The winners’ bracket final is set, as Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes will fight for the right to advance to the championship round. Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey, Evander Holyfield, Rocky Marciano are still alive and will battle in the third round in the losers’ bracket. George Foreman and Mike Tyson will await them in the fourth round.
Legends of Boxing Heavyweight Tournament Home Page
Losers’ Bracket Second Round
Joe Louis vs. Frank Bruno: After a few ho-hum rounds to start, Louis took over in the fourth round. He took it to Bruno in that round and most of the remaining ones. Louis didn’t get a knockdown, but the referee had to stop the fight in the 10th when Bruno could no longer mount a defense. Louis def. Bruno by technical knockout, 10th round, 1:58.
Lennox Lewis vs. Jack Dempsey: A brutal match went the distance. Dempsey knocked Lewis down three times — in the first, third and eighth rounds — but Lewis kept getting up. And in fact, he had some of his better rounds following the knockdowns. The knockdowns made the difference in Dempsey’s favor, as he won each of those rounds 10-8 on the judges’ scorecards. He needed them, as the final tallies were 115-110, 117-110, and 115-111. Dempsey def. Lewis by unanimous decision.
Evander Holyfield vs. Wladimir Klitschko: Holyfield had a few good rounds, Klitschko had a couple of good rounds, and the rest of them were pretty middling. The judges gave it to Holyfield, 116-112, 117-111, 116-113. Holyfield def. Klitschko by unanimous decision.
Rocky Marciano vs. Riddick Bowe: The bout was close, but Marciano eventually wore down Bowe. After posting his biggest round in the 10th, Marciano landed a flurry of punches early in the 11th and the referee had to step in. Marciano def. Bowe by technical knockout, 11th round, 0:34.
Winners’ Bracket Semifinals
George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali: This one wasn’t a classic between the two old rivals. The match was pretty even after five rounds, but Ali took over from there and won all of the rounds from that point on the judges’ scorecards. Ali was content to play defense, counterpunch, and wear down Foreman, and the strategy worked. There weren’t any big blows until the final seconds of the 12th round, when Ali finally sent Foreman to the canvas, though he was saved by the bell. The judges saw it comfortably in Ali’s favor, 118-109, 117-110, 116-111. Ali def. Foreman by unanimous decision.
Larry Holmes vs. Mike Tyson: This one went the distance too. There were three knockdowns in the bout, two by Holmes in the second and fifth rounds, and one by Tyson in the 11th round. Tyson couldn’t capitalize however, and Holmes easily won the 12th and final round, which turned out to be pivotal. Tyson was also docked a point in the eighth round for a malicious foul, which also proved to be costly. Judges #1 and #2 saw it 114-110 and 113-112 for Holmes. Judge #3 had it 113-112 for Tyson. Holmes def. Tyson by split decision.
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 