Underachieving HW champs list

Vitali is a big one.

Had he not got injured he could have unified with Byrd and history shows noone would trouble from then until more or less today. Unified champ for 8 years. Not to be sniffed at.

Bowe is another, I thought he drew in the rematch with Holy but had he stayed in top shape he'd have won clear and ruled for about 5 years.

You wouldn't think it the way people go on but Liston didn't really achieve that much. He was champ for all of 1 fight.

Holmes had the ability to completely unify his division and perhaps establish himself as one of the greatest in history.

Dempsey and Johnson had they not drawn the colour line.

 

He still would have been one of the two best fighters in the world for 8 years with little difference for now. In fact, if he were to beat Wlad's conqueror (if there ever is one), he would have achieved exactly the same thing, imo. So the jury is still out.

Also, had he fitted in successful title shots against Lewis and Tyson, maybe even Foreman. Still big ifs though. How would any fighter in history have looked if they had wins against Holyfield, Lewis, Tyson and Foreman. I am in two minds. I actually think Bowe might have a realistic chance of pulling this off, but really it is arguably more of a what if than an underachievement. No real surprises if he lost each of the above mentioned fights.

good point, but i am not sure there was all that much he could do to turn this around. I often wonder where Liston would rank if his KO1s v Patterson were just UDs. He couldnt really have achieved a much higher ATG ranking by most under any circumstances, could he. (unless of course he beat Ali).

 

I agree about Vitali, Bowe, Johnson and maybe Dempsey. Your Holmes "perhaps establish himself as one of the greatest in history." meets my "did establish himself as one of the greatest in history, clearly." He's three on my list of heavies.

 

Tyson.

If Douglas didn't get up at round 8, then MIke got past Holyfield in 1990 after that, and didn't get thrown in jail.

How high you rank him if that happened?

 

agree but I would add wlad and witherspoon to the list

 

Considering that seven or eight years ago, anybody that knows anything about boxing wrote off Wlad's career after the Brewster loss, it might be said he overachieved and beat expectations. Even his brother advised him to retire because of Brewster I and Sanders.

Tell me in 2005 that Wlad would be the number one heavyweight for seven straight years, with thirteen defenses with 10 KOs and from 2006, "glass chin Wlad" would have no knockdowns, you'd be called a troll and laughed out of the room, and considering the situation then, I'd agree with those who would write him off.

 

Wlad with all his talent should of been getting rid of the calibre of challenger he has had in a much more devastating fashion.

 

Lots from the 90s.

Sanders, Golota, Ike, Tua and McCall could have all achieved a lot more than they did given their physical tools. Still it's doubtful whether Golota or McCall would ever have stopped being nutters; it seemed to be in their physical makeup, and perhaps made them the fighters that they were. Tua had terrible management and a lack of work ethic when it mattered, and Sanders's interest lay elsewhere than boxing. Ike was just a maniac, but a very promising what iffer nonetheless.

Bowe's work ethic was terrible once he won the title. It's hard for me to think he'd go undefeated for another five years, double so since he burned out so quickly.

 

The most underachieving heavyweight champion is Riddick Bowe. If there was a all time heavyweight tournment with each boxer at his best. I'll take Bowe, but look at his resume. When you consider his talent. The resume is really lacking.

 

not at all wlad has all the tools to be a top ten ATG heavy but he has had the misfortune to to be champ when the talent pool is probably at its worst , the only real challenge for him has been vitali and of course they can not be blamed for not fighting each other . All that said he should of been finishing off his calibre of challengers in a much quicker fashion he is to concerned about protecting his chin

 

Regarding Holmes he's in my top ten. I'm saying that had he unified in 1980 and kept the unified title until Spinks maybe even took him seriously and hit 50-0 he'd arguably be number 1.

 

The alphabet boys of the eighties spring to mind -



Dokes
Page
Thomas
Tubbs


Etcetera...............

 

Muhammad Ali.

Didn't properly rig the judging panel in the Frazier I, Norton I, Spinks I, Holmes and Berbick fights.

He did an excellent job in his other fights.