If Bruno would have followed up after that big right hand he landed on Tyson early on, things could have turned out a little different.. Bruno could punch that's for sure. But... coulda woulda shoulda, Tyson got the job done.
Bruno wasn't a great fighter at all, lacked movement, stamina was poor, but he did have a ramrod jab and a big right hand that could end most fights. Tyson was well out of sorts that night in 89, was a good marker for what happened in Osaka a year later. A prime Tyson would KO Bruno in 2 or 3 rounds most nights.
In fairness Bruno did better than anyone thought he would, and he didn't fight too badly. He even hooked off the jab once or twice. But of course, Tyson was just too ferocious and too quick for Bruno to get off. Bruno complained after the fight that Tyson was just too quick coming in for him to land anything. But looking back, I liked Bruno at a weight of 228 or so. He was strong but still athletic. Once he started hitting the 240+ marker, he just became a bulky, slow target. That is one of the reasons Tyson finished him off more quickly the second time.
I agree, I preferred Bruno around 228 or so he was a better fighter in the 80's. The 90's version was too heavy and slow. One of my favourite performances of his was his fight with Witherspoon. Even though he lost the fight prior to the stoppage he was easily beating one of the better heavyweights of the 80's.
The fight that got me into boxing, Mike was showing signs of decline even here (slow head movement, lack of timing), but still got the job done in style.
