Mismanegmant - What Fighters Suffered...

I disagree. For a black man to get FIVE title shots over the course of FOUR years in the 40's and 50's. . . I'd say he was pretty well managed.

But if you're talking about his early career. . .

 

I'd accept that maybe the Holyfield fight was an acceptable risk and he certainly gained some status in defeat, but he was then put back in with a couple of meaningless fighters and then thrown in with Tyson.

In hindsight, I'd actually say that a few more learning fights (either BEFORE or AFTER Holyfield) may have gotten to the point where he WOULD HAVE been a real championship prospect. His showing against Holyfield suggests he had the raw talent. Maybe a more polished and mature Stewart would have been able to beat Holyfield and Moorer, maybe, and have a chance of fending off Bowe, Mercer, Morrison etc. Give him some big wins and some confidence and he's probably not gonna get blown out by Tyson either.

Of course he MIGHT HAVE lost against B-level stepping stones too, but that lower "risk" would be the right path to take, and would more likely IMPROVE him as a fighter, win, lose or draw.

 

I've considered the point that maybe Stewart's managers were right to take the payday opportunities when they came along, but to me, I think Stewart looked a bit better than that. They should have had confidence in him being able to improve and develop into a fighter who would get and WIN some decent paydays, and a title shot just 18-36 months down the road, and a good chance of winning a title.
Like I said, the Holyfield risk may have been acceptable in this regard, but for his next step up to be Tyson was certainly a stalling block in his career. It was all a severe uphill battle from that point on, cast as an "opponent", and this a guy who'd been "up-and-coming" and a "prospect" just over a year earlier.
Well, that's my take anyway.

 

Can you remember any of the essay ?

I always figured Bentt had peaked in the amateurs. I remember he was the big name in the amateurs in the mid-to-late 80s.

 

Sean O'Grady comes to mind because of the horrible judgement his manager/father exercised in practically throwing Sean's hard-won title in the trash bin, and keeping him from making a few lucrative defenses as WBO (I think it was that one) lightweight champion as a break from having so many tough fights, and then eventually putting him in the ring with the thunderous punching Andy Gannigan, who ko'ed Sean for the first time ( Sean was rescued on his feet in a tko against Danny Lopez earlier in his career). Sean's chin just gave out against Ganigan, and he could never really yake it after that. His dad could have marketed Sean a bit better and he would have been so popular.

 

I don't think Bowe's manager did him any favours if he was responsible for ducking Lewis. That fight would have ment a lot for boxing and a win for Bowe would have significantly changed his career and enhanced his legacy. Of course some of this is 20/20 hignsight.

 

Howard Davis Jr. is a fine example.

 

One of those situations where something was seen (by Newman) as a short-term gain, yet ended up a long-term loss.


I don't know what on earth Lionel Butler's management were thinking (if anything) by throwing a guy with ZERO amateur fights straight into :
Fight #1 - Phil Jackson
Fight #2 - Riddick Bowe
Fight #11 - Oliver McCall

 

With no amateur experience and no name recognition, Butler's people probably just had to take whatever fights they could get at the time. Sometimes its either settle for what's available or starve. One possible way of looking at it is perhaps being thrown to the wolves early gave Butler exerience that benefitted him later. Sure, he started off his career with a rude awakening and compiled an ugly record, but over the long haul, he put together a resectable streak of knockout wins and was even a ranked contender for a brief period.

 

I think you and I talked about this once a few weaks ago. I still haven't figured out why Maskaev took a leave from the sport for two years after knocking out a 20-0 prospect in his debut. I suppose I should do a wikipedia search real quick and see if there's something menetioned about it. It would be interesting to have seen how his career might have played out if he had gotten on the ball a bit earlier and followed up with that impressive debut performance, rather than losing a full two years of his career during a critical develepment phase.

 

In recent times, Willie Dewitt out of Canada ( he was given the wrong trainer and managed wrong) Nick Wells a Sick punching southpaw KO"D Larry Holmes 2 times (out COLD) for the Nationals. Shawn Osullivan from Canada....Vlad Klitschko early on (taking Sanders lightly) Corrie Sanders (managed by Lennox Lewis's Promotion people) and he was put on a back burner. A lot of father and son teams..Howard Davis Jr. Jerry Quarry,

 

I don't know if Dewitt's career ending early was a result of managment issues or him having his sites set elsewhere. Dewitt left boxing on a winning note as the Canadian heavyweight champion and later attended law school. He's now a practicing attorney. I'm not sure if he was managed that badly. In fact, he's one of the few fighters that you've ever heard about who called it quits on a winning streak, then went on to make something of himself.