Unathletic, uncoordinated, untalented fighters who succeeded

I think that Medina was in a gym from day one. But many gyms in Mexico, it is survival of the fittest. They show you the bare minimum and put you in the ring to spar asap and you quit or you persevere. You basically learn by fighting. I was friends with a guy that fought Escalera for a world title, he told me that he sparred/fought his first day. When he came back they showed him a little, but instruction was minimal, but he sparred/fought almost daily in the gym.

 

That has some interesting implications. If complete novices learn just by fighting, then the people who think 1920s fighters were ignorant and primitive have to explain why the 20s guys couldn't learn the same way.

 

That is correct, though there were some good trainers around in those days...who had learned by fighting or from guys that learned by fighting.

 

Frank The Animal Fletcher wasn't that gifted.

 

I really disagree.

I think he was clearly a very talented guy, who never trained properly.

 

I think Mayorga is probably the complete opposite of what Cross Trainer wants. If he never had a great chin, fast hands and a big punch (all talents) we'd have never heard of him.

 

Charles Martin.

 

Dennis Andries & Jeff Harding.

 

He absolutely had a great chin and a big punch but everything was sub par for a guy that achieved so much. The thread title was unatheletic, uncoordinated, untalented fighters who succeeded. I guess I wouldn't say he was untalented but he was not particularly athletic or all that coordinated for a world champion.

When I think of most recent world champions they are usually guys that are signed with a promoter pretty early on in their career because folks can see their promise and talent. Mayorga was not that guy. He grinded his way to the title and really didn't have any backing until he hooked up with King just before he won his first title. He didn't have much of an amateur background or what most would see as natural talent and it definitely showed. He was successful despite it.

Mayorga's biggest opponents, Forrest, Oscar, Shane, Vargas, Spinks and Cotto were all signed early on because of their talent and they all had very deep amateur backgrounds and were very well known inside the sport from the beginning of their careers. No one knew who Mayorga was for the first 6 or 7 years of his career at least. I think his first title shot against Andrew Lewis was the first time he even fought on TV.

 

Tommy Hurricane Jackson is the man.

 

David Izon?

 

Being able to take a few hundred shots for nine rounds then knock a guy's block off in the tenth is a real talent.

 

Problem is people are not reading the entire name of the thread. A lot of guys have been mentioned that we're unskilled or untalented but could absorb tremendous punishment, which basically means their athletic if they have tremendous conditioning.

 

Joe Smith Jr.