this is a fight that i think would be awesome if it happened today. the winner would get one final shot at a strap, and the loser would go away. both of these men have paid their dues and have earned this chance, so what would happen if they fought an eliminator today?

Tua probably cracks him in the mid rounds for a KO, but who knows?

Holyfield by decision, in the past and in the present. He may have stopped Tua ten years ago.

Today Vander would probably win because Tua is shot. A prime Tua absolutely murders a prime Vander though.

"Awesome" isn't the word which comes to mind for me.

Not really into seeig it these days anymore because Tua seems to have something left. I'd rather not see him hit Evander.

Back in the late 90s when it could have happened, it would have been cool. Great style match-up. Guaranteed action fight.

Right now, Evander should not be in the same arena as Tua (yes, even the modern degraded version), let alone the same ring.

A decade ago, hard to say.

A shorter, slower, less skilled man with really only one good punch and no jab is gonna beat a prime Holyfield? Really? At it's very best, it could look like a more one-sided Holyfield/Qawi. But no matter how you slice it, Holy has too much for Tua. Tua would be getting hit with hard combinations from every angle for the entire fight.

If it were peak-for-peak, it might look like large stretches of the Holyfield-Cooper bout played out, where one short, stocky, tough little SOB without the class to win or the defense to block Holyfield's punches takes a lickin' but keeps on tickin'...Tua was more durable than Cooper, his left hook more formidable than Cooper's right hand, & he was a bigger, heavier unit, much more difficult to bully about, like Holyfield sometimes did with the smaller Cooper.

I don't know if Tua has more grit than Cooper showed that night, though, & he'd surely get hit with just as many savage --- if not explosively-powerful --- combos.

Whatever your thoughts on Holyfield's power, as misguided as they are, he is more likely to hurt Tua than the other way around.

I do agree it would look like holyfield/Cooper, and that was a violent beating.

Yes, we have disagreed on Holyfield's power at Heavyweight before. You rate it more highly than I do.

Holyfield was able to hurt just about every single heavyweight he managed to land on. He never had that one punch knockout power, but when he landed flush, your world was rocked. And of course, when he's landing about 3-4 punches at a time on you, you stay rocked for awhile.

I just don't see much way for Tua to beat Holy unless he lands that miracle shot from heaven and hell that can put him away. Holy took bombs from guys like Foreman, Bowe, Cooper, Lewis, Mercer, and Tyson and kept coming back for more. Superior skill, athleticism, speed, and balls carries the day for Holy in a one-sided fight more often than not, prime for prime.

Evander had a strange consistency to rock guys worse than they had ever been rocked before for a guy with no power. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see tua flat on his back.

If Tua gets stopped, it's against the ropes, eating about 15 punches in a row from The Holy One. The only smaller men at heavyweight who has a serious chance at beating Holy is Frazier. Tua lands that left hook and sees Holy coming after him with the fury of God, that fight is over. Tua'll fight back valiantly, but all hope is lost after that. Holy TKO9.

Now? Holy UD.

Ditto.



Everyone would have a better night against Holyfield if they were compared to Bert Cooper. Just easy reasoning. As for Holy being able to hurt Tua, as many have said Evander hurt EVERYONE. I don't think Tua has a better chin than Mercer, Foreman, or Tyson.

As for the fight today, I know Holyfield ain't exactly an all-timer himself anymore, but has anyone SEEN Tua's last few fights? Now the Bert Cooper comparisons are valid, except that you'd have to use the Cooper of today.

Hey guys... who do you think would win if Holy fought Mike Tyson? I figure if Cooper hurt him, Tyson would kill him.

Discuss.

Almost everyone who beat Holyfield (exceptions being Valuev and Donald) had educated right hands. Even southpaws Moorer and Byrd peppered Holy with right hand jabs to take the win.

I would be absolutely shocked if Vander could hurt Tua. Prime Tua's chin was all-time.



FWIW Tyson actually did hurt Holy several times during their first fight. Holy was just clearly very determined not to go anywhere. The man had will, that's for sure..

Evander would suffer the quick humiliating early KO he has avoided throughout his career if he fought Tua now. A terrible idea for a fight and an even more terrible idea that a shopworn 46 year old Holyfield is considering fighting on.

Using todays version of the Real Deal in a mythical match up is silly. I think he would beat Tua ordinarily.

I think the raw power of an earlier Tyson would have overwhelmed Holyfield personally. Yeah Holy is more man and everything but I don’t think that would come into it, Tyson would be hitting him hard and often. Remember Evander wasn’t beyond getting caught and hurt as an early heavyweight. I also wonder if he had the power to really hurt Tyson enough to make him wilt at that time, you had to give Mike a hell of a beating to get him out of there and at the best of time he still has a danger punch, i think Ruddock hurt Tyson more than Holy could have at that time. The way I see it is when they were young Tyson had the edge and when older Holyfield had it.

He was shook a few times, I wouldn't say "hurt," at least for not any length of time. Holyfield's grab-and-walk-down tactics basically sapped Mike's offense.

That’s just unreasonable, Tua's head is made of leather

Good point. The Tyson that Holyfield fought in the first fight was already a washed up fighter. 1988 Tyson vs 1996 Holy (or an earlier version) would probably have gone somewhat differently.

Several times? That's pretty funny.

Tua on his back against Holyfield tickles the funny bone better.

I haven't seen the fight in a decade+. But I clearly remember Tyson throwing at least a couple shots which literally buckled Holyfield's knees.

Certainly possible, though Holyfield by decision is more probable. Tua's chin wasn't any better than Mercer's and he found himself hurt and down for the first time in his life. Same goes for Bowe & Qawi. Nobody hurt comebacking Foreman more than Holyfield and Tyson's chin was damn sturdy as well. He floored many men that people would say he couldn't, in fact, he made a habit out of it.




No, he landed a body shot and an UC that got his attention in the 5th. That was it and there was no knee buckling.

I agree on both accounts.

BTW, if today's version of Holyfield and Tua fight, I think it would be a close fight. Holyfield could win by decision, but I don't know if he will be able to demolish Tua.

This would be an entertaining fight if it took place today.

Maybe a little headbuttin' though.

Entertaining. Not sure how long it goes or if either could stop the other. I could see Holy willing his way to a decision win. I could see Tua landing enough harder shots to keep the judges going his way too. Right now, I say DRAW.

stops tua? hahahah. vander was no murderous puncher at hw in his prime and tua has never showed me he could be in any kind of trouble.

Holyfield would stop Tua with a body shot. Byrd made Tua drop a deuce in his drawers with one.

No one ever went to Tua's body because they feared the incoming. Holyfield would dig in his guts like he was a tapeworm.

He also has a better hook than Tua and it's much more compact. David would have taken a hideous beating.

Holyfield wouldn't stop Tua but he could very well get hurt himself.

How old is Holyfield now? 47? 48?

Seriously we always do prime for prime here, but what about making age even with age?

How many 48 year olds would want a piece of this dude? The list would be pretty short i imagine.

This said above guys is da truff

I imagine most of you have seen this?
Tua and Holy Sparring

Not that it answers any questions, but fun to watch.

I hadn't. Thank you.

never seen that either. too bad vander didn't fight like this against tyson instead of clinching the whole fight. but he won by tko so his plan worked.