Been stuck in my house for the past day suffering from the flu and boredom (I'm not an inside person), so I started thinking of great fights that weren't made during the 90s. The usual match ups I see when discussing missed match ups are the obvious Lewis vs Bowe, Quartey vs Trinidad...etc., so I decided to try and come up with some great match ups that are usually overlooked. My list of great fights not made during the 90s are:
1. Evander Holyfield vs Herbie Hide: Both similar sized heavyweights with fan pleasing, all action styles. Hide had the bigger punch and was more athletic, while Evander was more skilled and had the better chin. I see Evander overcoming some early adversity to take over in the middle rounds and use his combination punching to score a late stoppage.
2. James Toney vs Nigel Benn: Benn was an aggressive fighter who by the mid nineties had developed some underrated defensive skills, while Toney was a defensive wizard who could punch and was one of the few who could match Nigel's volatility in the ring. As tough as Nigel was, and as great as he was against Gerald McLellan, I see Toney being too good and taking Benn apart by slipping and countering between shots.
3. Terry Norris vs Tito Trinidad: Terry was an extremely fast fighter with knockout power in both hands, and Tito was a competent boxer who also packed fight stopping power in each hand. Terry was chinny, and Tito was a bit of a slow starter. I see this being a war, with Tito going down early and falling way behind. Tito was a monster at 154, had great stamina, and an indominatable will, so while he has trouble early, I see his pressure and punch breaking Terry down for the late stoppage.
4. Oscar De la Hoya vs. Kostya Tszyu: Oscars speed, jab, boxing ability, and size against Kostya's relentless pressure, physical style inside, and power. Kostya would have success throughout this fight, but Oscar would do enough to eke out the close, disputed decision.
These are the top 4 match ups I came up with. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on my match ups, and if there are some additional match ups that I may have missed.
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