Hyped regional fighters in the 80's and 90's who stepped up and got thrashed.

Buck Smith, Darrin Van Horn, Bobby Crabtree might qualify, though obviously Van Horn went much further in his career.

 

I remember an ESPN telecast where Rubin Williams and Rydell Booker were being hyped as prospects. Williams got iced in a round. Booker won his match but would be outclassed by James Toney and retire a couple years later.

 

Wayne Llewellyn British HW 6.5 odd 230 pounds took on Frankie swindell former LHW 5.8 240 pounds looking like he trained in a cake shop outboxed and KOed Llewellyn unbelievable .check it out on you tube worth a look.

 

didn't booker get in trouble too?

 

I think so. But he won.

 

I think the poster child for this thread is Tony "KO King" Gardner, who was promoted heavily out of OKC by Pat O'Grady and Ring Magazine and got a shot at Elisha Obed. (I posted it on YouTube last year for your viewing pleasure...) He got stopped pretty harshly but made a worthy showing and even rocked Obed a time or two before getting put to sleep.

We also had Alvino Manson step up here in Indy and win the ESPN Lt Heavy title and ran his mouth in the local press to get a shot with Marvin Johnson. That was a solid thrashing indeed.

 

Matt Farrago was another one

 

"Schoolboy" Van Horn got schooled by Iran Barkley. Van Horn kept scratching his shoulder....very weird.

Anyone consider Allen Green a hype job? I realize he's a more recent fighter.

 

Great call On Alvino.

 

Hard to say because it seemed like he never recovered from his health ailments.

 

Pat O'Connor against Andy Kendall
Pedro Lovell against Ken Norton
Duane Bobick against Norton
Boone Kirkman against Foreman
James Pipps against Gaby Canizales

I know the first 4 were not the '80s but my mind was wandering

 

Yes, but I wouldn't call him "regional."

 

And Bobick wasn't a regional prospect. He was an accomplished am on the world level.

 

Entertaining fight while it lasted that. I liked Tim Littles.

 

No way, dude. The best he had fought prior to that was Randy Neumann and Bunny Johnson (I know Weaver was a champ in the making but when he fought Bobick he was strictly a trial-horse). I would not call him anything more than a prospect at that time and I did predict he was going to get eaten up by Norton despite magazines at the time actually predicting a Bobick victory - although I must admit my prediction was Norton in 7. Thought it would have been a methodical beating rather than a blowout.