Who wins this tournament of heavyweights?

[tiny_acres]

Valuev stops Damiani in 13. End of story.

I could argue against these 2 making the finals.

[Cap]

Damiani would have to be one of the favourites. Tua another. Kirk Johnson in top form would be third. The rest are pathetic or totally unreliable.

[BoxBuzz]

It's interesting....I really believe this could end up with almost any outcome. Depending on the setup of the first fights.

The one distinct advantage Valuev has, is his ability to absorb and make the others work so hard against his bulk.

He didn't "win" his matches as much as he just didn't "lose" them.


I really doubt he would KO Damiani.....and I think Damiani probably had a good chance of reaching it to the finals in this mix.

[tiny_acres]

I was never really impressed with Damiani.I guess I will watch a few of his fights again to see what I am
missing.I just do not see him doing well in this tournament.

[BoxBuzz]

Maybe I'm most surprised at how poorly Sanders does in this group...based on the simulator.

[SenorPipino]

Speaking of Damiani, (who was handling Mercer until he got clipped and went out) has anyone ever seen a tape of Damiani vs. Bigfoot Martin?

Fight took place in Italy in 1990 and Damiani is credited with a 2nd round KO of the very tough-chinned Bigfoot.
Martin was the ultimate journeyman, but he went the distance with quite a few top heavies.

While Damiani had a good KO record, I never considered him a true power puncher and always wondered if Bigfoot went into the tank for a big payday in Europe (a lot of very strange, suspect results come out of that place) or whether it was a quick stoppage to add luster to Damiani's knockout record.

Interested if anyone has legit knowledge of what went down that night.

[drunkenpiper36]

Francesco Damiani was a decent heavyweight. He won a silver medal in the 1984 olympics. Stayed unbeaten in the pros for a fashion. defeated respectable foes in Biggs, Duplooy, Broad and Gregg. His boxing skills were sound and power better than average.. His limiting factor however was that he didn't have the physical tools or the durability to stay anywhere near the top 10 for very long. I watched his fight with Ray Mercer in 1991. It was the main event of an evening of prospects. Bruce Seldon vs Jose Ribalta and Tommy Morrison vs James Tillis were the other two fights on the card. Damiani looked sharp for most of nine rounds before Mercer caught him with what I remember as a left upper cut to the nose which ended the fight instantly. Granted he boxed well, but again, if he's facing one big puncher after another in order, he's going to get hurt eventually. Corrie Sanders, Gerry Cooney and Tommy Morrison are three guys that I can see being a threat to him. Especially given his soft spot for lefts and difficulty taking a hard punch.

[Ambling Alp II]

OK....all fighters have been given assumptions of top condition and in their prime and 15 round fights. Odds favorites are as follows: Valuev, Tua, Damiani, Cooney, Povetkin, and Morrison:

Outcomes:

Valuev over Barrett 15th round split decision.
Byrd over Tua 15th round unanimous decision
Damiani over Sanders 15th round unanimous decision
Cooney over Tillis 7th round TKO
Johnson over Povetkin 9th round TKO by cuts
Morrison over Mesi 15th round decision

If Morrison and Mesi fought 20 times, it's unlikely that it would 15 rounds one time. Does the simulation take into account defense (or lack thereof), chin (or lack thereof), power, and aggression?

I see later where Mesi takes out Tillis in 6 rounds. Really? All those good fighters that Tillis gave trouble, and Joe Mesi is the guy who takes him out fairly early?

[BoxBuzz]

The algorithms are rather complex, and it does take into account many attributes. Just goes to show how even complex systems can't really capture reality.


On the other hand....we have seen time and time again in the sport of boxing......stats don't mean squat when the right timed fist movement, happens to cross paths with some poorly timed head movements....or lack thereof. No fight is a slam dunk.