How do you beat NINE world champions, and never get a title shot??

Marshall kod Freddie Mills in 1947 ,but unfortunately he was stopped by Ezzard Charles 13 months later.
Mills got a return go with a fading Lesnevich and won the title.
Marshall's achilles heel was a weak chin,plus he peaked during the war years,when many champs were in the service ,with their titles frozen.
Talent in abundance but not luck.

 

His style was so ballsy it is unreal. He had his hands in his pockets and with a shaky chin its no the best way, although he didnt have make a good career for himself.

 

Hey McGrain, one answer - he was black. Ain't no one gonna tell me a white guy who beat all the guys he beat wouldn't have got straight to the title ahead of everyone!! It's criminal!! These are the sort of times I just ignore the history books and say well in my book he's just a champion forever - but it just really annoys me because like, say, Ez Charles or Ray Robinson, we should have loads of film of this guy (and in numerous title fights too) to enjoy, but because of the way he was treated we hardly have any - its a damn shame - McGrain if you haven't already seen it go to this

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=34811

bit of footage of the great man (albeit as a veteran) against fellow vet Tommy Farr

 

It's not so cut and dried as it appears. Marshall was hurt by the fact that he was in his prime while the titles were frozen during WWII, he had a soft chin and beat past prime aging ex-champs. Still a good fighter just unluckly.

 

Going off the top of my head...

Yarosz
Overlin
Brouillard
Risko
Charles
LaMotta
Maxim
Mills
er... Dundee??? Corbett?? (Damn, I'm missing one! atsch )

The damn war.

Both the MW and LHW titles were frozen while Zale and Lesnevich were in the military. Those four years were Marshall's peak years, in which he was considered one of, if not the top LHW contenders. By the time the war ended, he had lost to Archie Moore, which ended his days as the leading contender (and began Moore's run as the top contender) after which he began a gradual but steady decline from the top.

 

Jimmy Bivins beat 8 world champions.

As with Lloyd Marshall, World War II seemed to be the main reason he never got a shot at the official world title. Bivins and Marshall did compete against each other for the "duration" world title.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=D5ghAAAAIBAJ&sjid=a5gFAAAAIBAJ&dq=jimmy%20bivins%20lloyd%20marshall&pg=3100%2C490701

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Bivins stops Marshall:

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Marshall and Bivins were at the height of their careers when they met. Following Bivins' win over Marshall, he had the rare distinction of being rated #1 at both LHW and HW simultaneously, with Marshall generally rated just behind him at LHW. Not long after that, Bivins moved up solely to HW, and Marshall ascended to the #1 spot at 175, which he held for a couple years after that. Eventually, Moore made his move up from MW and toppled Marshall to break into the top of the LHW rankings. Marshall remained a highly rated contender for a couple more years after that, but KO losses to Billy Smith and a comebacking Charles stifled his progress. A quick KO loss to Charles in their rubber match pretty much finished him as a serious contender, and he faded into journeyman status after that.

 

He wouldn't if there was no title to get a shot at - which was precisely the case with Marshall. All the titles from 147 to HW were frozen during the war years, when Marshall was at his peak as a contender.

 

Also, how does it take you 20 years to get into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, after the IBHOF was created?

 

Thats just sick Got to admit I do find myself doing that myself from time to time though atsch

 

Anton Cristoforidis? He held a version of the NBA LHVY title ,beating Melio Bettina for it.