Like someone who could actually fight? I'll say Angel Robinson Garcia, I did the article on him a while back: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Robinson_Garcia And by the way, I do not like and usually use that nickname. It's a bit disrespectful to the men and women who step in that ring, even the guy who was on USA TNF who is on you tube as the worst boxer ever deserves our respect for getting into that ring, but, for the purpose of this thread, I have to use the nickname because that is how they are most popularly known. I'll throw in also Peter Buckley, he looks like he could handle himself a bit despite losing all those fights, and one I had the honor of seeing fight in person in Phoenix, Buck Smith.
Peter Buckley is most definitely not what would have been called a 'tomato can'. Journeyman boxer I think. I would agree with you where you said terms such as tomato can and the like are disrespectful. It highlights the disdain the boxing industry and many of its fans hold for the fighters that it relies on. These fighters are expected to lose and it usually costs them money if they start winning. It's the nature of the business model now. They are used to pad out records and make other fighters look good and get slated for it. Quite often they could win some fights, are on the wrong side of decisions or are expected to lose. Mark Turley's book Journeyman The Other Side of the Business was a pretty good look at it over here in the UK. Within the opponent spot there would be several types of fighter. Buckley could most definitely handle himself. You just have to look at his record and how few of those losses were by stoppage. I guess the question would be what category of opponent do you do you mean? I think 'tomato can' (I hate that phrase) implies someone who cannot fight at all. I remember Nigel Benn I think it was describing that type of opponent years ago as Mexican roadsweepers. I think there are different types of opponent . And if you mean journeyman there that has shifted over time and perhaps from country to country depending on the nature of the business there.
Journeyman The Other Side of the Business is an excellent book, I learned a ton I had no idea about of this side of the boxing world.
A couple of my favorites from recent decades: Anthony Ivory, Maurice Harris, the guy who KOd Adonis Stevenson early in his career, I forget his name, but he fought everyone
Marion Wilson, maybe? Incredible durability and gave a lot of the best Heavyweights of his day some decent work.
Best tomato can is definitely an oxymoron. I think when you cross that bridge to being a tough fight you are officially a journeyman.
Bruce "The Mouse' Strauss Qualifies. I just watched this doc yesterday and its pretty good. This content is protected
I saw the Mouse fight in person in the mid-1980s, opponent for the local main eventer. Strauss got KO’d in three. He was competitive up to then, took a clean right hand and found the canvas for the 10-count. The local guy wasn’t a big puncher and while Bruce without question got hit solidly (probably allowing it), it wasn’t a KO blow. He already had a reputation by then and I knew he was known as a lay-down artist but I also thought it was cool to see him live because he was still a bit of an underground legend (booking himself as many times and places as possible under as many names as he could think of … in this fight he was billed by his true name … assuming Strauss is actually his name, haha). I talked to him a bit after and he was the first I ever heard use the saying (which many I think attribute to Tyson), ‘Everybody’s got a plan til they get hit by a rock.’
No Kidding! That's pretty cool. I liked the doc on him, he seemed like a real live soul. Rich mentions in the Doc what you mentioned, along the lines of they don't know his actual professional record because of his excessive use of alias names mostly so he could fight several times a night on the same card.