Underrated Tomato Cans

Tex Cobb was pretty tough. Could really take a punch. I believe he held Norton to a draw. Was great in the movie Uncommon Valor.

 

Tony Galento

 

Ross Purrity
Mike Dixon
Lionel Butler
Garring Lane
Marty Marshall
Marion Wilson
Jesse Ferguson
Joe Hipp
Everton Davis

 

Joe Hipp, Marty Marshall, Ferguson and Galento were not tomato cans. Nor really was Lionel Butler for a brief stretch.

 

True Journeymen is a better term. I'm old enough to remember Ferguson winning the ESPN tournament beating a fellow by the name of Buster Douglas. And of course he had some good wins at an advanced age as well, after another poster mentioned Galento I figured my guys were fair game.

Hipp was thought to be a contender but he couldn't blow his nose pre fight without swelling up. He gave Morrison hell which has to be the HL of his career anytime you're a Bruce Seldon title defense that's not great!

Butler was absolutely an "opponent" early in his career really until the KO1 over Tubbs he'd won a string of fights prior to Tubbs but Tubbs was the big win it was also televised on USA Tuesday Night Fights which garnered some good exposure, then he had an impressive string until he forgot to train for his big shot on HBO vs Lewis after that he was pretty much a can again. It was gross watching him go down in one to Neilson. I actually met he and Tony Tubbs both on seperate occasions, both were very nice guys..

 

I don't think Tex was a tomato can!

 

To me most of the fighters that have been listed even by me aren't "cans" a can would be someone like

Jamie Howe
Ken Lakusta (though he was Canadian champ)
Ladislao Mijangos
Marshall Tillman
Kimmuel Odum

But then the question was underrated tomoato cans!?? Doesn't really work if You're a can you're a can, otherwise I'd call you an "opponent" "journeyman" "maybe a shot/older fighter" A Can to me is a never was nor a never will he be.

 

Absolutely not!! Guy had some decent scalps and got a title shot, cans don't get title shots

 

Most people here probably won't know who heavyweight Jerry Jones was.. But i spent quite a few nights seeing him appear on ESPN and he gave plenty of up and coming heavyweights problems despite retiring with something like a record of 9-12 or whatever it was.

 

Slice JONES BABY!!!!!

I Know that guy!!! Long and lean. I remember him knocking out Michael Bentt in 1 round and beating the aging Carl Williams on ESPN putting Williams down multiple times.. He also had a tough fight vs Alex Garcia

 

Yep!! I never saw the Bentt fight.. But I saw him upset "the truth", along with the war he had with Garcia which I felt he should have gotten the decision in. He fought mark wills on USA about two months later and was robbed in that one too.. Mercer had a hell of a time with him as well. When asked if he trained enough, jones said "nope.. I make my living waiting tables and it takes up all my time.. ". Come to think of it, I don't think I'd even Classify jones as a "tomato can.." Tomato cans are guys who generally go out there and just lay down and you don't give as many good fighters the kind of hell that he did by doing that..

 

Emmanuel Agustus. The ultimate tomato can, fought everybody and anybody often on short notice. Had many great fights and one of the most remarkably bizzare styles the world has ever known. God bless that crazy *******.

 

George "S****-iron" Johnson. Competitive. Fought Frazier, Liston, Quarry (3), Machen, Foreman, Henry Clark, Amos "Big Train " Lincoln, Elmer Rush, Thad Spencer, Manuel Ramos, Duane Bobbick, Scott LeDoux, Leroy Jones & Ron Lyle.

The only big name guys he missed were Floyd Patterson, Ali, & Norton.

 

Tex Cobb may well have been the second best heavyweight in the world when Larry Holmes handed him his first decisive loss on Cobb's home turf in the Astrodome, and by 15 round shutout at that.

Doke I resulted in a controversial SD, Norton had to counter him off the ropes for an SD, Buster Douglas had to settle for an SD, then Tex was swarming all over a fleeing beefed up Dokes in their rematch when an accidental clash of heads resulted in a blatanty rigged TD for Michael. Tex also held wins over heavy bombers Mercado and Shavers.

No way Tex can be dismissed as a title can in any legitimate bout. Holmes shut him out because of Larry's ridiculous superiority over the rest of the HW division in November 1982. Nobody else could have come close to beating Tex by a unanimous margin in 1982