Biggest waste of potential?

Maybe also Lewis.

Certainly didn't waste the most of all, but he was lazy like a lion.
He certainly was becoming weaker in his late twenties because he lost focus, before he rose up again and became "Prime Lewis"

 

Tommy Ayers - drugs
Bernard 'superbad' Mays - malt liquor (not kidding)
Mando Ramos - booze and drugs

 

Macho Camacho. When he came up I thought his talent was off the hook. But like Tyson, he squandered it with too much partying and too little training and wound up becoming a joke.

 

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Gregory Edward Page
Mitch Green
Bernard Taylor
Howard Davis Jr.
Alex Ramos
Vinnie Pazienza
Johnny Verderosa.

 

Actually got me mad the other day thinking about his fight being cancelled (again) :cus!!

I was so high on he and Juan Lopez :verysad

 

I'll go with the first name that popped in my head when I read the thread title.

Greg Page.

I was never a fan of Page's, but he really did have lots of ability.

Good hand speed, good movement, good chin, decent power. Plus lots of exposure by the media. Simply threw it all away due to being lazy.

I also agree with the person who mentioned Buster Douglas.

 

Regilio Tuur.

 

Valero
Guzman
Golota

 

Ray Mercer comes to mind (though I wouldnt call it a case of "biggest waste" but he didnt reach his full potenial) i dont think he could have dominated the 90s no matter what.but he could have done better.

 

Mando Ramos was a good mention, whoever said him....scartissue? Bojado too, he looked like a good talent in his early days.

The thing about Zab Judah applies to Kirkland Laing too imo. He had shortcomings that were just exposed even though he was physically talented. Too much of a cliche.

Guzman is another physical specimen who isn't/wasn't nearly as slick and skilled as he and most of his fans seem to think he is, but it's still been a tad irritating watching him pish away what ability he does have when there were some decent potential scraps out there for him.

Whenever I go back and watch Laporte I always find myself mentally screaming at him to just throw some punches and make more of an effort. Lazy, inconsistent ****er. He was physically gifted and very skilled both imo, quite moreso than Judah, Laing, Guzman etc. Granite jaw, ko power in both hands, good all round fundamentals, smooth technique, defensive-offensive integration etc. Excellent boxer puncher when he was fired up, which wasn't nearly enough of the time.

 

Mando Ramos has to be way up on the list.

Turns professional in November 1965 at (age 17)

Goes to 22-2-0 (14 KO's) by September 1968, and both losses
were 'razor-thin' Decision losses.

At age 19 years, 10 months - gets a chance at the Lightweight Championship,
and losses a close decision to Carloe Teo Cruz.

Mando states that if he gets a 'rematch', he will knock the Champion out.

On February 18, 1969 - Mando gets his chance again, and does knock out Carlos Teo Cruz.

At age 20 years, 3 months - Mando Ramos is the World Lightweight Champion, and is a
'west coast star', with nowhere to go, but up.

 

Yep--Laporte wins the Eddie Mustapha Muhammad award. It was always a case of just simply pressing on the gaspedal--the 1 on the right & the 1 that doesn't move. But you have to press down on it. It was as if they operated the car perfectly, but could never figure out where the gas pedal was and how to operate it. A trainers nightmare.

 

Corrie Sanders. FAST hands, powerful puncher, good reach, good chin, and pretty skilled southpaw. If he really buckled down and trained with dedication and hunger.. he would have been considered an ATG in my opinion.

 

You think Sanders had a 'good' chin and was 'pretty skilled'? Fighters who are pretty skilled and have good chins do not get flattened by Nate Tubbs...