How would you rate Jimmy Thunder

B He would just about have cracked the top 20 of Boxing Illustrated.
Willing but very limited, a Southern Hemisphere version of Joe Hipp.

 

I guess a bit of a gate keeper. His fight was Grimsley is one of the first fights I remember watching, as I was just getting into boxing around 1997-1998. Thing with Grimsley is he just went 12 with Foreman the fight before, but the Thunder fight was obviously bit of fluky, but he didn't keep his hands up at all time, etc.

Decent career, probably a couple decent paydays, but not a world beater by any stretch.

 

In 97 there was talks of having him fight Lennox Lewis. That went out of the window when Mo Harris knocked him out. I don't think his career ever recovered from that.

 

He was a brutal puncher who was otherwise limited ..

 

The Grimsley fight was a classic! How the same guy went the distance with Foreman, I'll never know.

 

I don't think George took the fight seriously. He probably let the fight go distance. I also think his power was starting to fade at that point as well.

 

I liked Thunder, I used to watch him a lot on USA's Tuesday Night Fights.

 

No the loss to Maurice Harris was a huge upset, then stupidly his management put him in with Chris Byrd, and he couldn't touch Byrd and was stopped again. He went from briefly being a contender to a journeyman after that. His only decent win was a decision over Tim Witherspoon who was faded also.

 

I know the Harris lost was an upset. He was 8-8 at the time. When they put him on HBO it was more to showcase Byrd than Thunder.

 

A Tuesday night fight alumni!

I had no idea he went on to beat some of those old-timers. Truth is, his technique was damned awful. I am not sure he knew what a jab was.

 

Thunder was a poor man's version of Frank Bruno, I always thought. I think he also had Eddie Mustafa Muhammad training him when he moved to the USA from New Zealand. I wouldn't call him awful, he had some good wins, John Ruiz beat him by split decision for the NABF belt. It just surprised me after the Mo Harris loss, how his career went into a downfall. But certainly there were worse fighters. Thunder was fun to watch, but he was very stiff and robotic.

 

Yes he was supposed to fight Golota but suffered a last minute injury and Jessie Ferguson stepped in.

 

Boxing needs guys like Thunder. They are a stepping stone type and if an up and comer/older established guy can't beat him, their career is in question or on the skids.

Kind of a stay busy type opponent for managers to take and put their guy in with. A low risk type fight & their guy does not have to get in 100% shape for---80% will do. Save the 100% condition for the elite fighters.