Ten greatest underachievers in heavyweight history in order

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by dmt, Dec 6, 2020.



  1. Italian Stallion

    Italian Stallion Active Member Full Member

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    Interesting commentary because I have always viewed winning a world title as only the second best achievement a boxer can be proud of; for me number one has always been IBHOF Hall of Fame induction.
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2021
  2. Roughhouse

    Roughhouse Active Member Full Member

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    Nobody remembers Jimmy Clark, but definitely a good shout out. Could've been some facsimile of Jimmy Young.

    Percell "Magic" Davis is a great pick. He was a smooth boxer with power and skills who ended up eating himself into a characture of himself. He could've and should've been a top ten guy.

    Let's add "Candy Slim" Jeff Merritt and Ron "Never met a tavern I couldn't pass out in" Stander as well. I doubt Stander would have reached great heights, but seeing the version of him against Frazier when he didn't train on beer verses the other Stander footage when he did is really telling. Big difference.
     
  3. Italian Stallion

    Italian Stallion Active Member Full Member

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    @Richard M Murrieta @mark ant @mr. magoo @Bokaj
    What do you think is the absolute height of achievement for heavyweights – Hall of Fame or world title belt?

    Do you think Golota is a Top 10 heavyweight underachiever?
     
  4. Bokaj

    Bokaj Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Don't think I know enough of him to say. He did look much better against Bowe than anyone else, but how much of that is styles coupled with the decline of Bowe?

    There are so many with mostly one really impressive win/performance, so where to start? Off the top of my head: Bowe, Ruiz, Brewster, Sanders, McCall, Douglas, L. Spinks. Then we have Page, Witherspoon, Dokes and Tubbs that also usually surface in these discussions. So I wouldn't object much to Golota being there or not being there.
     
  5. JackSilver

    JackSilver Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Riddick Bowe
    Mike Dokes
    John Tate
    David Haye
    Clubber Lang
    Carl Williams
    Vitali Klitschko
    Ivan Drago
    Tim Witherspoon
    Tony Tucker
     
  6. Italian Stallion

    Italian Stallion Active Member Full Member

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    Good list! Btw, when it comes to absolute height of achievement for heavyweights – is it Hall of Fame or world title belt?
     
  7. mr. magoo

    mr. magoo VIP Member Full Member

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    For your first question I don’t know if being a world champion is always the height of achievement. Ezzard Charles is commonly deemed the greatest light heavyweight of all time yet he never won a belt there. Meanwhile far lesser men have won titles.

    As per your second question, no I don’t think Golata is one of the biggest underachievers. He lacked heart and at times couldn’t fight clean.
     
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  8. he grant

    he grant Historian/Film Maker Full Member

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    Actually I don't think he overachieved in career 2 but maximized when he had and brilliantly marketed himself ...
     
  9. Seamus

    Seamus Proud Kulak Full Member

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    Joe Goddard deserves a mention. Strong and good-sized heavy for his era. Possessed first-rate power (30 KO's in 32 wins) and produced good results, KO'd Choynski, Maher, KD'd and drew with the great Peter Jackson, but drank like a fish and fought on well into his 40's. Had he started earlier, devoted himself more to his craft and laid off the hooch, he would be mentioned with the likes of Corbett, Fitz (as a HW) and Jeffries.
     
  10. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    Really?

    He probably did more or less as much as he had in him.
     
  11. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    Not high on the list, but I will throw Sandy Ferguson into the mix!
     
  12. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    If he had the mentality of a Marciano, then by god he could have picked up a belt, when Lewis started dropping them!
     
  13. KasimirKid

    KasimirKid Well-Known Member Full Member

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    The difference between an under-achiever and a fighter who just wasn't quite good enough to scale what some people consider the fistic heights in usually a matter of fan perspective rather than reality. A fighter usually ends up right where he deserves to be, IMO.