World Class "Journeyman" Fighters

[Russell]

Originally Posted by Hookie

Buck Smith- he fought 226 pro bouts and most of his 20 losses came while he was well past prime. He went 179-20-2 (120) 25ND overall and stopped 9 times. All of the stoppage losses came very late in his career. He fought 3 ND vs. Harold Brazier (the first was a 15 rounder).

Stopped Kirkland Laing with one punch as well. Guy could whack a bit.

[Hookie]

Some were supposed to be something special due to good amateur careers or a few good wins early on but became journeymen. Some of these guys still were close to being world class.

Larry Donald- I was never a fan of his but he was usually tough to beat and even tougher to look good against. He decisioned Jeremy Williams and stopped Bert Cooper in 7 prior to facing Bowe. He won about 1 or 2 rounds vs. Bowe but he proved he had a very good chin (he actually proved that when he took a bare knuckle shot from Bowe at the press conference). He beat Ahmed Abdin W12, Jose Ribalta KO6, Tyrell Biggs KO2, and Tim Witherspoon W12. He won 20 out of 20 rounds vs. Levi Billups and Ross Puritty just like a world class fighter should.

He stopped Phil Jackson in 5 but had to settle for a draw vs. Obed Sullivan. He lost a somewhat close fight vs. Kirk Johnson. He was stopped in the 10th round vs. V. Klitschko in a WBA title eliminator (his only KO loss).

He outboxed Holyfield over 12 rounds in 2004. He drew with Ray Austin in 2005. He lost a very close and somewhat questonable decision to Valuev in 2005. After almost a 2 year layoff he lost a lop-sided decision to Povetkin in his last pro fight.

[Legend X]

Originally Posted by Beeston Brawler

There's a massive difference between an old fashioned journeyman and the pale imitations that we see now, with their 2-189-3 records.

A journeyman footballer or rugby player is actually quite good by definition.... just not a top class performer.

Win some, lose some, mainly to the better people you face.

Most ''journeymen'' these days shouldn't be fighting.

A proper journeyman is what's now politely called a ''gatekeeper''.

A guy with a 2-189-3 record is not a journeyman.
He's a set-up.
A tomato can.
A stiff.

[AREA 53]

Going back aways, a Journeyman was a guy who had a "Have Bag will Travel"
mentality, Experianced fodder for young prospects to gain experiance with, often travelling overseas to their backyards and at short notice, Good Journeymen could sometimes spring an upset and look forward to a return decent payday for a revenge return Tom "the Bomb" Bethea had a few notable european escapades like this.

A trailhorse was seen as similar to a journeyman, but not so willing to travel overseas, perhaps not quite having accepted the role of opponent and stepping stone.

Many a Journeyman and Trailhorse may of started off as bright prospects in their own right but Like in Life itself...for whatever reason...Ambitions remain unfulfilled.

[Boxalot]

First one that came to mind was Jimmy Young, although perhaps that's a bit harsh on him.

More recently, Carlos Molina has a 'journeyman' record in terms of numbers but is a very capable fighter who bossed James Kirkland and Carlos Cintron, and fought the highly skilled Erislandy Lara to a draw which many felt he won.

[Drew101]

Carlos Baldomir
Freddie "Red" Cochrane
Jorge Vaca