Greatest Pro Boxers Who Never Received Title Shot?

The Murderers row Holman Williams, Bert Lytell,Charley Burley, Cocoa Lewis etc

 

Not a great fighter, but Bernardo Mercado was a great puncher who might indeed have deserved a shot after knocking out Shavers and Berbick. Incredibly, he was stopped by Leon Spinks (!!!) who got the shot.

 

Almost certainly it’s Burley since Langford fought with a world title on the line but didn’t score a KO so settled for “newspaper decision”

 

Halimi Gutierrez
Jimmy Warnock
Bunty Doran
Famoso Gomez
Art Hafey
Toluco Lopez
Harold Petty
Percy Bassett
Sammy Goss
Alfredo Urbina
Packey McFarland
Wes Ramey
Isaac Logart
Gypsy Joe Harris
Tony Ayala
Eddie Booker
Jack Chase
Lloyd Marshall
Dave Sands
Jimmy Bivins
James Scott
Harry Wills
Ike Ibeabuchi

 

@scartissue beat me to it:

Great Scott

Super Scott

James Scott

Beat top contender Eddie Gregory (later known as Eddie Mustafa Muhammad). And Yaqui Lopez. And Richie Kates and Jerry Celestine and Jesse Burnett. Among others.

But he was in a New Jersey prison and the powers that be (rightfully IMO) determined he couldn’t become a mandatory contender ... they couldn’t compel a champion to come to Rahway prison to fight, and he couldn’t get out on a furlough to fight for the championship in Atlantic City (or elsewhere).

So he got beat by Jerry “The Bull” Martin and Dwight Muhammad Qawi. I think he lost heart when the sanctioning bodies made their ruling that he couldn’t become a mandatory and clearly no champ was going to prison to risk the belt. But those two might have been better than him anyway.

It was a compelling story we got to watch play out in the light heavyweight heyday of the late 1970s and early ‘80s.

 

Ron Richards
Vic Patrick

 

and Fred Henneberry

 

Layne
Ike
Wills
Are the top HWs for me.

 

If you mean the Ketchel fight that wasn't at middleweight, and should probably be considered a draw.

He did have a shot at Walcott, and would have against Gans, but couldn't make the limit.

 

Maybe Packey McFarland, assuming you don't recognise the title he fought for.

 

This is beautiful appreciating top contenders of the past. I like that

 

Surprisingly Donovan Razor Ruddock, despite all his big high profile fights against the likes of Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis and Tommy Morrison, never actually fought for any recognised versions of the world heavyweight title.

 

Joe Baksi at Heavyweight. Baksi was huge for his day and rolling over everyone put in front of him then lost a decision to hit and hop Swede Ole Tandberg and kissed his shot at Joe Louis goodbye.
Kevin Finnegan at Middleweight. Spent 7 years in the top 10. Was British and European Champion. Poor Kevin was basically sacrificed to a pre Championship Marvin Hagler twice by Mickey Duff. Kevin was never on the floor in either fight and both were neck and neck when Kevin was stopped on cuts. The cuts from the first fight hadn't even healed properly when they re-matched. Duff could a callous b......d .

 

Duff wasn't Finnegan's manager.Freddie Hill was.