Fighters who would benefit the most from being health nuts?

Who are the fighters whose legacies would be most positively impacted if they had committed themselves to staying relentlessly fit 24/7, whether they were in formal training or no?

 

James Toney, a throwback excellent Boxer & Fighter, imagine 'IF' he was always in the pink of fitness.

 

Oh so many…

Riddick Bowe
Roberto Duran
Ricky Hatton
Greg Page
Tyson Fury
Busters Mathis and Douglas

I wonder what kind of late- and post-boxing career Muhammad Ali would’ve had if he’d lived like Bernard Hopkins? Would the Parkinson’s have still struck as early as it did? I remember when he was still active it was thought he’d carry on as a great boxing spokesman in retirement.

 

Hatton was my first thought too.

Fury
Lennox
Duran
Toney
Kovalev

 

James Toney and Riddick Bowe!

 

I'm assuming you mean refraining from drugs/alcohol/women too which certainly would open up a wide expanse.

Guys like Olivares, Napoles, Tyson etc would have been something. If we are to believe the stories that came out of Kronk how awesome would Bernard "Superbad" Mays have been?

I'd be especially interested in how Mando Ramos would have gone as the stories you hear in regards to his drug and alcohol abuse are really something. He could have been anything if my mail is right.

 

Camacho Sr. And James Toney are the poster childs for this topic. Also , Riddick Bowe.
Also Tyrell Biggs, Greg Page, Tony Tubbs/Tubby,
Buster Douglas, Aaron Pryor, John Mugabi, Joe Frazier after FOTC, Ray Robindon, Joe Louis, of course Ali.Jerry Quarry, Gerry Cooney, Greb and M . Walker ( if what's was written about them is true)
In fact theirs a whole BUNCH of excellent fighters that may have had even more success if they were Spartan in their training and life style.
Super talented guys like Alex Ramos, and Tony Ayala, didn't fulfill their destinies because of the lack of self discipline.

 

I would like to add tim witherspoon in this discussion.

 

Greg Page
James Broad
Tony Tubbs.

 

Leon Spinks and Eddie Mustafa Muhammad as well.

 

Jeff Merritt would’ve done that much better swinging him from drug addiction and general ill preparedness all the way to 100% dedication in and out of the ring.

Though still limited by his skill set and a shaky chin it might’ve lifted him to some bouts with higher profile guys who he might’ve surprised with his power. It would’ve been fun to have a big puncher like Merritt given the off chance of his upsetting some of the more favoured names.

Otherwise, just cast a big net over the 80s fighters, in terms of being eligible for this thread, you’ll end up keeping more than you throw away. A big catch, so to speak.

 

I personally would have liked to see Merritt in a real fight with Earnie Shavers. George Foreman felt he was better than Shavers.

 

That’s interesting, I hadn’t heard/read Foreman’s opinion on that. Thanks. A real fight between Earnie and Jeff would definitely have been fun.

 

All of the obvious guys have been pegged already, so I’ll throw Ray Mercer in.

 

Yeah this list would be like the who’s who of 80s heavyweights

Witherspoon
Page
Thomas
Tubbs
Cooney
Dokes
Tucker
Biggs