Well due to immense talent he was proclaimed by many to be the next great Middleweight with many thinking he would end up the next Monzon/Hagler type figure in the division. He fell WAY WAY short so something was deffo missing IMO. But yes, drugs may have been one part of the problem. If so we could call it discipline.
It still amazes me that David Tua has a great total of one title shot in his whole career, while John '19 seconds' has about 10. If Tua had Ruiz's dedication, determination, connections and sheer good fortune at times he surely would've held a title by now.
Cleveland Williams. An imposing, terrifying puncher who lacked the mental fortitude to put it together.
Since when was Cleveland William's mentally weak? Guy had a decent career after getting a hole blown in him with a 357. That hampered even Carlos Monzon. As in getting shot.
The Big Cat gives me the impression of mental implosion when getting hurt against Liston and knocked down the first time against Ali. I'm not saying he had no heart or was "mentally weak". I said he seemed to "lack the mental fortitude to put it together". The topic is fighters who were missing "something". When a fighter comes up short every time he steps up against the best, that to me indicates a lack of the magic that makes champions. Williams was bombing Liston heavily and effectively in their second meeting, hurting him and coming quite close to imposing himself on Liston. But Sonny immediately roared back with tremendous shots of his own and quickly turned the tables on Williams, who suddenly folded, Bruno-style, and offered nothing more in return in being TKO'd within the same round. To me, Williams, a good man, lacked the "something" of a champ.