worst deserved title shots.....

How did 5-9-2 Julio Hernandez get a number ten ranking and this
televised title shot at a peak Wilfredo Gomez and his WBC SBW Title?

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPY4N0PKGPI[/ame]

 

Duran against William Joppy.

 

thats a great example...yes..how did that happen ??

 

Steffen tangsted against michael spinks....

 

I think some of Patterson's title defenses should get a shout.

 

Well, as you heard from Tim Ryan on :30-:38 of that clip, Hernandez claimed he was 40(13)-5, had been a professional for seven years, and went the distance with a young Arguello twice. It seems to me that boxwreck hasn't provided his complete record, but if it's correctly reported that his previous bout was a first round knockout loss to blank slate Blas Chairez, then this title shot seems even more ridiculous. Gomez obviously carried him, showing himself off for television a bit like Ali was known to do. (And Muhammad clearly carried his final stoppage victim Dunn to make good on a fifth round knockout prediction inscribed inside his gloves.)

Accuracy and completeness of records is the main issue here.

 

Interesting trivia challenge thread created by hhascup on February last year asking who had the worst record to ever receive a title shot (minimum ten total career bouts on final resume):

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=290081

 

Of course neither Alfredo Evangelista or Leon Spinks deserved a title shot at Ali, but I cut Muhammad slack for this because the final successful defense of the undisputed heavyweight championship before Tyson-Bruno I in 1989 was such a monster. Ali-Shavers may have been deadly to the GOAT's long term well being, but does add something to his post Manila dossier.

 

audley harrison

 

Pete Radamacher

 

Mike Dokes had no business fighting Riddick Bowe. He trained on 8 balls and donuts.

 

Carlos Zarate surely has faced the two least deserving title contenders ever-

2-4-0 Emilio Hernandez, with no reported fights for a year and no recorded wins for over 5 years, having only ever beaten one boxer who had 0-1-0 and 0-2-0 records at the time:

http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=13993&cat=boxer

- and -

John Mensah Kpalongo, gentlemen. No fights out of Africa, no recorded fights for three years, no wins against boxers with recorded wins. An amazing 1-4-0 record and who claimed a 45-2-0 record:

http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=155670&cat=boxer

 

At least he had an Olympic medal. And he was undefeated!

Hernandez and Kpalongo make Rademacher look like Sonny Liston.