I'm saying Tyson by a brutal knock-out by the end of the 4th.
Here's an interesting article from
[url]www.espn.com[/url] --
Can Nielsen Win ?
<table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=642 border=0> <tbody> <tr> <td width=634 colspan=3>
By Henry Rassmussen
</td></tr> <tr valign=top> <td width=502> Brian Nielsen is 62-1, 43 KOs. He has beaten Larry Holmes, Tim Witherspoon, Jeremy Williams, Tony Tubbs, Orlin Norris, Mike "Bounty" Hunter, Lionel Butler, James "Bonecrusher" Smith, Phil Jackson, Ross Puritty, Carlos De Leon, Crawford Grimsley, Peter McNeeley and Dick Ryan. Still most American media dub Nielsen the "Danish Pastry." A boxing expert at USA Today claims that Nielsen's record is "fabricated." And even in Denmark, a lot of people don't believe in Nielsen's abilities. So what is he doing wrong? How come he was dumped by Don King as a suitable opponent for Hasim Rahman, despite the fact that Nielsen dominated and floored Rahman when they used to be sparring partners. How come Nielsen just can't seem to win, even when he wins (and he does that all the time)? Why is it that an Olympic bronze medalist was written off as a professional prospect by many experts, even before he had thrown a pro punch? Why is it that when Nielsen erased Tim Witherspoon in four rounds, Witherspoon was "completely washed up," while three years later when Witherspoon was set to fight Danny Williams of England, Witherspoon was labeled as "still a very lively and dangerous opponent"? Why is it that when Nielsen wiped the floor with an overrated Jeremy Williams, people cried "fix"? Well, first of all, Nielsen doesn't look the part. He is flabby and he looks clumsy. He is a happy go lucky type of guy who enters the ring to Monty Python's "Always Look at The Bright Side of Life." He is not the kind of ferocious guy, who goes into prison for rape or robbery that seems to the fashion among fighters these days. And "nice guys finish last," they say. But what is the fistic truth about a fighter who after all was one of the best in the world as an amateur. Who has never been beaten by a better fighter in 63 pro fights. Who has only been knocked down once, amateur or pro. And who has been as high as No. 3 on the IBO computer rankings. The main characteristics are: Brian Nielsen doesn't have a really explosive punch. But he throws a lot of punches, and he has surprisingly fast hands. He does hit solidly with either hand, especially to the body. Ask Witherspoon, Williams, Tubbs or Butler. He has quite a variety of punches in his arsenal. He is a big guy with fine stamina for guy of his weight and stature. He can take a punch. Most of all, he has guts and heart. And he wins fights. Let's look at some of those wins:
Larry Holmes - won split 12-round decision, 1997: This was not one of Nielsen's better fights, as he had trouble with the long jab of Larry Holmes. Old man Holmes was 83-6 at the time, and 11-1 in the previous four years. He had lost on points to Oliver McCall, but he had beaten Ed Donaldson, Jesse Ferguson and Jose Ribalta. In the fight following the Nielsen encounter, Holmes out-pointed Maurice Harris, albeit controversially.
Tim Witherspoon - won KO in fourth, 1999: This was one of the most impressive win of Nielsen's career. He simply walked through Witherspoon who took counts in every round, and Witherspoon was judged as completely finished. The truth was, however, that "Terrible Tim" (46-9 coming in) came off a string of close fights, losing decisions to Ray Mercer, Larry Donald, Jimmy Thunder and a tough one against Andrzej Golota, but beating Al Cole and Jorge Luis Gonzalez. Since then, Witherspoon has proven himself to be far from finished, beating guys like David Bostice (KO 1), Eliecer Castillo (W 10) and Cleveland Woods (KO 1).
Tony Tubbs - won TKO in the fourth, 1995: Tubbs was very much a "live opponent" when Brian Nielsen beat him in a fast-paced fight, showing the best of Nielsen. Tubbs was 42-7, and in the previous 4 years had beaten Jesse Ferguson (W10), Bruce Seldon (W 10), Alex Zolkin (W 10), Jose Ribalta (KO 3) and Tyrrell Biggs (KO 3), while losing to Lionel Butler (KO1), Riddick Bowe (L 10), Jimmy Thunder (L 12) and to Alex Zolkin in a controversial decision only three months before facing Nielsen. In his only fight after Nielsen, Tubbs KO'd Mario Melo in Argentina.
Mike "Bounty" Hunter - won TKO in the fifth, 1996: Clever Hunter (26-6-2 at the time) was a much-avoided fighter, having within the previous 4 years outpointed such names as Dwight Braxton, Pinklon Thomas, Jimmy Thunder, Oliver McCall, Osvaldo Ocasio, Tyrrell Biggs and Alex Zolkin, while losing to Francois Botha (L 8) and Zolkin (L 10 in a rematch). Nielsen had trouble catching Hunter for a couple of rounds, but eventually caught up.
Lionel Butler - won KO in the first, 1998: Unpredictable Butler (28-13-1 at the time) was 9 out of 12 in the previous 4 years. His three losses were against Lennox Lewis (KO 5), Chris Byrd (TKO 8) and Michael Grant (DQ 4), but he came off a TKO 9 win over Cleveland Woods. Nielsen knocked out Butler with a right to the solar plexus.
