Fighters Who Were Front-Runners/Didn't Pace Themselves Well

Tommy Morrison displayed this flaw v Mercer when he gassed after beating the crap out of Ray but he improved on this fighting much more measured v Foreman. Frank Bruno was the classic front runner who would come unstuck after winning early rounds, he was beating Lewis before panicking and trying to knock Lewis out mid fight and leaving himself wide open for the hook that left him a mess on the ropes, he wa ahead of Witherspoon before being caught and battered at the end of that title clash, he was ahead against Smith before tiring badly, fighting at walking pace and then being dumped on the floor by Bonecrusher, he hurt Tyson in theitr 1st round but adfter that started just pawing with his jab and grabbing Mike`s head and slapping him just waiting to be stop, Bruno started to panic if an opponent was still in front of him after the early rounds, he clung on for dear life against McCall in their last round after jabbing Ollie`s head off all night.

 

Del a hoya, had problems with stamina management, the Trinidad fight comes to mind

 

Zab Judah could start a fight looking like a world-beater and end it looking like a fallen horse ready for shooting. Seemed to suffer with fading stamina and had a tendency to lose heart and discipline when things weren't going his way.

Junior Witter, too. Less of a basket case than Judah, but had that same tendency to gas in the second half of the fight.

Herol Graham ran out of steam in fights he was winning against McCallum, Kalambay (the rematch) and Brewer. Fair enough, Kalambay upped his game late on and Herol was long in the tooth for Brewer...But man, that McCallum fight. He threw that one away.

Maybe Gerald McClellan, too. Very few of his knockouts came after the fifth round or so. Once he went past that point, he had to settle for points, lose the decision himself or, in the case of the Benn fight, got stopped, although obviously there are mitigating factors in that one.

 

I'd have to say the worst i've ever seen at this was Cotto by far!

 

Earnie Shavers - end of story

 

Victor Ortiz warrants a mention.

He could come out looking like a fast, power punching world beater (the Maidana fight being a prime example) but if the opponent gutted it out Victor would seem to get disheartened and sloppy and ultimately hurt and lose.

To give him his dues he did gut it out in the first Berto fight but that was the exception and he folded pretty much against Maidana, Lopez, Berto 2 and Floyd really.

 

Tyson

Buddy Mcgirt would fade in middle rounds, then come back. Made things closer than they shouldve been.

 

Frank Bruno.

 

Andrew Golota

Lorenzo Zanon

 

Cotto is a hard guy to put into a category. Hall of fame for sure, but not all time great.

 

Right my problem with Cotto is he was a great 6 round fighter but if you pulled him into deep water. He started to fade,, after about round 6 he would always get off the front foot and go into cruise control.

 

Jermaine Taylor

 

good one there wasn't thinking about him but your right!! 100% correct

 

both hopkins fights, pavlik 1 and froch are perfect examples