Journeymen who turned into elite fighters?

Rocky Balboa


/end thread

 

Yeah that's the first name that came to me. 13-9-1, lost his last fight which was only an 8 rounder and brought in on short notice, was only ever meant to show up and lose, but he shocked everyone and went onto defend the WBO title 8 times.

 

Miguel Vasquez was pretty good, and fights tommorow night.

 

So we,re looking for a journeyman to an elite but only if your set up as a journeyman from the start. We could be looking a while.

Pretty sure losing 5 of his first 10 fights qualifies nelson as a journeyman.

 

Very very few if any pro boxers are ‘set up’ to be journeymen?

Notorious gatekeeper types to that flock of late 80s middles, Sanderline Williams and Randy Smith, were both National amateur champs so obviously started as prospects.

 

Welsh featherweight Steve Robinson, "elite" may be a little much but.. his record suggested he was on his way to being a journeyman.

There is the story Robinson was working at Debenhams at the time of his opportunity but if my memory serves me correctly he had just left that job, either way he was your average working man who pretty much boxed partime.

Robinson had a record of 13-9-1, he was brought in on late notice to fight John Davison to fight for the vacant WBO Featherweight Title.

Robinson went on to win the WBO World Title that night, he made 7 defences of the world title, including defences against Colin McMillan, Paul Hodkinson, Freddy Cruz and Duke McKenzie.

Unluckily for Robinson, He finally ran in to a 19-0 fighter called.. Prince Naseem Hamed.

After that defeat he lost a shot at the European Title by UD to Billy Hardy, then picked up the WBO intercontinental title.

Then around 7-8 fights later won the European Title against Manuel Calvo and made two successful defences and then his career really fell off.

He lost his next 6 fights and retired, losing to Calvo in a rematch for the vacant EBU title, also lost by TKO to a 14-1-1 future WBO World Champion Scott Harrison.



I like this mans career, it's rather inspiring, he was 13-9-1, just given an opportunity and took it, was regarded as a very good world champion at the time and there is no shame in losing to that version of Hamed, we all saw what Hamed went on to do.

 

That version of Hamed toys with the later version of Hamed. That’s a fact by the way.

 

The way he dropped off his discipline post-Robinson is a fact.

 

And it’s clear to see - combinations at speed in range rather than single pot shots from out of range. Robbo couldn’t lay a glove on the kid. When he was lazy on the edge of range trying to tee off a knockout shot he was vulnerable to overarms rights ala Kelley fight

 

Wilder?

 

Micky Ward, but dont know if he qualifies as elite, but did achieve some small success at higher levels.

 

marcos maidana and lucas mathysse

 

Johnny Nelson?

 

I wouldn't say he's an elite fighter but Oswaldo Novoa went from being a straight journeyman to a world champion in one fight so that's a good example. Gilberto Keb Baas, Mark John Yap, German Torres and Edgar Sosa also come to mind for me.

 

Carl Froch without Eddie Hearn would have been a journeyman fighter in my opinion.