Tommy Morrison vs Frank Bruno. What If.

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 17 Aug 2005, 14:10

These two were around at the same time but of course never met. If they had, who do you think would have been victorious between these two big punchers/

Any view fight fans?

BoxBuzz · Post by **BoxBuzz** » 17 Aug 2005, 22:44

Well this one has me stumped. I have seen them both fight many times.
In a battle of the flimsy chins here I would just go with whoever got in the first good shot. I just can't call it. It's a race to the fold if you ask me.

Grimm · Post by **Grimm** » 18 Aug 2005, 01:11

I think if Morrison uses the plan he did against Foreman he could do this quite easily and by knockout because Bruno doesn't have the chin of Foreman.

Ezzard · Post by **Ezzard** » 18 Aug 2005, 07:19

this is a very intriguing match up.

Bruno has a stiff, hard jab (a little pedestrian though) and works everything off it. He had to set himself for the one-two and was slow at changing his position to land his left to the body. Morrison has more upper body movement and is the quicker of the two. He throws punches in bursts and that could upset Bruno.

If Frank can take charge with his jab then he can KO Tommy in the first 5-6 rounds. I think Morrison has much better stamina and if he picked the apce up as the bout wore on then he would KO Frank. I really don't see this going to far though.

I think Tommy's greater punch rate would see him beat Bruno in 5 but I wouldn't bet on it. I see this as a very close fight.

Gordon · Post by **Gordon** » 18 Aug 2005, 10:41

I agree that if Frank works behind his jab he can set Tommy up for a KO around the first 5 rounds.

The longer the fight goes on the more I fancy Tommy to pull it out aka Witherspoon.

But I don't see it going that far so I'm plugging for Big Frank early on

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 19 Aug 2005, 15:18

I'm still not 100% sure on this one.

Bruno had a thudding jab who gave many a top Heavyweight problems and of course had KO power in either fist. I also think Bruno's chin may have been a little better that The Dukes.

Tommy Morrison though was also a dangerous fight, with better speed of hand and as others have rightly said a more 'natural' fighter.

I think I can see Bruno coming out strong and ramming that stiff jab into Morrison, busting him up and stopping him with 7 rounds.

But I wouldn't bet my house on it.

Syntax Error · Post by **Syntax Error** » 19 Aug 2005, 15:22

I think Morrison would have used the running tactics he used against Foreman.

Bruno was slow & robotic & would not have been able to keep up.

Gordon · Post by **Gordon** » 22 Aug 2005, 05:41

Slow & robotic he may have been but he would have closed the ring size down quicker than George.

In the right frame of mind I still think he could have blown Tommy away in the early rounds but I also wouldn't bet my house on it.

I've seen Frank come out against the like of Gerrie Coetzee, a former champion and well respected fighter with a mighty right hand. Bruno swept him away.

He laboured against an ageing Bugner but took him out in the end.

It was when he met lacklustre fighters like Smith & Witherspoon who refused to go down that Franks confidence in his own ability let him down.

Now Morrison is more in the Coetzee league. He wouldn't be in there to hang in there and hope for a late KO win, he would be out to impose his authority on Bruno and in doing so I think he would end up the same as the South African looking up at the ref through glazed eyes as the third man in the ring reaches that " 10 and your out" sentence all boxers dread.

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 22 Aug 2005, 13:42

Gordon wrote:He laboured against an ageing Bugner but took him out in the end.

At the time I like many others was somewhat disappointed with Brunos performance against Bugner. But with the value of hindsight and many more years of watching and reading more about Boxing than I had at that time, although not a great Bruno performance it wasn't a bad one either.

Joe Bugner even at that age was a seriously tough and tricky fighter who knew how to survive as well as any Heavyweight of recent decades, he also had a rock solid chin.

Grimm · Post by **Grimm** » 23 Aug 2005, 01:38

I just watched Lewis/Bruno.

If Bruno could land like he was landing against Lewis then Morrison would be done.

But that is a big IF.

Gordon · Post by **Gordon** » 23 Aug 2005, 09:09

When I said he laboured againsed Bugner, thats not a slight on Big Joe, I loved the big guy. I just thought he made Frank look bad.

But then Big Bugner made everyone he fought look bad.

Ali and Frazier both stumbled to points victories over him.

Remember the way he destroyed Richard Dunn. I still get a shudder when I remember that fight.

But he did make Bruno look bad until he sat on the bottom rope and waited on the ref stopping the contest.

But with the shots he fired of that night he would have made easy work of Tommy Morrison

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 23 Aug 2005, 13:35

Gordon wrote:Remember the way he destroyed Richard Dunn. I still get a shudder when I remember that fight.

A few weeks ago I picked up an original handbill of the Bugner - Dunn fight, it's in mint condition and I've put it in a nice frame. It looks great.