Fighters who should have been GREAT but fell short

yeh i know Chavez was a clever guy in that fight they way he wore him down.

you dont belive he had the skillset he looks pretty skillfull to me he outboxed Chavez which aint easy. i agree about the mentality do you think coming from Philly developed this

 

Hamed beat Soto who beat Espinosa anyway

Marquez barely earned a top10 ranking and may have got his shot but priced himself out and lost to Norwood. And no Hamed didn't give up the IBF to avoid Marquez, he gave it up to fight better fighters than Lizarraga who won the title

The other names you give are pretty spurious. Gainer was coming off a loss to Corrales and only established himself in 2000. Norwood would only be a 2year titlist himself losing to Gainer, Hamed fought bigger fights during this 2year period

There was no indication Kelly/Johnson were particularly past prime pre-Hamed and Bungu was innactive for 16months not 2years

 

Ken Norton got the nod over Ali in thier third fight & against Holmes, his legacy would be much different.

 

It's pretty well known that the Philly fighter mentality ran strongly through his veins. I do believe he was a skilled fighter, but he didn't really outbox Chavez per se, he more or less just outlanded him (though he was doing his fair share of fine boxing early on) due to his handspeed advantage and ability to fire off combos that much quicker.

 

Samart Payakaroon could have reigned at 122lbs for a long time had it not been for Fenech. Ditto Victor Callejas.

Alberto Davila was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but in other eras, could have been a dominant bantamweight champion.

 

Great mentions.

 

First one that came to my mind. He might've beaten either Galindez and/or Spinks had he been in better shape and more motivated. Imagine having either one of them on his resume.


Has anyone mentioned Lionel Rose? Ultra talented, gritty, and had a ton of heart. Went to Japan on short notice and handed out a boxing lesson to Fighting Harada. Had an impressive championship run, despite it being so brief. Had trouble keeping his weight down, and after losing the title to Olivares he just let his weight completely balloon. Years after he was basically shot, he managed to work his way back into contention all the way up at 130, beat Ishi Suzuki, and lost a close title challenge to Numata - all of which hinted at the potential he really had IMO.

 

Yeah, that guy was an amazing talent.

Beat a former world champion in his pro debut, KO'd Lupe Pintor with one punch, then stopped another ex-champ in Juan Meza, all within his first 10-15 fights. :shock: The Fenech KO is one of the most brutal I've ever seen, not surprising that he was never the same again (he probably should never have even fought again).

 

you need boxing skills to go to the olympics and win them

i can see what you are saying he definitly outlanded him but i think he outboxed him too

 

Completely agree. More fire in the belly and Mustafa could have done anything.

 

I don't know about Meldrick Taylor being a great, although he was a terrific fighter, I think the best case scenario for him would've been one of those "great for a short period of time" type fighters. I have a tough time seeing longevity for him, Chavez or no Chavez.

For one, he simply took too much punishment in general, and I can imagine he was a Philly gym war type of fighter too.

Also, he said he had weight problems at 140 (he had a pretty stocky frame), and moved up to 147 in 1991 (beating Davis for a title). He did make 140 in 1994 for the Chavez rematch, but that might've just been a last-ditch effort for a big fight as his time was running down.

With the immense talent level at 147 in the early to mid 90s (Tito and Whitaker became champs in 1993, Quartey in 1994, DLH in 1997), it's hard to picture him reigning as a champ for awhile (provided he took part in a unification bout).

With his style, and the talent at 147, his career (unless he was protected from the top fighters) wouldn't have been too long at the highest level.

 

Hector Camacho Sr. What a waste.

 

Vitali Klitschko

 

Dwight Davison looked like the next big thing in the middleweight division when he dropped Curtis Parker from the unbeaten ranks on NBC's Friday Night Fights. Then, he inexplicably performed a walking tank job as a 12 round punching bag for Tony Sibson, who then got the shot at Hagler. I am not convinced that Sibson would have won if Davison had applied himself the way he did with Parker. Davison might have become the first challenger to last the 15 round distance with Hagler.

Davison had size, tremendous physical strength at 6'1" (with a high school wrestling background), good mobility, skills and power. He should have been a super middleweight champion. No drive or hunger. A real waste of potential.

 

Davey Hilton jr., the most talented of the family. If he would have been serious around 85-86, he would have been world champ before and longer than his brother Matthew.

Instead he wasted 15 years of his carrer to finally win a lackluster victory over a faded Thobela to capture a WBC title he couldn't even defend once going to jail.

His brother Matthew, probably one of the greatest body puncher ever at 154 lbs, would not have lost his IBF title to Robert Hines had he been in shape.

That family's story is a sad one tough I don't feel they deserve pity.