Am i missing something? I never thought he had the talent comparable to genuine underachievers like Witherspoon, Bowe, Douglas, Page, Ibeabuchi, Pinklon Thomas, Corrie Sanders etc. He had very fast hands but not great footwork and he couldn't punch particularly hard. He wasn't especially skilled defensively.
Like you said, he had very fast hands but he also had a lot of success early in life as amateur which made him pretty highly sought out by promoters when he turned pro. The guy got a lot of money at a young age and developed a drug problem that plagued him his entire life. He was never a big puncher and didn't have a great chin either. At the end of the day, he was talented but flawed.
Watch his early fights. He flew around the ring and had the best mobility and it was on par with Holmes.
Nice thread I felt Page was the most talented of a talent heavy generation. Buster Douglas, and Tony Tucker coukd be added to the list but Greg had flamboyant gifts...great footwork/ mobility, excellent jab, good chin and durability and that underestimated power he could genuinely punch.
I very “ good “ fighter but not a “ great one. “ Fast hands, decent skills, ability to go fifteen rounds. Could punch a bit too but wasn’t exactly a huge hitter. I would give his chin a grade of somewhere between a C+ and a B- which isn’t glass but not iron either.
That's it mate,talented but flawed. Like a few of the 80 s Gen, Greg Page, John Tate, Pinklon Thomas,Tony Tubbs etc.
Dokes hd very good natural size, exceptional hand speed, great athleticism and movement, strong amateur back ground, a terrific chin and more than decent power ... he was likely the most talented on the heavyweights between Holmes and Tyson but his insane partying ruined him ...
The fastest hands I've ever seen on a heavyweight. And he was very good at moving. Gave Holyfield all Holyfield could handle and this was a very past his prime Dokes. Let that sink in.
I agree. I don't think Pinky was super talented but i still see him as an underachiever and significantly more talented than Dokes IMO.
Hmm.. I think Dokes was quite a bit more talented, just as tall, slightly longer reach, was really quick on his feet before the drugs took their toll and always had that crazy hand speed. And he was even more undisciplined than Pinky.
Dokes was talented seemed to have all the tools somehow didn’t have a lot of power. You figure with his size and speed and ability he would have but I think that was his problem. In a slugfest like with Holyfield he was going to come out second best since Evander punches were going to hurt more. He’s listed as 6 3 with 78 reach which isn’t bad for that height but somehow he didn’t seem that tall or long. Is it me or anyone feel like those numbers might be inflated?