BoxRec

I think it was be a great fight.

Holyfield hands down.

Holyfield by KO 4 in a completely one-sided fight!

It's actually not that great a fight in that Frank is very stiff and slow in comparison. He would really take a beating in the second half and get stopped.

Holyfield KO 5 or 6. One sided fight

Once Holyfield gets past Bruno's hard, but predictable jab, it's the Real Deal all the way.
Tears the Brit apart on the inside and stops him in the 7th.

It's not great if you like Bruno. Holyfield in a pretty one sided display.

I think some, a decade and a half or so after the fact, are forgetting that Holyfield wasn't just another contender who was around for awhile. He was an ATG.

No question it's a comfortable win for Holy, probably by KO later in the fight, but those predicting he takes Frank apart in a couple of rounds are forgetting more about Bruno than Holy. Every Bruno but the one from the last Tyson fight is competitive in the first half and lasts into the second. If it's the Holy of the Cooper fight, Bruno would make it very tough for him; he hit harder than Cooper, and though I don't see him keeping Evander on the floor, Holy wasn't great that night. I suspect Vander's will would take him to the win even on that night, but Bruno could put him through as much hell as Cooper did.

SamWise72 wrote:No question it's a comfortable win for Holy, probably by KO later in the fight, but those predicting he takes Frank apart in a couple of rounds are forgetting more about Bruno than Holy. Every Bruno but the one from the last Tyson fight is competitive in the first half and lasts into the second. If it's the Holy of the Cooper fight, Bruno would make it very tough for him; he hit harder than Cooper, and though I don't see him keeping Evander on the floor, Holy wasn't great that night. I suspect Vander's will would take him to the win even on that night, but Bruno could put him through as much hell as Cooper did.

That's a fair assessment.

gilgamesh wrote:

SamWise72 wrote:No question it's a comfortable win for Holy, probably by KO later in the fight, but those predicting he takes Frank apart in a couple of rounds are forgetting more about Bruno than Holy. Every Bruno but the one from the last Tyson fight is competitive in the first half and lasts into the second. If it's the Holy of the Cooper fight, Bruno would make it very tough for him; he hit harder than Cooper, and though I don't see him keeping Evander on the floor, Holy wasn't great that night. I suspect Vander's will would take him to the win even on that night, but Bruno could put him through as much hell as Cooper did.

That's a fair assessment.

I doubt he takes Bruno lightly.

barry wrote:Holyfield by KO 4 in a completely one-sided fight!

Yup

Holyfield definitely wins, but I do think it would maybe be more competitive than people are suggesting. If Frank came out strong and really worked the jab early he could give Holyfield issues, and Holyfield didn't have the power of the guys who stopped him (Tyson, Smith, Witherspoon, Lennox) but ultimately Holyfield's counter-punching and conditioning would likely see Frank stopped on his feet in the late rounds.

The End wrote:

barry wrote:Holyfield by KO 4 in a completely one-sided fight!

Yup

I don't think Holyfield has the fire power to win so quickly. He would have to let Frank wear himself out.

I agree that it's likely he'd take Bruno more seriously than Cooper, but a quick blowout; I just don't see it. The only person that blew Frank out quick was Tyson, and Holy didn't have that kind of power or presence. He'd be more likely to outclass Frank than Tyson was, because he was an all round better fighter, but he's not going to steamroll him.

Not one-sided at all. But only one winner.

It would be fairly even until about the 7th when Holyfield lands clean and Frank's arms become too heavy for him.

Bruno, other than Tyson where he got blown away, always did pretty well in defeat.

Ezzard wrote:Not one-sided at all. But only one winner.

It would be fairly even until about the 7th when Holyfield lands clean and Frank's arms become too heavy for him.

Bruno, other than Tyson where he got blown away, always did pretty well in defeat.

This. Exactly this.

SamWise72 wrote:

Ezzard wrote:Not one-sided at all. But only one winner.

It would be fairly even until about the 7th when Holyfield lands clean and Frank's arms become too heavy for him.

Bruno, other than Tyson where he got blown away, always did pretty well in defeat.

This. Exactly this.

I don't know. The mid-17 stone version that fought Lewis looked hellish slow and clumsy. I think Holyfield would have a pretty easy time of it if in form.

The mid 17 stone version who outboxed Lewis for the early going, you mean? And who the much harder punching Lewis couldn't blow through?

SamWise72 wrote:The mid 17 stone version who outboxed Lewis for the early going, you mean? And who the much harder punching Lewis couldn't blow through?

I'm not suggesting Holyfield 'blows through.' I think 7-9 rounds is realistic. Lewis was off form and cold in that fight (outdoors), and to be fair far from the rounded fighter Manny made him. But you only have to watch the fight on You Tube to see Frank was very stiff and ungainly at that weight. Holyfield would run rings around him.

Though Holyfield was not a puncher in the league of a Marciano, or Shavers, he did nonetheless have very good power. He could certainly stun a fighter and the finish him off. Bruno's slowness is why I say Holyfield by KO 4.

barry wrote:Though Holyfield was not a puncher in the league of a Marciano, or Shavers, he did nonetheless have very good power. He could certainly stun a fighter and the finish him off. Bruno's slowness is why I say Holyfield by KO 4.

I would add that the 16 and a half version of Bruno was faster and would last longer.