I see so much made of Holyfield getting rocked and hurt by Cooper but what is forgotten is that aside from a wide booming right hand followed by two clubbing shots.....That was it for Cooper.The ref rightfully ruled it a KD as the ropes held Holyfield up and he would have been sitting on the ringsiders laps had they not.
Holyfield went from being lined up to fight Mike Tyson......replaced by the world famous Fracisco"creampuff" Damiani......who was replaced on very short notice by Bert Cooper.Thats enough to mess with anyones head...ecspecially fighting in front of your hometown fans.Before and after Holyfields moment of double vision and rubber legs,Holyfield had battered Cooper from the outset,dropping him in the first and almost ending it all right there.After the KD,Holyfield came close to removing Coopers head from his shoulders with some hellacious uppercuts and hit him with everything but the kitchen sink prior to the stoppage.No doubt Holyfield was hurt up in a bad way but I just do not see the automatic translation into Louis bombing him out.Afterall the man stood up to some of the biggest punchers of the last few decades in Foreman,Lewis,Tyson etc. Cooper had a helluva night and really rode that wave into a all time classic with undefeated wrecking ball Michael moorer.Twice depositing him onto the deck but ultimatly succumbing to another KO himself.Heavyweight history is littered with Greats and not so greats being rocked and staggered by guys lesser known but by no means does that define a guys career.....its how you come back from the adversity that speaks volumes.

The whole Holyfield dissing Louis thing,come on man.I do not think for a nano second that Holyfield harbors ill will or fails to recognize Louis as an all time great who had blazed a trail for future fighters such as himself...I see A great that is speaking on another great and how he might fair against him.I also see a fighter who he is on the way out but can not bring himself to walk through the door...even with many telling him to not let it hit him on the backside and to hurry the hell up.Trying to stamp his place amongst the greats.Pompous,arrogant....proud?Yes.But not meant as a slight I believe.