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March 1999
Each month we bring you a selection of articles from the current and past issues of BOXING MONTHLY. To buy the magazine, see our subscription or back issues pages, or use our world distribution map to find a news-stand copy. Why not use our Interactive Forum to express your own boxing comments and opinions!
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THE BM 100
BOXING MONTHLY's Lewis-Holyfield opinion poll is the largest ever undertaken, with 100 of the best brains in boxing giving their views on who will win the big one and how. What follows is just a taster - for the full BM 100, buy the March'99 issue of Boxing Monthly. |
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EMANUEL STEWART: trainer with inside track is a massive advantage,
says BBB of C boss John Morris, who tips Lewis to win
- Get Big Pic KEVIN ROONEY, former trainer of Mike Tyson:
I think Holyfield wins. He's the better athlete. It's really a question of
whether he'll be up for Lewis. He looked terrible against Bobby Czyz and
didn't look so great against Riddick Bowe in the first and third fights.
But he has the better skills. Lewis has a puncher's chance because he's
so big. But he's never impressed me, never done anything spectacular.
Holyfield's been showing more power lately. PREDICTION: Holyfield definitely wins a decision, but he may knock him out, I
don't know. ALEX STEWART, twice a loser to Holyfield:
To me, the question isn't whether Holyfield can beat Lewis, but what he has left.
Evander has heart and can beat anybody out there. He can give as good as he takes.
But the last couple of fights, he didn't look like he had that invincibility.
The fight with that Vaughn Bean guy, it was like an exhibition, like Holyfield was
just sparring. But he won, and now he's in with a guy who's like Riddick Bowe.
He's gonna have to throw a lot of punches. Will he be able to get to this guy
in time? And Lewis, we know he can punch. He will do some damage, and with Emanuel
Steward training him, he's working on his jab. Lennox has all the tools, but if
he's the normal Holyfield, I go with him. PREDICTION: Holyfield on points. AL BERNSTEIN, ESPN boxing analyst:
I think it's going to be a very exciting fight. I kind of like Holyfield, though
I think Lewis will be very dangerous early. If Holyfield gets past five rounds without
getting nailed, he'll start to get inside and work. He has more grit than Lewis
and will get to him. PREDICTION: Holyfield by mid-to-late-rounds stoppage. TEDDY BLACKBURN, boxing photographer:
It's hard to bet against Emanuel Steward when you look at his track record in
championship fights. But Emanuel isn't fighting. And how do you bet against
Holyfield? Lewis will come out and try for a quick knockout, which he just might get.
That's what makes this fight so interesting. But Holyfield has more ways to win. PREDICTION: Holyfield by split decision. JACK FISKE, the dean of American boxing writers:
It's a hard fight to make a prediction on because there are so many variables.
Neither heavyweight has fought recently, and that's bound to show its effects.
Lewis has never impressed me, and Holyfield is getting up there [in age]. He might
not have the desire he had a year and a half ago. Lewis is superior in all the physical
attributes, but he has two left feet and has gotten rocked by mediocre heavyweights.
Holyfield has the experience in the big fights and Lewis is susceptible. PREDICTION: Holyfield by decision. LOU DiBELLA, Vice President HBO Sports:
First of all, let me premise my statements by saying Lennox Lewis has been an HBO
fighter for a long time. But I learned long ago never to bet against Holyfield.
I believe this is a true pick-'em fight. It's a match-up of two different
styles, two different physical types. If it goes the distance, you have to feel Evander
has the edge. If it ends by KO, it'll probably be Lewis. I don't have much of
a conviction of who's gonna win, but this fight will define Lewis one way or another. PREDICTION: No prediction. SEAN O'GRADY, TV boxing analyst:
Every time I go against Holyfield, he comes back to bite me, no pun intended.
I've doubted him so many times, and each time he's come back to shut my mouth.
