Halfway through the competition, four boxers remain undefeated, and the first four have been sent home. George Foreman will face Muhammad Ali in one winners’ bracket semifinal, while Larry Holmes will battle Mike Tyson in the other. Foreman enjoyed an incredibly close victory over Rocky Marciano, which came on the heels of another match just as close that saw Jack Dempsey beat Joe Frazier in the losers’ bracket.
Legends of Boxing Heavyweight Tournament Home Page
Losers’ Bracket First Round
Frank Bruno vs. Ken Norton: After being embarrassed in his first match, Bruno came out with a vengeance in his second match. He sent Norton to the canvas in a dominant second round. He then posted three knockdowns in near succession in the fourth round, the last one ending the bout. Bruno def. Norton by knockout, fourth round, 1:54.
Joe Frazier vs. Jack Dempsey: I’m not sure that we will never again see a bout as close as this one (though, keep reading). Dempsey came out on fire, landing a knockdown in the first minute of the match. He dominated the first five rounds. But Frazier recovered and made up a lot of ground in the middle and later rounds. Dempsey won a close 12th round on all three judges’ cards, and that turned out to be the difference. Both judges #1 and #2 had it tied at 113. Judge #3 scored it 114-113 in favor of Dempsey. It’s a tie in the record book, but that’ll be enough here for him to advance. Dempsey def. Frazier by majority draw.
Wladimir Klitschko vs. James Braddock: Klitschko had an excellent first round, landing some solid blows and bloodying Braddock’s right eye. And, Klitschko had a couple of other dominant rounds. But, a lot of the other closer rounds seemed to go Braddock’s way. It came down to the judges, who awarded it narrowly to Klitschko by scores of 116-112, 116-114 and 115-113. Klitschko def. Braddock by unanimous decision.
Deontay Wilder vs. Riddick Bowe: Bowe dominated the action. He knocked Wilder down at the end of the second round, then didn’t let Wilder land any blows in the third round. Rounds five and six were uneventful, but then Bowe sent Wilder down to the mat twice in the seventh round, and he didn’t get up after the last one. Bowe def Wilder by knockout, seventh round, 1:10.
Winners’ Bracket Second Round
George Foreman vs. Rocky Marciano: Amazingly, the Frazier-Dempsey bout from three battles ago almost met its match here for an incredibly narrow result. Both contestants came out punching, with Marciano taking a first-round edge. Foreman landed several big blows in rounds 2-5. Marciano landed more shots the rest of the way as Foreman tired, though some of the rounds were close. The result would have been another majority draw in Marciano’s favor — except Marciano was docked a point in the 10th round for repeated fouls. That resulted in judges #1 and #2 both having it 114-113 for Foreman, and judge #3 having it tied 114-114. If not for the foul point, Marciano would have advanced here. Foreman def. Marciano by majority decision.
Evander Holyfield vs. Muhammad Ali: Ali controlled every round, and the third and ninth rounds were particularly good, as he landed staggering blows that nearly felled Holyfield. Holyfield could hardly touch Ali, which greatly frustrated him. That boiled over into a series of low blows and flagrant fouls over the course of the fight. After one particularly malicious shot, the referee called for the bell and disqualified Holyfield late in the 10th round. Ali def. Holyfield by disqualification, 10th round, 2:45.
Larry Holmes vs. Lennox Lewis: The fans left this one wanting their money back. Both boxers proceeded cautiously, and very few rounds saw many punches land. Lewis appeared to have the edge in the early rounds, but Holmes came on and controlled things the rest of the way. Holmes had the one big shot of the entire bout, sending Lewis to the canvas with a knockdown to start the ninth round. The judges saw it 118-111, 118-113, 115-114 in favor of Holmes. Holmes def. Lewis by unanimous decision.
Mike Tyson vs. Joe Louis: In the final and perhaps most highly anticipated match, Tyson set the stage early with a second-round knockdown. Most of the remaining rounds were close, but Tyson had the edge in the majority of them, and he landed more big hits. The judges had it 116-110, 115-111, 114-113 for Tyson in the end. Tyson def. Louis by unanimous decision.
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 