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 stoppages, having been 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 by Oliver McCall, 24-5. In their rematch, he stopped McCall, who had a nervous crying fit 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 the United Kingdom for his professional career.
He ended his pro career stopping Vitali Klitschko, 32-1, on a cut and retired from boxing. He was behind 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 made the racist remark, “Marciano couldn’t wear my jock strap!” I guess he forgot it was Spinks who beat him, not Marciano, who would have taken the heart from him and knocked him out!”
Holmes got away holding his jab out his entire career, and Marciano would have come under it being shorter, possibly with a right uppercut, and broke his elbow, in my opinion.
Holmes at 44-0 stopped Marvis Frazier 10-0 in the first round and said afterwards “that’s for the whippings your daddy gave me in sparring!”
Holmes ended with a 69-6 record. He lost to Denmark’s Brian Nielsen, 31-0, by split decision. Nielsen was 49-0 when he lost to Dicky Ryan.
In Holmes’s final fight, he came off the canvas in the final round, defeating ‘King of the four rounders’ Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch, 66-2-3. He felt if the four-rounder was scheduled to Esch’s first 10, he would stop him, but he didn’t.
So, who wins between Lewis and Holmes?