BoxRec

These fights were supposed to have happened on the ill-fated Hong Kong promotion. Also scheduled was Rafael Ruelas-Billy Schwer and Steve Collins-Lonnie Beasley, although I think they were easier to predict. The two heavyweight bouts were fascinating, though. What a shame they were never rescheduled.

Who would you have picked in each, and why?

Mercer's chin means he would take the bombs and win by late KO despite being behind on points. It would have been a great fight. Back in the UK we'd all be screaming at the TV from about the 6th onwards hoping Frank could stay on his feet until the final bell.

Hide was a talented boxer but he had a real glass chin. Morrison would get him.

These are cool fights :)

I would love to have seen both them.

I have some Hide fights from around that time I would like
to watch after this weekend. With either he or Morrison,
it is a whom ever hits the others jaw first scenario.
Both have the goods and bads to win and lose the fight...

Either by KO some where between 2 and 5 rounds.

A motivated, I just looked bad against Fergusson TWICE
Mercer is trouble for Bruno. But, on consistency and based
on his efforts against harder chinned and harder hitting McCall.
I am inclined to say Bruno by decision, even though he does
have a scare when Mercer gets in and lands.
Bruno by Dec.

The Union Jack may fly high after both fights on the night,
would be a damned fun double header in any case!

Shame this never came off, I think the show was cancelled on the morning of the fights.

I fancy Bruno to win a fairly wide decision behind the jab, but of course the last couple of rounds would be potentially traumatic for Big Frank.

As for Morrison - Hide, Herbie makes Morrison look like George Chuvalo in the beard department, kayo for Morrison inside three rounds.

Flump wrote: As for Morrison - Hide, Herbie makes Morrison look like George Chuvalo in the beard department, kayo for Morrison inside three rounds.

- Always took a good thumping to put Morrison down. Hide got KOed by a JAB!

Morrison has a much better heavy record, but go ahead and ignore the obvious and you'll be broke when you put your money up to back your nonsense.

I wouldn't put a dime on such a shaky bout at any rate it's so up for grabs.

BroughtonRulesRefuge wrote:

Flump wrote: As for Morrison - Hide, Herbie makes Morrison look like George Chuvalo in the beard department, kayo for Morrison inside three rounds.

- Always took a good thumping to put Morrison down. Hide got KOed by a JAB!

Morrison has a much better heavy record, but go ahead and ignore the obvious and you'll be broke when you put your money up to back your nonsense.

I wouldn't put a dime on such a shaky bout at any rate it's so up for grabs.

And I said Morrison has the better chin and would win, so what are you talking about?

Flump wrote:

BroughtonRulesRefuge wrote:

Flump wrote: As for Morrison - Hide, Herbie makes Morrison look like George Chuvalo in the beard department, kayo for Morrison inside three rounds.

- Always took a good thumping to put Morrison down. Hide got KOed by a JAB!

Morrison has a much better heavy record, but go ahead and ignore the obvious and you'll be broke when you put your money up to back your nonsense.

I wouldn't put a dime on such a shaky bout at any rate it's so up for grabs.

And I said Morrison has the better chin and would win, so what are you talking about?

good question flump. beats me.

Flump wrote:

BroughtonRulesRefuge wrote:

Flump wrote: As for Morrison - Hide, Herbie makes Morrison look like George Chuvalo in the beard department, kayo for Morrison inside three rounds.

- Always took a good thumping to put Morrison down. Hide got KOed by a JAB!

Morrison has a much better heavy record, but go ahead and ignore the obvious and you'll be broke when you put your money up to back your nonsense.

I wouldn't put a dime on such a shaky bout at any rate it's so up for grabs.

And I said Morrison has the better chin and would win, so what are you talking about?

- Hah, got caught up rushing in a bit of nonsense between a dozen computer freezes and reboots. Apparently these things are programmed to only last 4 yrs.

Apologies for the mix up, but anyway, that would've been a great fun slugfest on par with Cleveland Williams/Bob Satterfield.

It could have been an interesting event.

Mercer would have most likely knocked Bruno out in the middle of the fight or a bit later. Ray was a better boxer overall, he was able to take Bruno's punches and fire back effectively.

Morrison would have knocked Hide out somewhere near the midpoint also. Both of them were fast-starters, but here it probably wouldn't be very fast start for them, cause both were dangerous punchers, risks were too high. Both had chin issues too. However, Morrison's skillset was more impressive, he could box rationally in a better way, his combinations were more composed, his punches were shorter, while Hide's ones sometimes looked too wild. So, Tommy was likely to win by a KO sooner or later.

Mercer by late TKO and Hide by KO

Morrison was more skilled than Hide but Hide was much faster. And Morrison wasn't the same after that brutal KTFO from Ray Mercer. Surely, he beat 44 y.o. Foreman, but Foreman was extremely slow and I had that fight much closer than judges did. I scpred the fight 7-5 for Morrison.

