Brillant Amatures Who Were Bad/Medicore Pro's?

How about Howard Davis!!? Though he wasn't terrible, he never achieved anywhere near what was expected of him.

Mark Breland is the obvious answer...and I really think Audley should be thrown in!!! Isn't he the only SHW Olympic winner never to fight for the world title (excluding Cammarelle of course)!!!

 

Jackie Beard
Richard Savage
Jimmy Clark
Tyrell Biggs.

 

nick wells was by far one of the most impressive amateurs known 189-18 110 kos 72 first rd ko's. it pisses me off what didnt happen when he became a pro.

 

Didn't S.R.L. manage Dewitt and Sullivan for a while?

 

Breland was by no means the the biggest disappointment. Howard Davis must be viewed as a bigger one. This guy beats Aaron Pryor to make the '76 Olympic team and then gets voted the best fighter on the US team ahead of Michael Spinks and Leonard. As a pro he just didnt cut it .. Jorge Luis Gonzalez was another guy that was a stellar amatuer but couldnt hack it as a pro, although Gonzalez had a serious attitude problem that probably didnt help ..

 

Many time New York Golden Glove Champion Vince Shomo was 655-4 and most of those were by knockouts, while in the Amateurs. He was 12-10-2 as a Pro.

Vince Shomo won four New York (City) Golden Gloves Championships. Shomo won the 1956 featherweight Sub-Novice title, and the 1957, 1959 and the 1960 lightweight Open championships. Shomo trained at the City Youth Organization Gym in New York City. In 1957 he won the New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions at lightweight, by decision over Billy Copeland, also in 1957 he was on the short end of a decision to Billy Braggs for the Intercity Golden Gloves lightweight championship. In 1958 he won the Intercity Golden Gloves lightweight alternate title over Billy Braggs. In 1959 he won the New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions at lightweight, by first round ko over Darrell Powell, also in 1959 he won the Intercity Golden Gloves lightweight championship by stopping Freddie Davis in the second round. In 1960 he won the New York Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions, by first round ko over Leonard Thomas, also in 1960 he decisioned Brian O'Shea for the Intercity Golden Gloves championship at lightweight. Shomo was also the National AAU Light Welterweight champion in 1957, 1958, and 1960.

 

There was an African heavyweight named Courage Tshabalala (or something like that) who was supposedly something like 71-1 (69 KOs) as an amateur, though most people figured that was bull**** anyway. Tshabala never looked like much from the start of his pro career, and disappeared after getting KO'd by Oleg Maskaev and a couple other guys.

 

audley harrison

 

Steve McCrory (RIP) had some raps on him...Olympic gold medalist and 2 x National champ.

But Fenech absolutely mugged him, hard to come back from a beating like that...I think he went on to become a world ranked superbantam but never challenged for a title again.

 

well he did face and beat Lennox Lewis...

 

Frightenly powerful puncher. Broke a few of Maskaev's ribs, the bodyshots in that fight were among the very loudest I have ever heard. Courage was hitting him with jabs to the body that literally pushed him halfway across the ring.

Supposedly the guy put up 400 pounds or so under the bench and he never did any weight training in his life. Real specimen.

 

Not sure about DeWitt but he def. managed O'Sullivan.

 

Audley Harrison

 

Johnny Bumphus

 

Audley as an amateur was the same as he was as a pro: Deeply frustrating!

He certainly was not the brilliant amateur the thread wants.