Great Fighters who never won a world title

Does Ken Norton count? I mean technically speaking he never won the WBC title they just gave it to him after Leon vacated to fight the big money rematch w/ Ali

 

Didnt Mike Gibbons hold a version of the Middle weight title?
He was my first choice ,but I left him out for that reason.

 

Yeah, I was impressed with Thompson's effort against Duran. Strong dude.

 

Billy Miske

a very good fighter. Won ( if i remember correctly) newspaper decision over Jack Dillion and beat alot of good contenders.

http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Lodge/6525/Article-BillyMiske.htm

 

Miske is overrated today and Mike Gibbons never won a version of the world title. He was a claimant at middleweight and welterweight and called by many the greatest fighter of his era but he never had a clear cut claim to the championship.

 

Bennie Briscoe and more then a other few of the Philly MW scene in the 70's, more then one of whom managed to either do well against Hagler or beat him.

 

Charley Burley.

 

I think that a distinction needs to be made between those who fought for world titles and didn't win them (for whatever reason) and those who never got a shot at a title.

 

Why?

 

1) Because there is a difference between having your chance and failing and not having a chance at all.

2) Because there is a difference between having your chance and getting stopped and having your chance and losing a controversial split decision.

 

Can we agree on one thing? Ordinary fighters don't win three Olympic gold medals...

 

The best may have been Mike "The Phantom" Gibbons, 112-9-9, who never won the MW title despite having beaten several past and future champs like Harry Greb and Mike O'Dowd. He was never KO'd in 130 fights.

 

Wasn't trying to be funny there, just trying to clarify your point.
My father for example fought 3 great champs, Harada, Rose and Olivares for the title. All 3 were at their peak and he fought them all in their own back yard. He took Harada close, 2 points on the neutral scorecard, lost a contraversial split decision to Rose, 3 Australian judges in that one but was stopped by Olivares.
I consider him to be a great fighter who never won a world title ie could of won a title in a different time. I also think there are great fighters who never got a shot, wrong colour, wrong connections, too good for their own etc. When there were only one champ at each weight iy was much harder to get a title shot.
I think that 80 per cent of champs over the last 30 years wouldn't have won a title if there was only one champ.

 

WOOPS! I misread the part that said Great. In this case, please disregard the last half of my list