Was Lewis stronger than Foreman?

[Guest]

Just a quick Q this one, I just read in a boxing magazine he was. Just how hard could Lewis hit?

[hollister]

Lewis hits plenty hard, but I've never seen him do anything that would support that claim. Big George was short on stamina, mostly because he swung for the fence with every shot, but he had an over abundance of power. As clumsy as George was, Lewis made him look very coordinated, with even slower hooks and looping rights than George in the twelfth lol

[M26]

Lewis might be stronger than a prime Foreman. I kinda doubt it though, but maybe. How ever, he definitely did NOT hit harder than Big George! Punching power and general power cannot be compared. Look at Tyson being pushed around the ring by Holyfield. Still, Tyson could hit a helluva lot harder than could Holy...

[jabsRstiff]

Foreman was STRONGER.

In terms of power, it goes both ways.
Lewis seemed more capable of the spectacular, one-punch KO....whereas Foreman could hurt you with every punch at any time.
Lewis didn't have the mindset of a puncher. That's why he had some fights where his power didn't seem so awesome. Foreman was all about brutalizing his foes.

[Stickman]

Stronger than Foreman? I'd say he probably is stronger, as far as holding, pushing off, forcing the other guy's head down instead of letting him do it to you, and generally imposing his will in the ring; he's a big fella...but hitting power? I don't know...it's hard to imagine anyone hitting harder than a prime Foreman right hand. Shavers maybe, but I just don't think Lewis was quite at that level. Lewis is a very skilled boxer, and has excellant power. That's what made him so dangerous. He could hit plenty hard, and was very good at making a place to put leather on his opponents. Big George's punch, however, was just ****ing brutally powerful. He wasn't actually a smart and skilled boxer until very late in his career. If he'd had Lewis' boxing skills in his prime (or maybe even his own late career ring smarts..that'll get a mediocre boxer a LONG ways in the ring), we'd all might very well be acknowledging him as the greatest fighter who ever walked the planet. Had he been smarter in the ring against Ali, he'd almost certainly have won that fight.

[DR. FREECLOUD]

this is a joke right? no way lewis is stronger even now.

[Kimmy]

Interesting debate. Foreman WAS stronger but Lewis did indeed hit harder. The reason was he had decent hand speed with his punch, it made his shots harder. Foreman`s displays of power against the likes of Norton and Frazier were through clubbing his opponent and eventually overpowering him. Lewis hit concusively. Check the Tony Tucker knockdown Lewis scored in the third round, that was one shot power. The Razor Ruddock win too, Lewis was more or less backing up most of the fight and he knocked Razor silly. Lewis` style and speed were the difference. Lewis was one of the hardest punchers in boxing history but i agree with JabsRstiff about the mindset of Lewis not being that of a puncher. Totally spot on. Lewis preffered to box than punch, maybe because of concern of getting smacked on his....lets be honest, less than strong chin!

[AintGottaClue]

lol lewis hit harder then foreman ahhahah good one

[Sir_Jose]

I would say Lewis was stronger than Foreman. People have this image of Foreman being this huge guy, but he wasn't. Prime Foreman only weighted about 215 and thats what Chris Byrd goes now and Byrd is considered small by todays standards.

[Stickman]

I would say Lewis was stronger than Foreman. People have this image of Foreman being this huge guy, but he wasn't. Prime Foreman only weighted about 215 and thats what Chris Byrd goes now and Byrd is considered small by todays standards.

George is a huge guy. At 6 feet 3 and 1/2 inches, 225 pounds and an 82" reach, he was a monster. Those long arms weren't just long, they were big, and were moving with the inertia of a freight train by the time they reached their target. George had more power in an arm punch than many heavyweights do when using their entire upper body.