Good fighters who never got a World title shot?

Ezzard Charles never had a shot at the Light-Heavyweight title.

 

Razor Ruddock surprisingly never fought in a world title fight . The closest he got was his 1992 WBC elimination fight with Lennox Lewis with the winner scheduled to get a shot at the undisputed heavyweight title against the winner of the Evander Holyfield/Riddick Bowe title fight.

 

Driscoll was booked for a World Title Fight in New York but turned it down. He had promised to open an orphanage in Cardiff at around the prospective date and having lost his Father as a young boy, refused to break his word.

 

Both managed by Terry Lawless. Shelved to prioritise the interests of Frank Bruno.

 

McAvoy fought John Henry Lewis for the World Light Heavyweight Title.

 

I could,t tell you....it,s just a belief

 

One that always puzzled me was Nottingham's Johnny Pritchett. He was British, Commonwealth and European Champion and retired without a single defeat as a pro.
Any clues @mcvey , @Mike Cannon ?

 

I know I'm in a tiny minority not ranking Archie Moore top 3 at LHW, but incredibly none of my top 3 at LHW, based solely on fights contested at or around that weight, were ever world champ there - Charles, Greb and Tunney.

 

Great catch.

 

Ike Ibeabichi and Ricardo Williams. They can thank themselves for that.

 

As requested.
Pritchett was an exceptional fighter, winning lots of titles as a amatuer, after going pro he won british and commonwealth titles, and prior to his last fight , he had only failed to win one fight, that being a draw against the very capable Milo Calhoun, he journeyed to Italy in 69 to challenge the awkward but beatable Juan Carlos Duran for the European title, according to contemporary reports he had built up a unassailable lead, unfortunately there was a accidental clash of heads in the 13th round, the outcome being the ref promptly disqualified Pritchett, the tricky Duran had won 6 fights on DQ all in Italian rings, at various stages of his career, Pritchett was so disillusioned and disgusted at the outcome, he immediately retired.
He went on to become a very rich man via a steel construction empire, have met and spoke to him over the years and he was and remains a gentleman, as do many a boxer.
stay safe Loaded.

 

Kirkland Laing… but that was his own fault unfortunately. Some people say, “Was he that good that he deserved a title shot anyway?”
My answer…at one stage he was, and he was also in the right place at the right time and delivered an excellent performance in beating a still exciting and dangerous elite level Roberto Duran in a non title fight in 1982. After that all the the talk in the UK was of Laing getting a World title shot in the very near future. But Kirk promptly disappeared, running off to apparently have some fun and bask in the glory of his Duran victory.

Anyway…that disappearing act wasn’t quite the end for him as far as eyeing a crack at the elite. He returned around a year later, fought a decent and dangerous world level fighter called Fred Hutchings knowing that a victory would put him on the world title road yet again. But unfortunately Hutchings flattened him in the final round. That defeat proved costly as Hutchings himself earned a world title shot against Tommy Hearns a year later.

Kirk then seemed to settle for being a National and European level fighter and never got near a sniff of a world title shot again.

 

Kirkland Lang

 

Superb Mike. Thank you mate.
PS. Wasn't Wally Swift done the same way by Duran ?