Fighters who could have had a better career if they boxed smarter or let their hands go more often

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Flo_Raiden, Nov 18, 2025 at 10:57 AM.


  1. Flo_Raiden

    Flo_Raiden Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Any fighters you can think of that had the capabilities or talents to be even better career wise if they had either boxed more intelligently / safer or threw more punches? You have fighters that were very gifted offensively but had the tendency to let their hands go too much and brawl unnecessarily with reckless abandon while neglecting defense when they could have showed more constraint and boxed at a safer distance. And then you have fighters who were notorious for not letting their hands go enough even when they had the offensive tools to do so, whether it being overly patient or overly defensive minded, but just didn't fight to their full capacity consistently.
     
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2025 at 1:01 PM
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  2. Dubblechin

    Dubblechin Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Antonio Tarver had really good power and was an excellent boxer.

    But he spent a lot of time not throwing punches.
     
  3. Melankomas

    Melankomas Prime Jeffries would demolish a grizzly in 2 Full Member

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    Jeffries. It seems like a lot of his fights were more competitive than they should've been due to how cautious he was.
     
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  4. BCS8

    BCS8 VIP Member

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    If Wlad had gone bombs away when he'd had Joshua stunned he'd have had a very good win on the ledger. Same for in the Fury fight.
     
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  5. NoNeck

    NoNeck Pugilist Specialist

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    He was old and might've gassed out, especially against Joshua.
     
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  6. BCS8

    BCS8 VIP Member

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    He might also have won by knockout
     
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  7. NoNeck

    NoNeck Pugilist Specialist

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    Broner should've thrown punches.

    Hamed possibly could've changed the outcome against Barrera if he'd thrown like ten more punches per round.
     
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  8. NoNeck

    NoNeck Pugilist Specialist

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    I think he held back against Joshua because he knew his gas tank wasn't there.

    Against Fury, he just seemed like an aging fighter who couldn't pull the trigger.
     
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  9. Tin_Ribs

    Tin_Ribs Me Full Member

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    Let their hands go more:

    Laporte
    EMM
    Medel
    Kevin Finnegan
    Arbachakov
    Rodrigo Valdez (a round snoozer)
    Hugo Corro
    Mosley post-Forrest
    Colin Jones
    Gerry Penalosa
    Ronnie Harris
    Briscoe in non-title fights
    Henry Wharton
    Dwight Hawkins
    Buster Drayton
    Toney
    Andre Dirrell
    Hector Thompson
    Benton (though he likely had cuffs on)
    Pat Barrett (more a lack of development perhaps)
    Simon Brown
     
  10. scartissue

    scartissue Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    I spent his entire career yelling at David Tua, "Would you let your hands go!"
     
  11. scartissue

    scartissue Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Joe Bugner also fits into that category like Juan Laporte.
     
  12. Tin_Ribs

    Tin_Ribs Me Full Member

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    Capable of using very good skills to box more rather than brawl:

    Minter
    Benn at 160
    Shozo Saijo
    Chacon
    Saad
    Boza
    Wilfredo Gomez
    Yaqui Lopez
    Morales
    Walter MacGowan
    Mark Kaylor
    Tatsuyoshi
    Sugar Ramos
    Mando Ramos
    Bomber Graham (more fighting with discipline instead of disrespectfully twatting about)
     
  13. robert ungurean

    robert ungurean Богдан Philadelphia Full Member

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    Excellent list. Ill add Jimmy Young and to a smaller extent Mike Weaver. Both needed to let there hands go more
     
  14. Flo_Raiden

    Flo_Raiden Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Jose Luis Lopez and Marlon Starling are the first fighters to come to mind with fighters that were very talented but just didn't throw more punches than they should have.
     
  15. Usyk is the best

    Usyk is the best Active Member Full Member

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    Audley Harrison looked scared to throw a punch in many fights
     
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