Forgotten top contenders

George Benton is a HOF trainer, but he also had a fine boxing career himself which only ended as the result of a gunshot 21 years after it began. He's one of the better contenders to never get a title shot, a shot he should have gotten after beating Giardello, but was screwed out of by Joey's manager Lou Duva (who candidly admitted it to SI).

 

Booby Vanzie - might not be considered a contender but he was a Brit champ, very quick and slick, might have won a title belt at his best, fought a young destroyer in Romanov and got blasted, dominant at Brit level, career ended pretty much when he twice got robbed against Earl in a fights he won a clear 8/9rounds in.

Typo should read 'bobby' but i have to leave it the way it is

 

boxer that comes to mind of not so distant past ricardo chapo vargas on cusp a few times just coming up short

 

Tuffy Griffiths
Mauro Mina

 

Michael Olajide
Ruben Castillo
Oscar Muniz
Rudy Zavala (went to HS with him)

 

Are these guys really forgotten? I remember them well, Especially Castillo

 

You seem to know a lot of boxers. Are you a former fighter, yourself?

 

Well i never hear anyone talk about them anymore except maybe Castillo since he was involved in fights with ATGs Sanchez,Arguello,Chavez. IVe met him a few times over the years and i always ask him who was the best out of those 3 and he gives me a diffrent answer every time Although the first time back in the mid to late 80s he told me Arguello then about 10 years later he told me Chavez, then about another 5 years later he told me Sanchez

 

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Packey McFarland.

 

olajide was from liverpool originally wasn't he.

 

Bernardo Carabello
Mimoun Ben Ali

 

was ben ali a bantam ??

 

Yes, he was rated at flyweight in the ring top 10 (1958 through 1962), no 1 in 1960 and the 1963 to 67 at bantam only missing the top 10 in 64. He was no 2 in the 66 rankings. A true perennial contender although he never got a title shot. I'm sure he would of claimed some sort of title if he was boxing today like a lot of the top contenders of the past.

 

i thought i'd seen him in some old ring magazines.have you heard of a fighter from about that time called richie sweet sue ??

 

Yes, good fighter in his day and fought some good fighters including Howard Winstone at the Albert Hall. I might even have the programme for that one.