What fighters do you feel "froze" in big fights ?

[FLINT ISLAND]

One obvious one that immediately comes to my mind is

Frank Bruno V Mike Tyson in the 2nd fight

Bruno talked a good game - really talked bold about what he was going to do in that fight

Come fight night that big talk turned to dust

He sh#t himself during the ring walk

And then just tried to hold on for dear life - until Tyson put him out of his misery

Bruno froze

[FLINT ISLAND]

Michael Spinks as well - totally sh#t himself - until Tyson quickly put him out of his misery too.

[liamlion]

Bruce Seldon...

[FLINT ISLAND]

Andrew Golota was hiding in the mens toilets when he should have been warming up for the Lennox Lewis fight he went "missing"

There was a panic - as no Golota = no fight

They eventually found him in the toilets and persuaded him to come out and go through with the fight

And he froze in the ring

And Lennox Lewis qucikly got rid of him

[FLINT ISLAND]

Bruce Seldon...

100 % agree

As Colin Hart said after that fight he had with Tyson

"At least our man (Frank Bruno) took his lumps"

Bruno froze - but was brave enough to get punched and tried to hold on until he could no longer take it

Seldon just was looking for a safe place to lay down on the canvas at the first excuse he had.

[n1ebf]

Enzo Maccarinelli against Haye

[n1ebf]

now get some Kleenex and clean that up boy.

[Deserter]

Surely nothing compares to Johnny Nelson's outings against Carlos De Leon and James Warring? They'd almost hold up in court as evidence that boxing wasn't a combat sport

[stujones]

Scott Welch vs Henry Akinwande.

Danny Williams vs Julius Francis 1

Danny Williams vs Vitali Klitchsko. (took his lumps vs Bruno, but no way was that his game plan).

Henry Wharton vs Nigel Benn

David Starie vs Joe Calzaghe

And I still don't know what Robin Reid was playing at vs Sugar Boy Malinga.

Aint sure if it was Bonecrusher Smith's tactics to showboat, hug and dance (literally doing the tango at some stages) vs Tyson. That was a very well hyped fight - people gave Bonecrusher a chance.

Joe Bugner vs Ali.

Michael Murray vs Herbie Hide.

[Graham Houston]

Johnny Paychek against Joe Louis. :)

[bynino]

woods when he fought tarver

[crusader]

Molitor was scared shit less against Caballero and never came close to mounting any sort of resistance.

[bigjack]

Enzo Maccarinelli against Haye

I don't think he froze, he did have a go but just wasn't good enough, simple as

[jimglen]

Kessler against Joe, shoud have beat him and Eastman against Bhop, on at least 2 ocassions Eastman hurt Bhop and never followed up, once fairly early if I remember. Both these guys I think were overawed by the magnitude of the fight and froze!

[Wales]

Enzo Maccarinelli against Haye

I don't think he froze, he did have a go but just wasn't good enough, simple as

I think he completley bottled it, could tell on the way to the ring his arse had gone.


Not sure about Kessler freezing, not at all.

[Deserter]

Kessler against Joe, shoud have beat him and Eastman against Bhop, on at least 2 ocassions Eastman hurt Bhop and never followed up, once fairly early if I remember. Both these guys I think were overawed by the magnitude of the fight and froze!

Can't agree with either of those. Eastman has always fought in that 'could do better' manner, regardless of the level of the opponent, and Kessler was buzzing Joe with some huge straight rights and was winning the fight until Joe made adjustments - the body shot Joe hit him with (I think it was in the 8th round) that nearly floored Kessler (by Kessler's own admission in post-fight interviews) was the 'watershed' point of the fight and made Kessler far more cautious. He didn't actually freeze at any point in the conventional sense.

[Matt W]

Not sure if I'd go so far as to say he froze but Tyson was clearly very intimidated by Holyfield in their rematch. He looked scared during the instructions and was very muted in the opening rounds. He had a go to start the 3rd but Holy came right back at him and you all know the rest.

Seldon would be my top pick. You can see the moment of realization hitting him during the ref's instructions after all of his silly posturing and dancing on the way into the ring. Terrible.

[Adamj1987]

deffo seldon

froch did he even admitted it vs taylor

[Captain Hook]

Seldon v Tyson
Mac v Haye
Lawal v Naz
Starie v JC

To a point I think Robinson froze against Naz, he looked shell shocked throughout though he kept going bless him.

[forcefraser]

Witter v Judah

I want to say Enzo, but I fear the consequences.

Poor Enzo, every time I think of him now, I picture a guy trussed up and gagged in a garden shed, waiting for the inevitable soilage from Flint Island.

[Chambers2]

Henry Akinwande Vs Lennox Lewis
Bone Crusher Smith Vs Tyson

[Chambers2]

Kessler against Joe, shoud have beat him and Eastman against Bhop, on at least 2 ocassions Eastman hurt Bhop and never followed up, once fairly early if I remember. Both these guys I think were overawed by the magnitude of the fight and froze!

You bin on the crackpipe Jim?

[telboy66]

Most of you guys won't have been born when this fight took place but I was there to see Brian London absolutely freeze when he climbed in the ring with Ali he spent the first two rounds looking for a soft spot & found it in round three luck for us that were watching this embarrassment of a fight

[jimglen]

No Kessler fought a very cautious fight with only a handful of serious advances and he missed the one where he hurt Joe and Eastman was a bit stale and didn't follow up, twice.

[Autobarn]

Enzo Maccarinelli against Haye

surely, this was always where the thread was going.