LondonRingRules Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Was ready to post this as Volume 11 Fights of the Past, but much more to this fight than just judging the scoring. This video represents "what goes around comes around" as "the more things change, the more they stay the same." Only 15 years ago seems like eons in modern vision, yet this fight presciently me thinks set the modern stage for many international title matches that have followed. Mr. Field is the last "great" American heavy at the end of his productive years propped up in Madison Square Garden as his "international" rival Lewis flies in from overseas for the big unification bout. We have judges from South Africa, UK, and US with local NYer Arthur Mercante reffing. Big George, Larry and Lamps announcing with the last great heavyweight trainer Emmanuel Steward in the Lewis corner. Roy Jones is set up at another studio and still on top of boxing. Everyone looks impossibly healthy and young, yet both Mercante and Steward are gone now. Life is very fickle and certainly not as permanent as it sometimes seems when we are healthy. Mercante who impossibly slips a missed Field left hook that most certainly would have sent him into the 3rd row had it connected showed some great reflexes and physicality in this grappling affair. I never liked the fight because of the demise of Field whom I greatly admired back then and the reticent style of the much bigger Lewis, so I had no impetus to revisit it until today. Turned out to be much better than I remember and more informative because I watched the whole broadcast instead of just the fight. Lamps is all over the "stench" of the fight as the scorecards are announced. This was the typical Don King modis operandi in the day and really pretty much the same format used in many if not most big fights today. Brit judge brought in to stay mum with draw scoring while the American female judge had it for Field and the SA judge for Lewis for a perfect draw. Noteworthy are the boos from the majority American crowd who have certainly no history of taking a shine to Lewis as well as the reported 7500 Brits flying over to attend the fight. Had no idea Lewis was "that" popular though I knew he naturally had a good following. Steward point blank: "This is is killing boxing." Fast forward>>> Porter/Brook>>> and we had local Cali Pat Russel reffing, the Brit judge mum again with a draw as the two American judges showed their "impartiality" by going all for Brook who is now mooted for all these upcoming "superfights" boxing is desperate to make. The poor crowd of 3000 not much to cheer or boo about in this bout or decision. Lewis/Holyfield I: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acYYgs844u4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makingweight Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw I remember the fight well Lewis looked a clear winner,Holyfield just looked like he had ran out of ideas by the championship rounds.He was visibly struggling by the end frustrated by Lewis jab and counteracting it by holding and spoiling. Holyfield certainly got given a gift on the night the crowd reaction told the real story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GianMan Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw This had Don king all over it, its was one of the worst decisions ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelfist Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw it was a cloe fight not as big as ome people think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javier Ortega Nieto Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw This battle was won for me clearly Holyfield, certain that none had too bright moments during the 12-round but the American connect best shots. As I miss the great heavyweights ...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerald Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw it was a cloe fight not as big as ome people think Agree - I don't think this one is the robbery it's made out to be. It's hard to watch impartially now with hindsight but I remember feeling like Lewis had edged it but was by no means confident he'd done enough. I think part of it was the perceived momentum Lewis had behind him and the way Holyfield underperformed. Probably a marginal Lewis win but not the travesty some would have us believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschoolboy Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw If the best Holyfield had fought the best Lennox, Evander would had won easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerald Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw If the best Holyfield had fought the best Lennox, Evander would had won easily. I think there's a case for this. However you rank them all-time, in terms of head to head I've got a feeling Holyfield might come out on top. As I said above, I think the first fight was a lot closer than people had at the time (and history seems to record) and I thought Holyfield edged the second in another close one. This was at a point when, in my view, Holyfield was considerably further from his peak than Lewis (who you could argue was right in the middle of his) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yabibor Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw Second fight was draw, first time Lewis clearly won. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtpt Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw i agree it was another in a line of many fights that favoured an american boxer a boxer from any other country lewis would have been the winner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonRingRules Posted January 9, 2017 Author Share Posted January 9, 2017 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw If the best Holyfield had fought the best Lennox, Evander would had won easily. --- That will always be debateable because Field and Bowe didn't want to know Lewis then. Anyway, after the Foreman fight Fields ko% dropped to 30% and 10 losses, so if a dolt like Bowe could beat him Lewis could too as he later proved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davemurphy Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw As an American fan, I was ashamed of the Don King shenanigans that took place that night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshDevilRob Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw What's going on here? Some people will always try and deny Lennox Lewis' Greatness. People forget Holyfield's struggles with Bobby Czyz, Bert Cooper and Michael Moorer and act like he was the perfect fighting machine. Lennox won both fights - poor judging cost him the first one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoztheMadman Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw I don't deny his achievements, but the notion that he is the greatest heavyweight ever-put forth by George Foreman-is ridiculous. Nor is he among the top 3 heavyweights of all time. Brits tend to blow his greatness out of proportion, which is natural, but still not right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robprosser Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw I don't deny his achievements, but the notion that he is the greatest heavyweight ever-put forth by George Foreman-is ridiculous. Nor is he among the top 3 heavyweights of all time. Brits tend to blow his greatness out of proportion, which is natural, but still not right. I'd put him in the lower half of the top 10 of all time. Both of his defeats came as a result of complacency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoztheMadman Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw I'd put him in the lower half of the top 10 of all time. Both of his defeats came as a result of complacency. Er no, I'd say the McCall knockout was a case of perfect timing and McCall being faster and more skilled back then. And Lewis being a slow and sluggish bear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshDevilRob Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw I've got Lennox Lewis as the 2nd best Heavyweight of all-time. He's easily Top 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoztheMadman Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw I've got Lennox Lewis as the 2nd best Heavyweight of all-time. He's easily Top 5. Not gonna disrespect your opinion but-what about Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Larry Holmes? I'm sorry but NO WAY is he ahead of them! Even if you argue Rocky was not a true heavyweight, his record stands there: 49-0 baby! And he was stronger than his size, he was freakishly tough and strong for a 5'10 180 pound guy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robprosser Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw Er no, I'd say the McCall knockout was a case of perfect timing and McCall being faster and more skilled back then. And Lewis being a slow and sluggish bear. Lewis as trained by Pepe Correa had become very sloppy. Correa's sage advice to Lewis at the start of tbe 2nd round? "Go and knock him out"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoztheMadman Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw Lewis as trained by Pepe Correa had become very sloppy. Correa's sage advice to Lewis at the start of tbe 2nd round? "Go and knock him out"! :mlol: Yeah, a POOR advice! As if he was a novice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshDevilRob Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw Not gonna disrespect your opinion but-what about Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Larry Holmes? I'm sorry but NO WAY is he ahead of them! Even if you argue Rocky was not a true heavyweight, his record stands there: 49-0 baby! And he was stronger than his size, he was freakishly tough and strong for a 5'10 180 pound guy! I've no problem with anyone rating Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes above Lennox. But, Rocky Marciano? He was a Cruiserweight and a short one. Nothing on Marciano's record suggests he could've beaten Lennox Lewis. It's not even fathomable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zodiac_1 Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 Re: Lewis vs Holyfield I ~ The Stench of the Draw I've only watched this fight once and it was so obvious that Lewis had won. He has his revenge in the rematch which was a closer fight but was well deserved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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