I won't be shocked if he wins. But he's been such a warrior with so much heart,
and you don't know how much those fights have taken out of him. Can he pull a rabbit
out of the hat again? I'm going with Lewis. The old boxing theory is that a good big
man will beat a good little man, and Lewis has a lot of skills. It should be an
outstanding match. PREDICTION: Lewis by decision. CHRIS THORNE, President, Boxing Writers Association of America:
I'm going with Holyfield. I think his style - busy, working the body - will
eventually catch up to Lewis. There might be a time early in the fight where Lewis starts
to take charge, and it wouldn't surprise me if he knocks Holyfield down. But once
Holyfield gets his rhythm going . . . PREDICTION: Holyfield by decision. ROCK NEWMAN, former manager of Riddick Bowe:
I'm picking Holyfield big. I'm picking him to really destroy Lewis. I
don't think Lewis ever really learned how to fight. He's awkward, and he never
mastered footwork. He was losing against Frank Bruno and landed a lucky punch. He was
exposed by Zeljko Mavrovic. Holyfield has the ability to think and box. He'll impose
his will on Lewis. Somewhere in the middle rounds, he'll stretch him. And that's
a purely analytical, and not an emotional, look at the fight. PREDICTION: Holyfield by mid-rounds knockout. GERRY COONEY, former heavyweight contender:
It's a pick-'em fight that could be a stinker or another Lewis-Mercer. It
depends of which fighters come to fight. Lewis is the guy to beat today. He's so
tall and powerful, and Holyfield gets hit. But if Lewis fights scared, it won't be
much of a fight. And Holyfield has been to the mountain so many times, he's
unbelievable. How many times can he go back? PREDICTION: No prediction. DENNIS RAPPAPORT, promoter:
This fight really has me. Without having seen them train, I give a slight edge to Lewis.
Everything - heart, hand speed - says Holyfield, but something tells me Lewis. I think of
Lewis's right hand. He's the bigger puncher and the bigger man, and Holyfield
has had trouble with bigger men. I'm so hesitant to go against Holyfield, but the
gladiator in him will take precedent over the technician. PREDICTION: Lewis by decision. EDDIE FUTCH, hall of fame trainer:
I think I've had more success against Holyfield than anyone [Futch trained Riddick
Bowe, who twice defeated Holyfield], and when you put the two styles together, I like
Holyfield. You have to take charge vs. Holyfield. You have to set the pace. Lewis uses
his jab and that good right hand to keep his man out at a distance he likes to work. But
he doesn't like the pressure, and if you hurt Holyfield, he'll get right after
you. Holyfield did a masterful job on Tyson. If he comes up to or near that performance,
he'll beat Lewis. PREDICTION: Holyfield, most likely by KO. JAY LARKIN, executive producer of "Showtime Championship Boxing":
A lot of people have lost a lot of money betting against Evander. Any time he laces up
the gloves, I'm behind him 110%. He's by far the superior boxer, by far the
superior ring strategist. He's been at the highest level of competition boxing can
provide, and Lewis simply has not. When you combine everything Holyfield brings to the
ring with his history and personal background, and compare it to what Lewis has
accomplished, I have Holyfield far ahead. PREDICTION: Holyfield by KO inside of six rounds. MARK BEIRO, ring announcer:
I look forward to the match-up for no other reason than it will unify the heavyweight
championship of the world. Lewis will have to land his powerful right hand early to win.
For that proposition to succeed goes against everything we know about Holyfield. After
a two-or three-round feeling-out period, Holyfield will pressure Lewis with his accurate
counter-punching and an aggressive, mix-'em-up style and finally wear Lennox out with
his never-say-die heart and score a knockout. PREDICTION: Holyfield by KO in eight. JIM LAMPLEY, HBO blow-by-blow announcer:
I think it will be a great fight, and I'm leaning toward Holyfield's heart. PREDICTION: No prediction BUTTERBEAN, heavyweight and "King Of The Four-Rounders":
I like Holyfield. I don't think there's that much interest in this fight.
Tyson vs. one of them would sell bigger, even though it might not be a good fight. PREDICTION: Holyfield by decision. GEORGE PLIMPTON, author:
I think it will be the most interesting fight in years. I'm just worried about getting
a ticket. Lewis is younger, but you know Holyfield won't back down. I think I'll
go for Lewis. PREDICTION: Lewis by decision. NIGEL COLLINS, editor, The Ring magazine:
Assuming this isn't the fight in which Evander gets old overnight, I think
he'll stop Lewis because I can't see Holyfield allowing him to escape the
way Shannon Briggs did. Sure, Lewis is bigger and younger, but the same could be said for
a lot of other men Holyfield has beaten. PREDICTION: Holyfield by knockout in the middle rounds. THOMAS HAUSER, author and biographer of Muhammad Ali:
Both fighters are past their primes. I wouldn't be surprised if Lewis wears down
Evander like Riddick Bowe did and stops him late. But we all know what Lewis's flaws
are and I have to go with Holyfield. PREDICTION: Holyfield, but with doubts. STERLING McPHERSON, manager of Frans Botha:
I like Holyfield. Both guys haven't looked that great, but the level of competition
sometimes does that to you. It's not like Lewis can move around and do a lot of
things. And he's gotten tired his last couple of fights. He's gonna be right
in front of Holyfield, and if you stand in front of Evander, you have to fight. The fight
is gonna be won by the guy with the bigger heart. PREDICTION: Holyfield by KO in round seven. |
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