Guthrie is the one that stands out in my mind as one who should never have even sniffed a world title bout. It was the only time I ever saw him, but he was so hopelessly outclassed and sparked out by a relative non-puncher in Reggie Johnson that one wonders who a guy like that could beat to warrant consideration for higher things. He was atrocious. Anything else?
All I'll add is that Guthrie was in line for a shot against RJJ if he got past Reggie Johnson. It would've been ugly if it happened.
It hasn't happened often, but when I saw him sliced and diced against Johnson I remember thinking that this is the kind of comprehensive defeat that would leave a fighter so bereft of confidence that if he had a brain left in that addled skull he would have had to come to the conclusion that this game isn't for him and to get out now.
And I don't mean to disparage the man's heart or him as a person or anything...…….but yeah, he just didn't belong.
Man, that division was a circus of lawsuits and injustices back then. Really a bad time for us fans of the sport. And this is prior to the Rocchigiani/WBC crap. So add that into the mix.