Frank Bruno v Herbie Hide.

[IRLangmaid25]

A nice tasty domestic showdown between two popular British Heavyweights of the 1990s. Who do you have in this one?

[Flump]

Hmm, let's think about that one. Bruno, as soon as he lands, probably inside 3 rounds, maybe sooner.

[Datsue]

Hmm, let's think about that one. Bruno, as soon as he lands, probably inside 3 rounds, maybe sooner.

[Tuan_Jim]

Bruno would KO Hide in round one, with a jab.

[Bodyshot3]

Hide's sheer weirdness mixed-up with flashes of genuine, god-given talent make a few of these match-ups a bit tricky to call in my opinion. He was Mr. Unpredictable; a big win there, an inexplicable meltdown there.

The way he hijacked a much bigger, experienced guy like Tucker who was not completely shot to bits was impressive and he took Damon Reed to pieces in very short-order the next time out as well. There was a small window between 1996-1998 when Hide (coming back from the Bowe fight) was very dangerous indeed.

But...I'd still go with Frank. Too much power and pure, heavyweight bulk and he'd come into the fight wanting to give Herbie a proper hiding. The nasty, ruthless side of Bruno was always there and a gobby Hide gets clubbed on the ropes in or around the sixth round for my money.

[Rexob]

Bruno by KO after getting mullered for 2 rounds!

[Flump]

Hide's sheer weirdness mixed-up with flashes of genuine, god-given talent make a few of these match-ups a bit tricky to call in my opinion. He was Mr. Unpredictable; a big win there, an inexplicable meltdown there.

The way he hijacked a much bigger, experienced guy like Tucker who was not completely shot to bits was impressive and he took Damon Reed to pieces in very short-order the next time out as well. There was a small window between 1996-1998 when Hide (coming back from the Bowe fight) was very dangerous indeed.

But...I'd still go with Frank. Too much power and pure, heavyweight bulk and he'd come into the fight wanting to give Herbie a proper hiding. The nasty, ruthless side of Bruno was always there and a gobby Hide gets clubbed on the ropes in or around the sixth round for my money.

Yeah, good win that, against Damon Reed.

Hide's problems always started when someone hit him back. I actually think Bruno might have taken him out in a clinch.

[Tuan_Jim]

Tony Tucker was absolutely shot to bits. He was also out of shape and fresh out of his latest spell in rehab.

Citing Damon Reed as an impressive performance is like saying a fighter 'looked good against Peter McNeeley'. Also, Reed went down under glancing blows.

[orbtastic]

Bruno KO1

[polecateddy]

Bruno would have been left for dead speed-wise but was heavy handed enough to take a peak Hide out against the run of play. Bruno in 5.

[misterpunch]

hide will look good...for a round and a half. Bruno lands a straight left jab and another (harder)...herbie thinks about it and effectively loses interest in the fight. it is stopped after the second, fairly innocuous knock down just before the bell

[meahdem]

big frank would of mullered herbie.

[bollox]

Being a bit rough on Herbie me thinks. I thought he showed some real guts to keep getting up against Bowe. Still, Bruno wins this one. But only becasue he's not petrified and doesn't freeze up as a result

[Heartbreak_Kid79]

Franks losses came against good fighters (or great in terms of Tyson/Lewis).
People like to joke about him, but he wasn't as bad as people make out.

Frank would tag Herbie within the first 6 rounds and its game over

[Datsue]

I think Flump's assertion that there was a good chance Bruno might KO him in a clinch is the most likely outcome here.

[ClivePatrickLyons]

Bruno a class above Hide

[Mick the Mechanic]

Franks losses came against good fighters (or great in terms of Tyson/Lewis).
People like to joke about him, but he wasn't as bad as people make out.

Frank would tag Herbie within the first 6 rounds and its game over

This.

[bollox]

How would Frank go with Hide's speed? I don't reckon he'd do so well with it and people tend to remember Hide in his later career rather than the earlier part of it

[HomicideHenry]

Bruno was all heart and game and willing and fought harder in the face of danger... but for the life of me I never understood all the Bruno fans and them constantly bringing him up in hypotheticals. He fought alot of limited, and near ancient fighters on the way up--- and that's why he simply couldn't amount to much of nothing when he finally got near the fringe. He could beat Jumbo Cummings and some others like that, but he couldn't do nothing with Tyson.

As for Herbie... he had all the things I'd want to see in a fighter... skills, speed, charisma, great conditioning, etc. but the thing that got in the way of Herbie was his own self. He was too brave (and too arrogant) for his own good. I give him credit, he wasn't afraid of monster sized men like Bowe and Klitschko... but holy hell he got clobbered. That being said, I see this as being a very entertaining fight with Herbie either winning wide on points, or Herbie gets in the way of himself (typically) and Bruno pulls off a late KO victory.

[Bodyshot3]

As for Herbie... he had all the things I'd want to see in a fighter... skills, speed, charisma, great conditioning, etc. but the thing that got in the way of Herbie was his own self. He was too brave (and too arrogant) for his own good. I give him credit, he wasn't afraid of monster sized men like Bowe and Klitschko... but holy hell he got clobbered. That being said, I see this as being a very entertaining fight with Herbie either winning wide on points, or Herbie gets in the way of himself (typically) and Bruno pulls off a late KO victory.

HomicideHenry...think you have summed-up Herbie pretty well.

I still find it intriguing to think what might have happened if he'd used the ring against Vitali and basically used his speed to dart in-and-out of range. He made it easy for Vitali that night by being way too macho and also perhaps a touch disrespectful as well...and I can't help thinking he probably ignored a gameplan that involved always being on the move and using his speed to launch rapid, fleeting attacks. My best guess is that he did not think too much off Vitali or did not do his homework....and then paid a heavy price for not listening to his team.

[elev8]

old thread I know, but hey.
Hide flat on his back fast asleep within 3 :)

We know all about Frank's limitations, but as has been said his losses were to good fighters.
He fought Tyson(1) right at the top of his game, and was the first to rock him to his boots.
He asked questions of Tyson that night which nobody had asked previously.
As we now know, Tyson had enough about him to gather himself and answer emphatically like a boxer, showing us all he was much more than just an attack dog. But after that night we felt every opponent he faced at least had a chance. Before that night we did not.
Frank lost the fight but Iron Mike lost his aura of invincibility.

No way is Herbie Hide gonna live with the man who did that.

[Bodyshot3]

@elev8...yup an old thread, but also a good one and some interesting thoughts on Frank.

The one thing about Herbie was that whilst he had talent to burn he was as daft as a brush when in against the big men....just far too macho when a smarter, more elusive and patient gameplan could have paid dividends or equalled things out somewhat.

It was brave to press it against Bowe - but having been put through that ordeal once - it was just silly to try and stay within range against Vitali.

But as I stated before, I really don't think that Herbie thought Vitali was any good so he felt he could press things. I can vaguely recall some of his press interviews from the time and he really was pretty dismissve of VK. Whether that was bravado or ignornace is up for debate.

Whether he would have applied some smarter tactics for Frank - a big beast and a well-known entity on the British block - seems like a good question to ask and why the fight's outcome might not be so clear cut.

Surely even Herbie might have twigged that staying on the move against a monster puncher like Bruno, and picking the right moment to attack, was the way to win that fight.

Then again, Herbie did what Herbie liked!

[ClivePatrickLyons]

When Hide gets cornered by Bruno it would be good night Irene in round 4