Your favourite fighters...who weren't that good!

I didn’t know whether to include the following as I thought at one time or another they were all, at the very least in the good category which is the main reason that I liked them in the first place. Maybe they didn’t turn out to be as good as I thought they would be but since they are mostly forgotten today or unknown to the younger generation of fans, I will include them.

David Bey
Frank ‘the Animal’ Fletcher
Michael Olajide
Robin Blake
Earl Hargrove
Tony Baltazar
Charlie‘White Lightning’Brown

 

Rafael Ruelas. Maybe too good to include in this thread but I liked that he was vulnerable as it made for exciting fights (check out the Freddie Pendleton title win).

 

Currently Derek Chisora. Because he fought: Tyson Fury x3, Vitali Klitschko, David Haye, Kubrat Pulev x2, Dillian Whyte, Oleksandr Usyk, Joseph Parker x2...

 

George Chuvalo a title contender but didn't quite have enough to win the world heavyweight championship. A very robust boxer.

James Tillis originally a prospect trained by Angelo Dundee and later became a gatekeeper/journeyman.


Frank Bruno he won the WBC title from Oliver Mccall but I can't delude myself and say he was great he had alot of heart though.

 

Frank The Animal Fletcher not the most skilled fighter, but gave it his all in every fight and gave us some of the most entertaining fights in history.

Some others I enjoyed watching are.

Tony Baltazar
Robin Blake
Earl Harlgrove
Troy Dorsey

 

I absolutely loved watching Vassily Jirov fight but at the end of the day he underperformed considering his amatuer pedigree. Loved his aggressive body punching style.

 

Biggs looked like Ali in the first round against Tyson but then reality set in as Tyson was just carrying him an he went on to give Biggs a terrible beating

Lots of people were high on Biggs after his amateur career but he was never cut out for a successful pro career both in his style an mentality

 

There have been so many. I'll name 2: Tex Cobb and Tommy Morrison. Imagine if Tommy had possessed Tex's stamina and ability to absorb punishment. The reverse is also true: Imagine if Tex had possessed the firepower that Tommy brought to a fight?

 

People forget that unless you were a peak Larry Holmes, Tex was going to give you hell. Norton had to decision him by countering off the ropes (which Kenny was extremely skilled at), he took everything Shavers had to both the head and body in stopping Earnie, pushed Dokes to the brink in their first bout, and the rematch outcome against Tex on the cards was Don King rigged (Tex very clearly shut Dokes out and chased Michael all over the ring).

I see no way that Cooney possibly could have prevailed against the stamina, durability, work rate, Foreman like physical strength and heavy jab Tex brought to the table. Cobb may very well have been the world's second best HW when Larry dominated him via shutout on Cobb's Astrodome turf.

 

@McGrain

it really is troubling that a fighter like Choi was never snatched up by the big money men, he is probably the best modern example of a great fighter whom the world were denied knowing... good shout!

 

Man, how I loved that former Army paratrooper. Idolized Tyrone Everett, who he used to watch live and considered the P4P best in the world.

Viewed the Butterfly, an amazing switch hitter, a number of times before he went to Rockin' Robin Blake's hometown, successfully outslugged the taller and much harder punching southpaw Blake on Ty's own feather fisted terms, even rocking Robin at one point. Not one of Blake's fans uttered a peep of objection to the lopsided decision for Crawley. At that time, I considered Butterfly to be the most skilled boxer in the business to school such a distinguished and decorated amateur like Blake in dropping him from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Interestingly, both Blake and Crawley both entered law enforcement (Crawley while still competing) and enjoyed highly productive post boxing lives.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrone_Crawley

 

Many years ago went to a stag night in Liverpool,i am from Cheshire.Anyway a bit worse for wear missed the coach home so had to get a taxi,cost me £100,What softened the blow was the fact Sugar Gibiliru was the taxi driver.Think he was impressed that i knew who he was and we talked boxing all the way home.I am sure in my drunken state i must have been talking gibberish but he was a delight,top guy

 

I’m not sure what it means to be “ not that good. “ if we’re talking about guys were “ good” but not “ great then I’ll go with these:

- Vinny Pazienza
- Greg Haugen
- Mickey Ward
- Harold Brazier
- prince Charles Williams
- Iran Barkley
- Doug Dewitt
- Jeff Harding
- Denis Andries

that’s just some of the many

 

That's a pretty good list. Off the cuff from your post, I'm reminded of Harold "Little Man" Petty, a very dedicated and self critical perfectionist and precisionist. He sometimes sounded as though he wanted to emulate Loughran (who Corbett famously said had achieved what Gentleman Jim himself said he'd always aspired to but could never quite achieve).

 

Grey.... Little Red was actually good though lol