Muhammad Ali said,"Floyd Patterson was the best boxer he ever fought"
i notice JoeyZagz has cast his vote here and as always his nuthugging is evident, not once has he anything to say or has he the knowledge of this sport to give credit to another great fighter even when that credit is due, in his eyes all past champions are `Jokers`as well as Not Big enough or heavy enough to have a cat-in-hell-chance with his idol.
I'd pick Lewis head to head and I'm by no means a Lewis fan. Personally just think Lewis has more physicallity in his armoury to dominate Floyd with and is mentally stronger.
Can you imagine a mentally dubious fighter like Floyds fighting someone so physically (and mentally) imposing?
lennox is big,got power can box or brewl,got a decent chin & got hit twice...avenged both loses...lennox at his best was the best heavyweight ever imo...
In terms of sheer raw talent, its Patterson and clearly.
He was one of the best combination punchers ever, in a similar league to the Meldrick Taylors, Jones Jnrs and Ray Leonards. Stylistically I'd cite him as every boxing trainers dream fighter, the perfect example of how to do the peak a boo style well. Hands up, slipping punches, great jab, superb combinations, footwork and every punch in the book.
He is one of the most talented pound for pound boxers ever. His punch resistance was his downfall and to be honest he was really not much more than a light heavyweight campaigning against some of the better heavyweights in history. The only guys to really outclass him were the bigger Liston and Ali in 65 (when Floyd was clearly suffering some form of back injury).
Lennox was talented, no doubt. But I cant think of an area in which he out shined Floyd in terms of sheer skill.
Head to head matchups may well favour Lennox, but as Sonnyboyx pointed out.......that is not what the thread is about.
p4p patterson was the better physical specimen. but lewis had a better sharper jab and was a more accurate and fluid puncher at his best. patterson was fast but he swung wide and wild with the hooks. he also leapt at his opponent when looking for the ko. lewis used his feet instead of reaching like that. lewis had a wider variety of punches and was better at keeping distance than patterson.
I wouldn't edge Lewis over Patterson in terms of jabs. Lewis often boasted about his jab, but honestly it wasn't nearly as fast or accurate as Floyd's.
Come to think of it, I cant think of a fight where Lewis's jab was particularly impressive....as great a fighter as Lennox was.
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