Orlin Norris is one of my favorite fighters..the end of his career was not all that good with some sketchy performances with Tyson and Vitali... but he would have been great as a cruiser today as he could have made 200 pounds for a lot longer time if he was around in his prime... not sure but feel like he could have beaten most of the cruisers except for Holy and Gomez ... would have produced some great fights with Haye, Mormeck,Bell, O'Neill and Tiozzo had he come around later
It would have been a thrilling fight. My pick is Qawi. Had more depth and the chin to withstand Orlin's onslaught.
Orlin Norris actually had a decent run at the begining of his heavyweight career. I do however feel that he might have faired better had he just started at cruiser in the first place. Once Holyfield left that division in 1988, the crown was there for the taking, and a prime Norris would have likely unified it with ease. Although I respected his speed, skill, stamina and courage, I always felt that he was stretching himself too much at heavyweight, particularly in an era where being a heavyweight meant being a very large man. Norris just didn't have the sting to hurt too many guys, nor the wingspan to land enough shots..
