Promising Fighers that just 'disappeared'

Then I missed something. Explain to me what was so terrific about Joe Mesi, other than his HBO contract?

 

Certainly not meant as a joke, but the best example of a promising fighter disappearing has to be Sergei Kobozev. Literally disappeared before his body was found in 1995. A terrible but fascinating story, for those who don't know about what happened. First guy to beat John Ruiz.

In a similar vein, I think of James Hughes. He won some and lost some in his first few years and then just started to get it together, beat Anthony Stephens in one of the best and most underrated fights of the 90s to win the USBA Welterweight title, defended it twice, and was murdered. That happened in 1995 as well. Sad story made sadder by the fact that the crime was never solved.

 

I knew "Jesse James," or met him. Sad case, but he probably brought it upon himself.

He was on and off crack cocaine, and had a habit of setting up a buy and then knocking out the dealer and taking the drugs.

Not the kind of trick you can keep getting away with. Police believed it was a revenge killing by one of his dealers for just such an attack.

Lemuel Steeples never got to turn pro -- died when the U.S. boxing team on the way to Poland for a pre-Olympic dual meet crashed and killed 22 boxers, trainers and support staff in March, 1980. A lot of people pegged Steeples to be the Ray Leonard of his class.

 

Thistle1 - I suspect i have indeed on occasions been likened to a ladies
"Forbidden Zone" !? - Kenny Gould was indeed a very fast handed individual.
Glad to be of service.

 

Zeljko Mavrovic

 

Sergey Artemiev

Young Russian lightweight who was close to a world title shot. Had just beaten Ray Oliveira and put into the ring against tough Carl Griffith on either USA Tuesday Night Fights or ESPN. Great fight with Griffith pulling off the upset and winning by 10th round knockout. I believe Artemiev had a blood clot in his brain and retired immediately.

 

Illness cost him his career. I believe at one time Mavrovic weighed less than a Middleweight...

 

Do you know what he had?

 

There was a prospect I recall reading about in a boxing magazine back in the early 90's whose name completely escapes me.

He fought at middleweight I think and was a well built,bald black guy.

The only other thing about him that I can recall is that he was involved in the World Trade Centre bombing in 1993 in a heroic way,I think saving some lives.

Does anyone know who I'm talking about and what happened to him?

 

Richard Savage.

 

Tommy West .
Nigeria's greatest MW champion.

 

There was a fighter out of Utah named Keith Nuttall who fought in an exhibition in '44 at an Air Force Base. Henry Armstrong was the third man in the ring. Armstrong, Baer, Galento, and Dempsey agreed that the kid was a great prospect. Armstrong said he had the best left he had ever seen while Dempsey said the kid had more natural ability than he had ever seen.

The kid was 13.

He turned pro in '47, retired in '52 (at about 21) with 56 fights of which he won 40 against nondescript opposition.

And that was that.

 

West died on March 14th 1954, in mysterious circumstances ("Dick Tiger, The life and times of a Boxing Immortal" by Adeyinka Makinde).

 

Tokumbo Olajide.

 

Thank you for this. It does not appear on boxrec but it does explain his disappearance .
Blackie Power , the only man who had a win (avenged) over West disappeared too in 1953/4 .