Tua vs Tyson during 1996 who would have won?

Tyson still had faster hands than Tua and equal power. And more accuracy. I'd pick Tyson in this shoot

 

That is pretty damn funny in this context. I wish I'd thought of that.

 

Tyson just wasn't that good though in 1996!

 

Power: Tysons was slightly more explosive while tua's shots were a little more solid and "thudding". Either way, very close. Tyson the better combination puncher, tua kept his power late so it evens out.

Handspeed: tyson

Footwork: n/a its a close range fight between a slugger and a brawler.

Chin: slight edge tua

Strength: probably even

Stamina: tua by a lot

Defense: tyson

Ring iq: tyson

Heart: both lack heart, slight edge tyson

Head movement/reflexes: tyson by a lot

Well essentially this fight would be like a game of chicken, except neither guy backs off and calls the other guys bluff every time. What im getting at is that both guys will be right in front of each other and both like to throw big left hooks. This could be a recipe for disaster for either man.

As we saw in the 1st holyfield fight, tyson had the ring iq to try to counter hooks with uppercuts or seamlessly link one into the other. This combined with his superior handspeed, defense, and combination punching means he will get off first and tag tua hard the first 3 rounds. However, i see tyson getting caught by a big hook maybe 4th round and gets off the floor. He pummels tuas body to slow him down. 5th round both men trade hooks and now tua goes down. Tua now has a lot of built up damage and is breathing hard from all the combinations and body shots. His face is further marked up by tysons explosive onslaught. He catches tyson just barely with another big hook toward the end.

Tyson is ahead on the cards and is basically giving tua a boxing lesson despite his earlier knockdown. The problem is, tua has a granite chin and superior stamina over the 1996 tyson who just isnt the same after prison. Tyson is winded from beating tuas ass and failing to KO him and tua is winded from missing so many punches and getting blasted in the stomach and nailed by counters.

In the 6th round, both men lean against each other for support, a sloppy phone booth fight with light punches meant to just score and bait a response. Tua is finally able to do some damage and land slightly more to win the round. This goes on for 7, then 8 rounds with both mens eyes swollen and barely able to raise their arms. At the end of the 8th, we see a flash of the old tyson. He dodges left to avoid tuad left, then ducks under tuas right, and uses that momentum, weight shifting, and the spring in his legs to land a double right uppercut to the body, a left to the chin, then a big right hand down the middle. Tuas nose bleeds and he loses his mouth piece. He is helpless against the ropes and the swelling is simply too much to see the punchs coming and the corner throws in the towel. Tyson TKO round 8 in a fight that starts out great but becomes a sloppy brawl.

 

No.

There is an element of lazy logic in the argument in that a short, squat fighter with a good chin beat The Bomber twice, so...

But Bruno would not fear Tua, like he did Tyson. Bruno gained confidence when he could bully fighters and Tua was not hardworking enough in the ring to stop that.

Also Tua had an unsaid agreement with Lewis not to throw the left hook, when he tasted that right hand, and Tua was happy to go the distance rather than risk being stopped. Bruno's right was just as powerful as Lewis', just not as educated.

And if Frank is not under pressure, stamina was not an issue. And his chin was solid, his poor instincts when hurt often being his downfall. But eventually Francis programmed in the ability to hold when stunned, and that would be enough against Tua.

I am taking the Bomber on points.

 

Very good breakdown and you achieved to jot down my thoughts in this post. Tua just isn't active enough to win. Will he be able to land a huge bomb near the end? It could happen but Bruno is better than Rahman, Izon, Maskaev and the other decent heavyweights that dominated Tua throughout many rounds. It's not a secret how to beat David Tua. He's extremely limited and was saved on more than one occasion by his late rounds power.

But then again, Bruno has lost most his bouts after dominating and even scared us a bit in that last round against McCall. I think he's big enough and strong enough to keep Tua at bay for 10-12 rounds. Lesser fighters have done it.

 

It took an ATG like Holyfield to beat Tyson in 96. Granted he is not close to his prime, but he was seen as the favorite going into this fight. He would be seen as the favorite in an imaginary meeting with Tua. Tua does not possess the skill or the movement or the work rate to beat Tyson. I know it is popular to say if you stood up to Tyson you could beat him. But at this stage it still required a great fighter to beat him...again Tua does not fit the bill.

 

From the Classic Boxing Forum over 10 and a half years ago: https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/tua-tyson-1996.65315/

 

tua would giv him his autograph and fury would say "gee pop!" Cos he'd be about 8 yr old. but a 6 foot 4 8 yr old.

 

Tyson wouldn’t maintain that sharpness long after round 4 though, Tua would still be there and carried his power late in the fight. If Tyson didn’t get him out by at least the mid rounds he is in big trouble.