James "Bonecrusher" Smith - won TKO in the fifth, 1994: The Bonecrusher was fading at the time, having recently been stopped by Lionel Butler and outpointed by Michael Moorer. He came off a points loss against then-German hopeful Axel Schultz, for whom it was considered an important win. Nielsen won on a cut eye after a clash of heads but he did not have much trouble with Smith.
Jeremy Williams - won KO in the fifth, 2000: Overrated Williams was 12-2 over the previous 4 years, losing to Henry Akinwande (KO 3) and Maurice Harris (L 10), but beating Phil Jackson (KO 1) and Marcus Rhode (TKO 2). Nielsen beat Williams all over the place.
Orlin Norris - won 12 decision, 2001: Former WBA cruiser champ Norris was 8-4, 1 NC since moving to heavyweight. He had lost to Vitali Klitschko (KO 1), Andrzej Golota (L 10), Henry Akinwande (L 12) and of course in reality was KO'd by Mike Tyson. On the other hand, he had beaten Pele Reid (KO 1), Cleveland Woods (TKO 6), Tony Tucker (W 10) and Marion Wilson (W 10). Nielsen changed his style for the fight, boxing cautiously and technically behind a jab, and allowed Norris too much room. Hopefully, it was simply an experiment against an opponent they didn't believe Nielsen could lose to. There was no doubt about the decision for Nielsen, though.
Phil Jackson - won KO in the seventh, 1996: Jackson (44-3 coming in) came off a loss against Chris Byrd (L 12) and prior to that had lost only to Lennox Lewis (KO 7 in a WBC title fight) and Donovan Ruddock (KO 4). He had KO'd Lionel Butler and Carl Williams. After the Nielsen fight, Jackson has been somewhat on the slide, but still managed to beat Alex Stewart (W 10) and Ray Anis (TKO 2).
Ross Puritty - won four-round decision, 1994: Puritty was 6-6 and considered strictly an "opponent" when Nielsen outpointed him in Los Angeles. Since then Puritty has lost only to name heavyweights: Kirk Johnson (L 6), Hasim Rahman (L 10), Michael Grant (L 10), Corrie Sanders (L 12 in a title fight), Larry Donald (L 12), Chris Byrd (L 10) and Eliecer Castillo, while drawing with Tommy Morrison and Frankie Swindell. Puritty has won more than he has lost, however, and among his victims are Wlad Klitschko (TKO 11), Jorge Luis Gonzalez (TKO 7), Mark Hulstroem (KO 2) and Joe Hipp (TKO 10). And what about the rest of the Nielsen victims? Well, Crawford Grimsley (TKO 6) came off a brave 12 rounds battle with George Foreman. Don Steele (KO 2), Joey Guy (W 8) and Damon Reed (W 8) were all unbeaten, albeit not against quality opposition. Carlos de Leon (TKO 3), Jeff Lampkin (W 8) and James Pritchard (KO 3) were all ex-cruiser champs. Dale Crowe (W 8), Shane Suttcliffe (KO 5), Troy Weida (KO 8), and Benji Baker (KO 6) at least came to fight. Dick Ryan (W 8) and Daniel Franco (W 8) took their punishment in stride. Other recognizable names may be Garing Lane (KO 2), Marcus Rhode (KO 2), Andy Sample (TKO 2), Jeff Lally (TKO 2), Wimpy Halstead (KO2), Doug Davis (TKO 6), Salvador Maciel (KO 3), George Linberger (TKO 2), Dan Murphy (TKO 2) and Terry Ray (TKO 5). And the rest is silence, even well known human punchbags as Peter McNeely (KO 3) and Tony la Rosa (KO 2). And how about the loss, then? Nielsen did run out of gas against Ryan the first time out, didn't he? No he didn't, he ran out of water for a number of reasons: He was ill before the fight, having diarrhea and vomiting. The day of the fight was very hot, and it was even hotter in the venue. Nielsen fought the first few rounds at a grueling pace. And, worst of all, the American cornerman refused to let Nielsen drink between rounds. The result was a serious dehydration. In the last couple rounds Nielsen stumbled around, hardly knowing were he was, while a battered Ryan was too worn out to punch back. Nielsen eventually collapsed and ended up in hospital were it turned out that he was short of 10 liters of fluid, which is a life-threatening condition. Okay, so what do I make of all this? Is Brian Nielsen a favorite against Mike Tyson? Of course not. Is he an opponent that Mike Tyson should take seriously? Yes, he is! If Tyson is not up for this one, he might be in for a major surprise. Chance is that Tyson catches Nielsen early and gets it over with, but if if he doesn't? Hey, you never know! What then, if Nielsen actually wins? Well, I'm afraid that it will be interpreted as a "fluke", Tyson will be labeled as "finished anyway" and Nielsen will have "caught a lucky one", and investigations will be made into whether the fight had been fixed, and whether Nielsen had been doped. Because we can't have a "Danish Pastry" atop the boxing world, can we? Just think about the American TV public! Or do fairy tales still happen? This is Denmark, after all.</td></tr></tbody></table>
