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 What If? Aaron Pryor vs Kostya Tszyu
 By Thomas Gerbasi (July 6, 2004)
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You want fireworks to kick off a week of ‘What If’ bouts? You couldn’t ask for a more explosive matchup than one between current junior welterweight king Kostya Tszyu and 140-pound hall of famer Aaron ‘The Hawk’ Pryor. I won’t even bore you with a list of reasons why this fight would be an all-time classic, because if you don’t know why, you need to hit your history books. So without further ado, and with the aid of the premier boxing simulator, Title Bout Championship Boxing, I give you Pryor vs Tszyu.
Aaron Pryor (39-1, 35 KOs) vs Kostya Tszyu (30-1, 24 KOs)
Madison Square Garden – New York City
Referee – Arthur Mercante Sr.
ROUND ONE – We’re scheduled for 15 rounds here, but no one in the packed Garden crowd expects it to get that far, as both guys hit too hard to be leaving matters up to the judges. The bell rings, and we’re off. Predictably, it’s Pryor who fires off the first volley, using his superior handspeed to land a couple of shots to Tszyu’s head. Tszyu fires back a chopping right that just falls short of the mark. Pryor leaves his hands apart and Tszyu immediately capitalizes with a stiff uppercut and ‘The Hawk’ stumbles backwards into the ropes. As Tszyu walks in, Pryor, head clear, fires a wide right that Kostya easily brushes aside. Tszyu steps in with another uppercut, and again Pryor wobbles for a moment. One minute left and a straight right by Pryor jars Tszyu, but as Pryor tries to follow up, he receives a warning from Mercante for using elbows. 30 seconds left, the two fighters circle warily and Pryor leaps in with a big left that lands flush. Tszyu tries to shake it off but gets nailed with a right cross. As the round ends Tszyu fires back a right of his own and the fighters trade after the bell. ROUND TO PRYOR
ROUND TWO – The two meet in ring center and get tangled up. Mercante breaks them. Pryor rushes right back in and lands a three-punch combination. Tszyu shakes his head and shoots back a combo of his own that lands. Pryor keeps coming forward and Tszyu pushes him back to gain some room to punch. Pryor starts using his jab to set up his right, but can’t land it consistently. Mercante warns Pryor for a low blow. Tszyu is firing but just missing Pryor’s chin. One minute left, Pryor shoots a straight in and Tszyu takes a couple of wobbly steps backwards. The two clinch and Pryor is able to land a big uppercut with his free hand. Pryor appears to be in control. ROUND TO PRYOR
ROUND THREE – Pryor again comes out fast, but Tszyu neutralizes him with a clinch. Pryor throws a triple hook – two to the body and one to the head, and the sweat flies from Tszyu’s head. They battle at close quarters and Pryor uses his shoulder to push Tszyu back before landing a cross to the nose. Tszyu appears to have stopped throwing punches when he suddenly drills Pryor with an uppercut on the inside. Pryor backs off momentarily before stepping back into the fray, where he lands a nice hook to the ribs. Tszyu lands a stiff right just before the bell. ROUND TO PRYOR
ROUND FOUR – Already trailing on the scorecards, the slow-starting Tszyu needs to pick things up. Tszyu fires a couple of power jabs that land flush, and he keeps sticking Pryor from long range. A minute in, Pryor flurries on the inside and steps back out of the way of any return fire. Pryor is in the corner and Tszyu lands a quick hook followed by a vicious uppercut. Pryor works his way out of the corner, but as he turns he eats a right cross flush on the chin. Pryor staggers and Tszyu follows with a left, but before he can do any more damage, the bell intervenes. ROUND TO TSZYU
ROUND FIVE – Looking to re-establish himself, Pryor lands a quick combination to open the fifth. Tszyu remains in front of Pryor, and ‘The Hawk’ responds with a right to the chest and a left hook to the head. A straight right down the middle follows. Tszyu is getting hit a lot this round, and the momentum he had in the fourth seems to have disappeared. Pryor misses a looping left and pays for it as Tszyu drills him with a hard counter. But almost immediately Pryor lands a huge right hand that draws ‘oohs’ from the crowd. The two clinch. Pryor is back in control but Tszyu won’t back down, and the two trade bombs. As the bell rings, they’re both still punching. ROUND TO PRYOR
ROUND SIX – Pryor is moving effortlessly and sticking a whip-like jab in the face of Tszyu, who appears fatigued. After a series of jabs, Pryor shoots in with a big left hook that lands with a thud. Again, Pryor moves to his toes and fires off a series of jabs before jumping in with a hook, and Tszyu is just befuddled. After a number of open gloved slaps by Pryor, he is docked a point by Mercante. That just made Pryor angry, as he lands two overhand rights on Tszyu’s jaw, and just when it appeared that Mercante was going to intervene, Tszyu gamely punches back. A big uppercut lands by Pryor just before the bell, and Tszyu walks wearily back to his corner. ROUND TO PRYOR
ROUND SEVEN – Tszyu’s face is bruised, and even Pryor’s face is showing a little swelling from his opponent’s bombs. Pryor is moving side to side, hands down, looking to land the finisher. Tszyu walks forward into the fire, and throws a looping right hand that stuns Pryor and the capacity crowd. Pryor ducks the follow-up shots and fires in a straight left to keep Tszyu at bay. A right uppercut follows, and again Tszyu appears to be in trouble. Pryor unleashes a furious assault, and suddenly Tszyu is bleeding from above the left eye. ‘The Thunder from Down Under’ gamely takes each shot, with on;y his championship heart keeping him upright. Finally, an uppercut followed by a blinding barrage of blows sends Tszyu to the canvas. Tszyu tries to rise but is unable to beat Mercante’s count, ending the bout at the 2:01 mark.
Your winner, by seventh round knockout, Aaron ‘The Hawk’ Pryor.
At the time of the knockout, Pryor led on all three judges scorecards by tallies of 58-55, 58-56, and 57-56.
Computer Breakdown
To get a decent statistical sample, the fight was run 100 times as a 15 rounder and 100 times as a 12 rounder. The results were decidedly one-sided in favor of ‘The Hawk’
15 round results
Pryor wins 85% of 100 fights, with 82% of those wins coming via KO or TKO. All of Tszyu’s 14 wins (there was one draw) came by KO or TKO.
12 round results
Pryor wins 86% of 100 fights, with every win coming by KO or TKO. Tszyu took 13 bouts (one draw), all by KO or TKO.
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E-Mail Thomas Gerbasi at tgerbasi@mindspring.com
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