 when he lost to Dicky Ryan.
In Holmes’ last fight, he came off the canvas in the final round and defeated ‘King of the four rounders’ Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch 66-2-3. He felt if the four-rounder was scheduled after Esch’s first 10, he would stop him, but he didn’t.
So who wins between Lewis and Holmes?
