I was just watching Bonavena vs Ali. First time i've seen Bonavena fight and he seemed a very tricky opponent, with good power, a good chin and good workrate, [I know that both Ali & Bonavena weren't at their best in this fight]. How do you think he'd have faired against either Klit?
Poorly, Bonavena was a small HW & I don't think he would've been capable of dealing with the Klitschkos' size.
That would be considered Vitali Klitschkos' best attribute, too, if he was fighting in Bonavena's era. Anyway, I think I would bet against Bonavena in these fights. A clash with Wlad would be interesting, though --- Bonavena was a brute physically, with fairly heavy hands, a sturdy set of whiskers, & plenty of resolve with only a limited sense of self-preservation --- he would not content himself to sit idly behind Wlad's long jab & clinch tactics to lose on points, ala too many of Wlad's rivals. He could score the upset in that one. Vitali would be more difficult here. Bonavena isn't going to knock him out, & though I feel confident he can take Vitali's punch, his ability to press his case & close the real estate on such a bigger man would be taxed at mid-range, IMO. I think he'd lose a fairly wide decision.
Bonavena was a half-yard slower than most of todays heavyweights. He really was slow. He would most likely have 10:10 vision by the 5th round with Wlad. He swelled up and he was easy to hit and slow. For all of that "glorious" period of '65-'80, it really did have some very average fighters, and Bonavena was one of them.
