Fighters who underachieved

Howard Davis. I don’t think he was 100 percent dedicated ... I mean, AFAIK he never showed up out of shape or anything but I don’t believe he deep down wanted to improve and be the best and do what it would take to do that.

He had world-class ability but didn’t put in world-class, everyday effort to maximize it.

 

Pinklon Thomas

 

James J Corbett

 

LOL i was joking hahaha . At that point, Duran won't even be a superhuman anymore but a god.

 

In all seriousness, guys I truly think that underachieved are Andrew Golota, Adrien Broner, Mike Tyson, Jermain Taylor, and Meldrick Taylor to name a few. In addition, in a sense, Marcos Maidana as I feel that he had the potential to become a Hall of Fame welterweight after giving Floyd hell in the first fight but then he retired and got fat.

 

Gary Russell Jr. and Demetrius Andrade both probably could have accomplished a whole lot more but for inactivity and their failure to make more fights against quality opponents.

 

Ecto, with all due respect, I would not have gone with White Lightning. I was following him close at the time - even when he was an amateur - and I felt they were almost clearing the road of all obstacles for him to get his title shot at Harry Arroyo. I felt he was the recipient of a couple of dubious calls in his bouts with Frank Newton and Louie Burke to get to Harry. So, an underachiever I would not call him.

 

His trainer told me attention and money ruined him.

 

I actually think Randolph Turpin, great though he was, never truly achieved all his talent could have realised.

 

Michael Watson has to be up there, through no fault of his own.

 

Part of boxing and the greatness of boxers are the intangibles. So in some ways, everybody went as far as they were supposed to go. I thought Michael Grant, for instance, was going to go further, but he had neither the chin nor the overall boxing ability to get to the top.

There are several guys who, at one time or another, I thought would achieve more, including:
Gerry Cooney, John Tate, Greg Page, Michael Dokes, Gerry Cooney, Tyrell Biggs, Michael Nunn, Donald Curry, Todd Hickman, Howard Davis, Wille DeWitt, Razor Ruddock, Kallie Knoetze... the list is endless, really.

There was a heavyweight from the San Francisco Bay Area who came up and boxed our amateurs in Eureka, CA. He looked spectacular against our small town local guys. I thought he was a future star. Later I saw him on TV in a U.S. vs some country amateur competition, and he was kayoed. As a pro he went 2-3 (1).

 

Razor Ruddock.

 

I have a picture of Bernard "Superbad" Mays and Leslie "Sweet Lemonade" Gardner hanging out laughing together right before they turned pro. Can't imagine a more depressing pic of tragic underachievement. Both were projected to be future champions and both bottomed out early due to substance abuse and died super young.

 

Just adding some oil to the flames,

Jarell "BIG BABY" Miller.

 

Gerald McClellan since his career was cut short, also could’ve defended against better opponents