And what were your reactions to them at the time? Morrison vs. Bentt Angel Manfredy vs. Courtney Burton Purrity vs. Wlad Laing vs. Duran
Morrison vs. Bentt: I laughed at the time, Morrison pretty much had a Lewis bout in the bag and was using this bout as a homecoming. A few in the know (thus not me) figured Bentt for the upset, but the most shocking part was the quickness. Angel Manfredy vs. Courtney Burton: Manfredy was pretty much damaged goods, it was not much of an upset. Purrity vs. Wlad: East Europeans were not taken seriously and a lot of people were saying I told you so when Wlad was upset. Laing vs. Duran: Huge, huge upset; Duran, New Orleans or not, still had that aura, and anyone who had seen the Laing/Jones fights knew Kirkland did not stand a chance. No one could quite believe it when it happened, least of all Laing, who literally went missing for a year.
morrison vs bentt: cant put muscles on a chin. manfredy vs burton: not much of a reaction. i knew manfredy was done.......so not really surprised he got whooped. puritty vs wlad: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHHHH Laing vs duran: roberto, stop drinking, start training.
Your mention of Morrison, TB, brings this incident to mind: Tommy Gallagher trained Yuri Vaulin, a tall, light-hitting Russian cruiserweight. Vaulin was matched with Tommy Morrison, who was on track for a title fight, in a main event on national TV. It was supposed to be no more than tune-up for Morrison. From round one through four, the Russian surprised everyone, out jabbing and out boxing Morrison. The crowd and Gallagher sensed an upset -- the big money for Vaulin was in grasp. Suddenly, in the 5th round, Morrison caught the Russian with a left hook to the body. He crumpled to the canvas and couldnt beat the count. The TV announcer jumped into the ring and shoved a mic in Gallagher's face while he ministered to the Russian. "Tommy! Tommy! your kid was so close to being a contender. What happened?" "The cocksucker quit!" Gallagher said coast-to-coast.
Lol, Tommy had a point... But to be fair to Vaulin himself and then Zolkin began the Eastern European Heavyweight Revolution IMO.