I would make Oscar the favorite in both fights. Henry was a very good fighter but he had a shaky chin and the tendency to cut. In a long range fight I could see Ringo breaking him down
Agreed. Though Ali stopped Bonavena with a left hook. If Cooper landed clean left hooks early, he certainly has a chance. But i think Oscar wins late.
My head says Bonavena but Cooper ... who I've always sort of liked ... is a live underdog if he doesn't bleed. Guy could hit.
Fight could go either way. Bonavena had the power and strength, but his stamina was suspect after 5 or 6 rounds against good competition, and he was sucker for counters, so I see Bonavena and Copper splitting wins with each other.
Another of those styles make fights scenario's. Bonavena liked to get in close. He crowded his opponents , pushed them off balance rough housed them. That's where he beats Cooper in my opinion. Cooper had one of the most powerful left hooks in the history of heavyweight boxing. But he needed room to use it to it's maximum effectiveness. Bonavena wouldn't give him the room. Bonavena would crowd Cooper, keep him off balance. and he was almost thirty pounds heavier than Cooper. This fight could be shockingly one sided for Bonavena . Bonavena wins in around 5-6 rds. by stoppage, or cuts.
Cooper was a lot more erratic than the general perception. He was capable of outboxing very capable opponents, dropping and stopping durable guys, and was an excellent finisher when he had a guy hurt. On the other hand, he could drop decisions to journeymen, look out of his depth when getting bombed out at world-level, and his skin was notoriously susceptible to cuts. Obvious example, it's hard to reconcile the guy who dropped Clay and gave a prime Ali a good go for 6 rounds, with the guy who got obliterated by Patterson. Boxing maths, Cooper split fights with Folley who beat Ringo, so it's not out of the question that Cooper could outbox Bonavena with that stellar jab. On balance though, Cooper was a small heavy, Bonavena had a great chin and had one of those awkward, mauling styles that was often far more effective than it looked. Bonavena generally inhabited a level above where Cooper was for most of his career. The most likely scenario is Bonavena gets to him mid rounds for either a conventional stoppage or TKO. In the two fight scenario, it's possible Cooper wins the first if the stars align, but Bonavena would rectify that in the rematch.
