Is Mark Breland the greatest disappointment as a professional ever?

No, Breland did become a world title claimant, so while he did fall short of his amateur reputation as a professional, he still achieved a measure of success.

Personally, I believe a stronger case can be made that Howard Davis, Jr. fell further short of what was expected of him coming out of the amateur ranks. He was the fastest man in boxing, yet was handily outpointed by one of the slowest champions in the sport (the resourceful Jim Watt) in losing his first title shot. Howard never won a professional title at any level.

Clint Jackson also fell very far short of what was projected for him in the professional ranks among Howard's 1976 Olympic teammates. Davey Lee Armstrong from the same Montreal squad had a respectable career boxing out of the Kronk stable, managing to lift the NABF LW Title in his final win, but he was thought along with Jackson to be the best of that USA contingent going into those 1976 Games.

Sugar Ray Seales was the only US Gold Medalist from the 1972 Munich Olympics, and while he had a respectable pro career, he couldn't break into the top tier of contenders. 1968 Gold Medalist Ronnie Harris did, but the fastest middleweight of his era fell just short when he finally got a shot at Corro in 1978.

Duane Bobick is a keystone name when defining monumental disappointments in boxing. He defeated Stevenson in the 1971 Pan Am Games before Teo returned the favor in Munich, and handled a skinny and green Larry Holmes fairly easily in an amateur match we've all seen on youtube, then Ken Norton atypically blows him out in a 59 second debacle which becomes a Saturday Night Live joke.

 

Great mention, D.

 

First name that came to my mind when I saw the title of this thread.

That he never won a world title of any kind was a huge disappointment, and surprise.

 

Breland was a dissapointment and did not fully live up to his expectations. However, I think that the winner of that title had to be Greg Page.

 

Breland absolutely destroyed some good, solid fighters.

Six fights into his pro career he was fighting a 19-0 fighter, shortly afterwards a 24-0 opponent, then another 24-0 guy.

Sterling's greatest failing, or rather his managements, was that they matched him with guys with iron chins, or air tight defenses along with great chins.

Marlon Starling 2x? Really? Could there have been a worse match-up for Breland?

And Aaron Davis? The ultra tough, I fought from 147 to SMW and was only dropped once in my entire career Davis?

Dumb. Poor choices.

Anyway, he left the very best of himself in the amateur ranks, but so did Kostya Tszyu.

Also, not too far along in Breland's career he suffered some kind of out of the ring accident. I almost want to say a car accident. He never recovered fully, and was obviously not the fighter he was after that.

 

Page did fall far short of the mark in terms of his abilities, but his career was not a complete dud, and he remained a credible heavyweight over a span of more than twenty years. Greg did lift the WBA Title in SA by flattening Coetzee for the count, and he had a respectable three and a half year reign as the USBA HW Champion. He blew hot and cold, looking dreadful twice against George Chaplin, but he also got off the deck a few times to win. He took more risks than Cooney did, and got some better scalps on his belt in the process. (Tillis, Snipes, a streaking and deadly punching Larry Frazier, Coetzee, Broad, and a fading but still viable and dangerous Witherspoon. Marty Monroe was an impressive early career stoppage. He finished LeDoux as a contender.) While I believe Chaplin won both their bouts, I also have to credit Page tremendously for taking him on a second time.

Greg Page is not HOF material, but he's not Duane Bobick or Leon Spinks either.

 

The greatest prospect ,ahead or along with Mark Breland, was a welterweight,called the"next Joe Louis"...His name was Billy Arnold,out of Philly.He was labeled a certain champion,in the welterweight division...Arnold ko'd28 guys in his first 31 bouts...Oh,could he hit...I first saw him destroy an opponent at St,Nicks Arena...The second time I saw Arnold was against,the wily 32 year old veteran Fritzie Zivic,who outfoxed Arnold by dec...Arnolds first defeat....No shame...Right after that Arnold a 10 to 1 favorite,was matched against a young wild belter named Rocky Graziano at MSG.. that was the most exciting fight I have ever seen...Bar none...In the first round Graziano was battered from pillar to post,and in severe danger of being stopped..In the second round Rocky Threw one of his right hand grenades, which exploded on Arnold's chin,and that was the turning point...Arnold wastopped after a terrible beating,and went downhill from there...He was a shot fighter forever....Graziano became a New York sensation,from then on ,and the most thrilling fighter I ever saw...Arnold "the next Joe Louis",disappeared from the boxing scene...What a prospect was Arnold though.....

 

great post bb:thumbsup

 

He didn't live up to expectancy he was a quality amateur won everything and had a lot of physical gift many felt he would be a new Hearns.

 

True, but still, with all the ability that he possessed he should have accomplished much more, and he lost to fighters that he should have easily beaten. After all, this was a man who was touted by Ali as well as many others to be the successor to "the greatest" himself.

 

I think Donald Curry might be also. Curry had only like 4 or 5 losses in 400 amateur fights.

 

Breland certainly deserves nomination for the nod. I remember USA building up "Cowboy" Don Shiver as a world class tough guy and rising fringe contender and then seeing Breland dispose of him without even showing a change in facialexpression. He had clear and frightening magic at his disposal and looked unbeatable. And then it all vanished just like that.

 

henry tillman pretty big dissapointment beat tyson in olympic trials beat willie dewitt on way to gold medal then went on to loose to both in mostly disapointing pro career an belive he is in prison now also thought dante craig was going to be good after stellar amature resume but also never lived up to billing

 

Page's icing of LeDoux was a extremely impressive one.

LeDoux made Foreman look very ordinary and foolish in there for a short period of time, had to really lay into him to get the stoppage as well.

Page decked him hard with one clean shot if I'm remembering correctly. Just clowned the guy.