james braddock evander holyfield (even though most were past his prime) glen johnson!!! (guys been robbed so many times)
It's always money. Guys didn't get paid much then, so they had to fight more. That's why so often really high quality contenders, typically black ones, didn't get title shots, or got them way too late. Not enough money in facing them. Too much risk, too little reward. Nowadays guys fight less, and we have better technology as well, to know about deals that were turned down and negotiations and whatnot.