Most likely Patterson by knockout. You have to impose yourself on Patterson and take control early. Bruno likes to back up too much, which I don't see ending well for him.
I believe this could go either way, might edge towards the size of Bruno on most occasions, but Patterson could definitely hurt him, he certainly wasn’t featherfisted, and he was certainly more skilled than Floyd Cummings who nearly had Bruno stopped.
Bruno was a handful for Lewis, Witherspoon and Smith. It would be tough for Patterson one way or the other
Yeah but Bruno was bigger than Sonny and possibly hit harder. Who knows. I don't see this being easy for Floyd at all. In fact I'd make Bruno the favorite based on his size and power. He was only stopped by giants and possessed some skills as well. Patterson may connect but not enough in succession over the course of the fight to get the job done. If Bruno came in confident, and I'm sure he will, and doesn't let his stamina fail him as I see him taking this one by possible KO. Nobody beat Bruno easily except for Tyson in their rematch where Bruno cashed out.
The Rabbit vs the Rabbit Puncher. I’ll take the puncher, which in this case is obviously Frank. An amateur knocked Floyd down. I like the chances that Frank does the same and doesn’t let Patterson off the hook.
Frank could possibly be too heavy handed for Floyd. Patterson's chin was just too shaky for me to have confidence in him here.
Let's be honest this is like a proper heavy against a cruiser. Patterson would have to stick and move all night long. He can't exchange with Bruno because he'd get his iffy chin blown to bits. Bruno also has a good jab, which is a decent antidote to a slippery guy. I mean, if Patterson puts on a masterclass he could win, but the more likely outcome is that FB knocks his ass out sooner or later.
Unfair to say Bruno cashed out. We now have the benefit of hindsight and Frank had already faced and fought well against a much more fearsome version of Tyson, the one he fought in the second fight was there for the taking. Frank was some way into his mental health issues at this time and we will never know how many demons accompanied him into the ring that night. I genuinely thought he'd do Tyson in that fight such was the diminished aura and ability Mike then had, and the newfound confidence I assumed Frank winning the title would bring...
It's an interesting one. One of those where the clearly better all-time fighter is significantly smaller, and you have to try and factor in how those variables would play out. Stylistically, Patterson has similar qualities to Tyson. Bruno had terrible trouble with Tyson; for all the hoo-ha about the punch he landed in the Round 1 of the first fight, for the other 7 and a half rounds they were in the ring together, Tyson was completely dominant in the exchanges. Bruno had no answer to the speed, combination punching and aggression, and resorted to holding and fouling to stay in both fights. Bruno lost to the other top fighters he faced, but he had a lot more success (even against Lewis). If Patterson was a bit bigger, it would be a straightforward stylistic pick. However, it's hard to look past the 40-50lbs Bruno could have on him. Chuvalo is probably the best "big man" win on his record, but that was only by the standards of the era when heavies weren't as large. It's hard to look past the size difference, especially when Floyd has that shaky chin and physical vulnerability. It's probably too much to overcome, and Bruno probably stops him.
