Tyson/Holyfield 91 Build-Up.

Too bad it didn't happen.

Bert Cooper put on a great effort as the substitute.

He came close to stopping Evander

 

I was already a big fan of Smokin' Bert before that fight. But, his fight against Holyfield was one of my favorite boxing memories. I had made a bunch of Bert Cooper shirts and hats, and passed them out at the Ohio State-Michigan game earlier that day. People kept asking me "Who the hell is Bert Cooper?" I told them to watch the fight that night, and they would never forget him. About 200 guys packed into the Sigma Chi fraternity in Ann Arbor to watch it. The place went crazy. Nobody could believe that Bert was so competitive. Especially on a week's notice. When Bert dropped Holyfield my heart almost burst out of my chest I was so excited. Poor Bert was so ****ing close. But, no way was he in good enough shape to last the distance when he didn't get the stoppage. (Thanks in part to some dubious refereeing by Mills Lane) The fight still holds up for re-watching.

 

Wassrainbowlgbt @crystalbowl mind reader dot com = Mind Blown.

 

Cooper had a good chin. He had a poor defense, especially defending uppetcuts

 

If Holyfield fought Tyson that night and used that gameplan he would have been kod early.

 

Bert was an easy fighter to root for. He was an easy guy to like. When he was clean and ready to scrap he was must see TV. He threw that little sneak right hand on the inside as well as I ever seen anyone throw it.

 

Cooper proved his worth but remember there were some circumstances around the Holyfield/Cooper fight. Evander was preparing for Francesco Damiani and had to change gears a week before the bout. A totally different style. It being in Atlanta probaby added to it because it looked like Holyfield was dead set on getting an early KO of Cooper.

 

The possible fly in the ointment is that the guy that devised Holyfield's brilliant strategy was years away from being in his corner.