Mercer too tough for Bruno overall. (TKO 9)

Hide would mash Morrison's Chandelier chin. (KTFO 6)

Boxing Writer wrote: ↑22 May 2018, 15:07 And Morrison wasn't the same after that brutal KTFO from Ray Mercer. Surely, he beat 44 y.o. Foreman, but Foreman was extremely slow and I had that fight much closer than judges did. I scpred the fight 7-5 for Morrison.

I'd say, all those stuff is arguable.

Morrison wasn't the same after Mercer, but he changed in the way of a fighting approach. He was just a wrecking machine before that loss and after the defeat he became more methodical and restrained. It was Bentt loss that changed him in a way of declining. However, after Puritty draw Tommy showed some improvement, I'd say. It was actually the time of preparation to Hide, that fight was scheduled right after that one vs Puritty. Morrison had a good performance against Ruddock shortly after. I'm not saying it was still prime Morrison, but he kinda grabbed the remains of what left in him and he was able to achieve some positive results from that.

Talking about Foreman fight, I don't remember how exactly I scored it, but it was wide.

Was billed as "High Noon in Hong Kong" and I was really looking forward to it and it has cropped-up in several other threads down the years as great HW match-ups that never happened.

Think it fell apart because the money-man was hoping to pay folk retrospectively once the show had made a dollar but simply did not have the upfront cash to pay anyone/anything........so the Brits-Americans (wisely) pulled the plug.

I have picked Mercer, Bruno and Hide and Morrison down the years and there's a case to be made for all of them.

But on balance I'd slightly plump for Mercer in 1994 because Bruno had yet to learn/perfect how to fight patiently against a guy who he was unlikely to knockout. And there was rarely a Plan B.

Just a year later Frank (finally) got it right againt McCall but I am sure Mercer would have pressed Frank in a way that McCall could not and would have created an opening for himself. And Mercer could finish people.

I liked Hide and he was exciting as heck.......,but Morrison could crack like hell and would have found a way to put Herbie down and keep him down. And Herbie was not always the smartest tactically when he was in with the division's big hitters.

I think threre would be a danger of Morrison being severely outfoxed by Hide ala Yuri Vaulin but with Hide having better feet but if Hide got too cocky and held his feet for too long it could be lights out. Could easily see Bruno busting up Mercer with the jab but when fit Mercer could really let his hands go which in the later rounds I don't think Frank could withstand, all in all a real shame this show didn't come off.

Hide would crap his pants versus an offensive-minded slugger like Morrison. Tommy can come back from knockdowns and fatigue to destroy guys--did it against more durable, gutsy men than Herbie Hide. Herbie is purely an on top bully. No chin, no heart, totally unravels when hurt. Also, literally all it takes is a glancing blow to get Herbie in serious trouble, and with his bad chin, hands down style and the Duke's fast hands, a glancing blow wouldn't be long coming.

Morrison: more heart, more skill, better powers of recovery and a hell of a hitter. I could only see him scoring a brutal KO, Hide clean out in 2 rds.

I never was a big Mercer fan. Tough guy with an iron chin but not especially fast.

Just a plodder. I feel his power is overrated. He could whack but not a massive puncher.

Bruno just seemed more skilled. He would jab Mercer all night and tie him up when he got in range.

Sort of like when Bruno was shutting out Bonecrusher, boxing smartly and controlling everything with the jab.

Hopefully he doesn't suddenly run out of gas as he did with Smith.

Bruno by unanimous decision, surviving a few rattling right hands.

Hide never seemed like a world class heavy, despite holding a heavyweight title.

He beat the so so Bentt for the title and later a very faded Tucker.

But he couldn't hang at all with Bowe or Klitschko, and I doubt he could hang with The Duke.

Rather smallish and possessing a chin that appeared pretty brittle, it's questionable that Hide could have lasted too many rounds with the hard punching Morrison.

Tommy would be patient, and probably outboxed early by the quicker Hide.

But once Morrison lands his hook, Hide has nowhere to go but down.

Morrison by KO in 4.

Hide vs Morrison was a dream fight for me. I would pick Morrison but not rule out an early ko win for Hide.
Both could swat and both had questionable to say the least chins.
Fun fun fight. Wish it would of happened

Hide vs Morrison was a dream fight for me. I would pick Morrison but not rule out an early ko win for Hide.
Both could swat and both had questionable to say the least chins.
Fun fun fight. Wish it would of happened

Hide was certainly aggressive as a heavyweight - sometimes to the point of being plain daft and not at all tactically smart - and I do reckon he would have gone right for Morrison as well and had some early moments of success.

After all, he went looking for the huge Bowe as well!

But ultimately I think Morrison hits far too hard for Herbie and Tommy's mobility means that he's not swiping at shadows and Herbie was often too proud and simply way too hot-headed to step back either.

I always wonder what Herbie could have done if he'd been naturally 15-20lbs heavier and could follow a gameplan and use his speed (and some patience) to get guys to waste punches, counter punch them to pinch some rounds and go on the attack later in the fight.

Will always remember his fight with Vitali where he simply did not get that this guy was not just big but extremely powerful and could hit like feck and the plan should have been to pinch some early rounds, get Vitali chasing hither and thither and then pick his moments to plant his feet.

But that was never going to be Herbie....who for better or worse did things his way.