Name fighters with great skills who failed at the top level

While Meldrick Taylor had a fairly successful career, I think he could have done better. He needed to shore up his defense a bit. I also think his mental fortitude waned after the first Chavez loss

 

Personally, I think the beating he took from Chavez is what ruined him. But your right. For a fighter with all that natural ability, his defense was average at best. He got hit far too much for a fighter with his ability. It cost him against Chavez.

 

The Chavez fight definitely weakened him in some way. He did however move up to welter and had some success there. I remember the night in January of 1991 watching him put on a master performance against WBA welter champ Aron Davis. He really looked great. Moments after the fight my brother informed me that his fiancé and her father had just been in a plane crash.... The things we remember.

 

Taylor moving up to face Norris at a catchweight is what really did him in. That was just bad management, I've always thought. Nobody liked beating up damaged little guys like Norris. The beating he took from Espana afterwards was the icing on the cake.

 

I’ve always felt the same way. I can’t believe the Duvas made that move. If anything they should have tried to get him a belt at that weight first by having him fight someone like Gianfranco Rosi but putting him in with Norris was terrible

 

Tony Tubbs

 

On the British scene Vernon Sollas springs to mind, a really good amateur, made a good start to the pro circuit, big things were predicted. I mean he was a very smooth boxer, had all the moves, carried a good dig, always looked in shape, BUT he underachieved, won the British title from Jimmy Revie, and looked very special in the doing so, the European title looked a shoe in, then a shot at the current champion, alas was not to be, he seemed to drain and fade in the Euro title fight, think the guy was Elio Contena ? something like that, he was also at some stage outlasted by a very game Welshman Les Picket, then he unraveled, Richardson beat him as well, then it was nearly over, shame because, when in the ring and turned on, he was exciting , and gave fans value for money.
Met him at the Henry Cooper golf classic event a while ago, was nice and friendly.

 

Errol Christie was a very skillful boxer who had an excellent amateur career.Great things were expected of him in the pro ranks but sadly it never happened

 

Johnny Bratton didn't fail at the top level, but he for sure underachieved.

Never successfully defended the WW title, and finished his career with a record 60-24-3.
Watching him you'd never know though, like Jersey Joe if you watch him fight before you see his record, you'd be scratching your head for days at how he lost so often.

Fought like a cut rate Ray Robinson, but looked good doing it.


Typical story of shady mismanagement, and a lack of drive and determination in the boxer.
Never really trained, didn't show his opponents respect etc.
Had his situation been different, who knows, maybe he would've beaten Kid Gavilan, unfortunately he died penniless, with little recognition.


His combination of incredible skill and vulnerabilities make for some of the funnest fights you'll see.

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Anyone else think Sam Sexton was gonna do a lot more than he did with his career?

 

I think there were a good few waiting for him to hit the upper echelons of the world class ranks. What I would have paid to see Guzman vs either Pacquiao or Marquez, 2006-2008, for example...

Guzman's skills and exciting style were more than apparent, and yet he failed to separate himself from the rest - even though, by eye, the aforementioned potentials were likely the only two guys, who could have competed with him, at 130.

 

Alberto Davila of course. Great beautiful style and sublime skills but small in stature and wasn’t blessed with great power or speed. Always came up short against high class opponents (Zarate, Gomez, Lora) and was also unlucky in close fights (Pintor 2, Lujan) as well as a BS stoppage loss against Duarte.

Emanuel Augustus was really skillful who could have been managed much better. Instead he was relegated to Gatekeeper status despite his exciting style and underrated skill sets.

Ian Napa is another fighter who was like a mini-James Toney/Floyd Mayweather skill wise without a punch. Nice smooth style but just didn’t have the intangibles to make up for his small size and weak power.

Jorge Linares and Andre Dirrell also deserve mention as well. Athletically talented and skilled but turned out to be disappointments.

 

First guy who popped into my mind.

Also, Leonzer Barber.

 

Herol Graham, Andre Dirrell