Biggest personal Dissappointments fights/fighters/performances

Well a guy like Weaver needs or lets say has to be warmed up. Let alone in a title fight. But I've always said a corner wins big bouts a lot more often than the also-ran corners. And Don Manuel did a real nice job getting Weaver to the top but he sure didn't have him ready for Dokes in that first bout. Like you said, he sure did for the rematch.

It's a funny sport, isn't it? Sometimes these boxers fire trainers left and right like a Ruddock. Then you have guys that stay with someone forever like Clancy with Griffith. You'd think other trainers would have reached out to a Mike Weaver through the years.

That seems to be one of the big differences back then with the promoters as well; DKP would have his trainers and his managers in the loop. Arum pretty much stayed away from that involvement, at least up until DLH.

 

Frank Fletcher losing to Scypion and losing his title shot. What a great three yr run for those of us that went to his fights then NOTHING. Makes me sad to this day. My one major disappointment in boxing life. Just look at it-- Marvelous Marvin Hagler vs. Frank "The Animal" Fletcher at the Sands HOTEL, Atlantic CITY , New Jersey for the UNDISPUTED MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE WORLD

 

I agree Duran looked flat. What a nightmare training. Any other time he ko's BENITEZ.

 

I thought it was grand larceny. Weaver 11-4.

 

One more disappointment was no Cuevas-Palomino or 79 Cuevas-Duran.

 

Geez, was there ever a bigger disappointment than Cooney coming out determined to box (and lose) to Larry Holmes instead of throwing caution to the wind and trying to break him in half.

I'll take Hamed against Barrera for $300, Alex, while I'm at it.

 

Gerrie Coetzee was a big disappointment for me,...especially after looking so damned impressive in destroying Leon Spinks in '79.
Mike Rossman was another flop.

 

Golota fouling out twice against Bowe, quitting after getting knocked down by Michael Grant despite being ahead on the scorecards, his embarrassing meltdown against Tyson.
Henry Akinwande always puzzled me, he had all the tools to be a great fighter. He did hold the WBO belt and had some good wins, seemed to be a bit too timid, and had zero personality.
Larry Donald was another guy who I thought would accomplish more than he did.

 

Nicolai Valuev. When Don King can't make you big, especially when you're 7 ft tall and weigh 325lbs, then there's definitely a problem. Valuev should have been the Andre the Giant of boxing. Maybe Vince McMahon could have made him popular, then again, I think not.

 

After Duran performed so well against Barkley and Leonard looked a bit lacklustre against Hearns, I expected more of their third meeting in Dec 1989.

 

I always recall a piece I read from Mickey Duff after his man Bunny johnson lost to Aldo Traversero, where Duff said after Johnson lost, "I never went into a fight so confident only to come out so disillusioned." Here are some of my picks.

Hedgemon Lewis - John Stracey
Armando Muniz - Carlo Palomino I
Victor Galindez - Mike Rossman I
Ruben Castillo - Juan LaPorte
Donald Curry - Rene Jacquot
John Conteh - Mate Parlov
Bennie Briscoe - Rodrigo Valdes II
Ronnie Shields - Tsuyoshi Hamada
Rodolfo Gonzalez - Ishimatsu Suzuki I & II
Ken Buchanan - Ishimatsu Suzuki (clearly I didn't think much of Suzuki)

It probably hurt worse if you were a fan of the losing fighter.

 

I started to sour on him when he did everything possible to avoid THE POSSIBILITY of fighting Ward during the Super 6. He made their relationship sound like they shared the same DNA. Funny thing is, I never really heard Ward “pledge his allegiance” to Dirrell.

 

The only thing more disappointing than Forrest vs Quartey was the bogus decision that went against Ike.

 

GGG's second performance vs Canelo was disappointing

Frazier's performance vs Foreman

Marciano's performance vs Cockell

Dempsey's performance vs Tunney

Pacquiao's performance vs Mayweather

 

After Mike Tyson destroyed Berbick to become the WBC champ and then a month later Bonecrusher Smith became the WBA champion by stopping big odds on favourite,Tim Witherspoon in a round, everybody thought their unification fight would be the biggest heavyweight slugfest since Foreman vs Lyle in the 70s. With their firepower and fearsome reputations, it was guaranteed that someone would be going to sleep when they faced each other in the ring.

The prediction proved correct but unfortunately it was the crowd and everyone else that watched it that fell asleep. The fight was so disappointing that I’ve never managed to rewatch it in the 30 years or so since then.