Should Have, Would Have, Could Have. Boxers That Could Have Been A Contender

I would like to discuss boxers who were never able to realise their potential. Here I want to read about boxers who showed some early promise yet never were able to fulfill that promise for whatever reason.

There are numerous reasons why fighters may not make it in this sport be it injury, money, lack of dedication etc etc.

We all know about some of the usual suspects so please try and leave them out if you can. I want to hear stories about people I was unaware of or reasons why their ambitions were curtailed, be imaginative. If you can try and list:

Who they are?
What promise they showed?
Why they were unable to reach that promise?
Had things been different what might they have achieved?

:good

 

Ill start:

Neil Perkins

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Born: 02/08/1979
Birthplace: Kirkdale, Liverpool

Accolades:
2002 ABA champion (Middleweight)
2003 ABA champion (Middleweight)
2004 EU Bronze Medalist (Welterweight)
2005 EU Bronze Medalist (Welterweight)
2005 World Bronze Medalist (Welterweight)
2006 Commonwealth Games Bronze Medalist (Welterweight)



Most people will be unaware of who Neil Perkins is though they shouldn't be. One of our most successful amateurs of the past few years Perkins captained the GB amateur boxing team. He was only the third Brit ever to win a medal at the World amateur championships (the other two being David Haye and Carl Froch).The winner of the welterweight that year being a certain Erislandy Lara. Having competed at a very high level internationally it would seem that he was destined for the pro game. However he chose not to turn pro after his world amateur success in favour of leading the England team in the 2006 Commonwealth Games Perkins was expected to bring home the Gold but was only able to manage bronze in something of an upset.

Perkins had a child who was born with heart problems and as a result opted to retire from the amateur game in 2007 to spend more time with his family as he had often been away from home on England duty. He came out of retirement in 2010 in an attempt to win the Middleweight ABA's for the third time and be the first person to do so. After 3 years out and aged 31 he reached the semi finals but lost on a contentious decision by a single point to the reigning champion and highly touted pro prospect Hosea Burton.

If Perkins had turned Pro in 05-06 in his mid twenties after his world amateur success things may have been very different. He most likely would have fought at 154 LMW in the pro game and would have been a welcome addition to the domestic scene. It is not too much of a stretch to say he might have become a British champion if not more had he turned over on the wave of his success. Looking at his peers from that era. Carl Froch, Paul Smith, David Price, Stephen Smith, Kevin Mitchell amongst others. They all have made an impacat domestic level and possibly beyond.

At 32 Perkins is now too old to compete on the amateur circuit and has hung up his gloves. A big case of What if?

 

The only time ive really seen Frontin was the Skeete match the other night. He also won a commonwelath games medal am I right. and scanning his boxrec seems like he has some tightly fought decisions with prospects so you assume he is rarely given the benefit of the doubt.

 

Could somebody explain to me a bit more about Dean Francis and his career. Im aware of him in very general terms. It seems like he was touted as a world beater early on but struggled with injuries?

Looking at boxrec he has some early losses to fairly unimpressive fighters were these injury related?