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

I remember yelling at the TV so many times in the 1980's because of the lack of aggression from both Laporte and Starling.
Both fighters had great ability, but the both of them seem to fight in one gear.
Also Ill add Howard Davis Jr. All the skills under the sun, and one of the fastest boxers in history.
But he couldn't Crack an egg with his power.
I don't know if it was from the vegan diet, or just not sitting down on his punches, but his lack of power was surprising when one considers his technical prowess.
He looked masterful, he seemed to get proper leverage and hip rotation, Fist seemed to be closed, seemed to hit from proper distances, and he had exceptional speed , yet couldn't generate much force, or even the element of surprise.
It was and is puzzling when one thinks about it.

 

Ryan Garcia deserves an honorable mention for not throwing punches after getting dropped early by Rolly.

 

Boxed smarter: Terry Norris. If he fought every fight as he did in the Brown rematch, he would have had fewer losses and took a lot less punishment. He had elite hand & foot speed. He should have made better use of it. He also had 3 DQ losses that were a direct result of his non-existent impulse control.

 

I think Tony Tucker might have more success if he let his punches go

 

Loche should have thrown punches period.

 

Johnny Famechon had a beautiful left jab, great defense and footwork but hardly ever threw a right hand punch. I love watching him box but Saldivar wouldn’t even have gotten close if Fammo was busier with a two handed offense.

 

Macho Camacho Sr would have benefited more if he threw more punches and was a more offensive minded fighter during his career.

 

Razor Ruddock started out as a boxer …but fell in love with his own power…he also seemed to forget that he had TWO hands …and not just a left

 

Dominick Guinn. Very heavy handed with nearly everything he threw...................he just didn't throw. He literally had every tool you'd want a HW to have: size, speed, power, chin, durability, amateur pedigree.....................and no fire

Had he thrown more he'd likely have wins over Monte Barrett, Sirahei Liakhovich, Robert Hawkins, Amir Mansour, Tony Thompson, this list is endless. He was really consistently throwing 150-200 less punches than his opponents over the course of multiple fights.

 

Lopez was my first thought. When he let his hands go he looked like he had the lot, but he seemed to spend so long setting himself to throw punches.

Obviously it's a lot easier fighting from the comfort of your armchair, but you can't help but think that with a different mindset and commitment his career could have been so much more. A win over Quartey, particularly by stoppage, would have put him right in the mix for superfights in the stacked mid/late 90s welter division.

 

Beat me to it. He may have stayed on top a long time if he utilized his speed. He just loved to hook a little too much.

 

Graciano Rocchigiani is another. Physically strong guy with a granite chin, and much heavier hands than his record suggests.

Eubank and Maske I were both winnable fights if he got going earlier and threw more punches. There's some who argue he should have got both nods anyway, but in both fights he seemed to be the stronger guy with the momentum, but not quite the punch output.

Ironically, the potentially biggest win of his career was taken away by throwing a punch when he shouldn't, but that's a separate story.