The Best Boxer Never to Win a World Title 1970-2009

[Deno1986]

Who do you think is the best boxer never to have won a World Title in his weight class/classes between 1970-2009[boxers that started before 1970 and continued fighting into the 70's may also be allowed]??

When I say World Title I mean the main organisations [WBC, IBF, WBA, WBO-barely] and not organisations such as IBO, WBF, WBU etc.

The boxer must also be fully retired!

My vote goes to my hero Micky Ward but Im sure people know of better boxers out there that have never won a World Title.

[Adamj1987]

jerry quary - at heavy
bert cooper - at cruiser

[giacomino]

Two I can think of at middleweight, IMO, were Bennie Briscoe and Juan Roldan

[witherspoon]

Herol Graham deserves a mention at middleweight.

[dr_devious]

Colin Jones, maybe not the best, but one of the best welterweights not to win a title in this era

[running man]

jim mcdonnell from camden town london.
boxed two great world champions for the title, asumah nelson and Brian Mitchell.
then he become one of the best trainers around.

[hhaehre]

Lesser fighters than Yaqui Lopez and Hedgemon Lewis have won belts

[Goodnight, Irene]

Briscoe is my pick, but it's a steep field. We can certainly do better than Quarry & Cooper, though each were very good on their day.

[Collins2000]

Colin Jones, maybe not the best, but one of the best welterweights not to win a title in this era

Jones had 2 chances against a bloke who was nothing special at world championship level.

[scartissue]

Armando Muniz, Jesus Pimental, Richie Kates and Hector Thompson to name a few.

Scartissue

[witherspoon]

jim mcdonnell from camden town london.
boxed two great world champions for the title, asumah nelson and Brian Mitchell.
then he become one of the best trainers around.

Great pick, very underrated British boxer.

[The Great John L]

Ronnie Harris
Bernard Taylor

[Jaywheel]

Tua and Shavers

[Expug]

There are a number of good ones mentioned here.

Briscoes a good shout for sure.
Heres another Philly guy:
Tyrone Everret. Was robbed bad vs Alfredo Escalera Im told.

[giacomino]

The Everett robbery reminded me of another no-luck fighter who deserves a mention: Jorge Victor Ahumada. His title shot against Bob Foster in Foster's home town was called a draw, a result, from what I've read, that was judged highly questionable. Then he goes to England to fight John Conteh and loses a SD on Conteh's home turf. Finally he takes Galindez the distance, losing a UD. All within a year.

[Seamus]

I watched Foster v Ahumada live, and I can't feel too much sympathy for Ahumada. Foster injured his hand fairly early in the bout, and despite being up against a pretty much one armed fighter, Ahumada didn't exactly press his advantage.

[elmersalsa]

It gotta be Bennie Briscoe and Jerry Quarry.

Angel Manfredy was never a world champ in my book.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Tua and Shavers

Pet-hate of mine. Shavers has got to be the most over-rated of the 70's HW contenders, & a sorely over-rated fighter, period.

Tua, well --- no one really gives a sh!t about him. He froze in his big shot. Both of those guys were so limited.

[fightingsteve]

Jerry Quarry

[BoxBuzz]

Not sure you can top Quarry and Briscoe in this catagory.

['Frilla]

DAVID TUA

[jugg2000]

Emanuel Augustus

The 30 losses are crap.

[Jaywheel]

Tua and Shavers

Pet-hate of mine. Shavers has got to be the most over-rated of the 70's HW contenders, & a sorely over-rated fighter, period.

Tua, well --- no one really gives a sh!t about him. He froze in his big shot. Both of those guys were so limited.

Ruiz and Moorer are multiple time world champs and it took Tua less than a minute total to beat the two of them.

Shavers KOed Norton in 1 less than a year arter he had lost a close decision in 15 to Holmes. He also had Holmes everything but out in round 7 and 8 when he fought him.

Not saying they were the greatest, tought they deserved a mention.

[The Great John L]

Tua and Shavers

Pet-hate of mine. Shavers has got to be the most over-rated of the 70's HW contenders, & a sorely over-rated fighter, period.

Tua, well --- no one really gives a sh!t about him. He froze in his big shot. Both of those guys were so limited.

Ruiz and Moorer are multiple time world champs and it took Tua less than a minute total to beat the two of them.

Shavers KOed Norton in 1 less than a year arter he had lost a close decision in 15 to Holmes. He also had Holmes everything but out in round 7 and 8 when he fought him.

Not saying they were the greatest, tought they deserved a mention.

Yes, and Shavers also stopped Ellis, Young and Bugner as well as tough fringe contenders like Williams, Smith and Clark. And let's not forget his fine performance aginst Lyle before he ran out of gas. While I'm not sure I would have him in this thread, it's hard to imagine how anyone could say he's over rated since I've never seen him listed in anyones atg HWs. Obviously his lack of top trainers and management during his early years led to some poor conditioning and inconsistency, but if anything most probably under rate him because they remember him more for his Saturday afternoon wars late in his career rather than the more notable performances in his earlier career.

[Goodnight, Irene]

His win against Ellis is the luckiest victory I've ever seen in my life. He was almost out himself. Please. Norton was washed-up (though Shavers did as well as could have been asked), &

This guy had limited conditioning, a wonky chin, zero defense, an absent jab, no real left hand to speak of, & he wasn't even what I would call an above-average finisher.

The best thing to ever happen to Earnie Shavers was that he fought in a deep talent era, so he has that excuse for never winning the title. He could've been in a decisively poorer era, & still never won it. He had a right hand. He had very little else.