Best out of shape boxer

[Sherlock]

Who do you guys think was the best boxer who was repeatedly or never was in shape? I mean guys with flab or pot-bellies who looked nothing like a fighter.

My list starts with Tony Galento and Willie Meehan. Both were short heavys who were always out of shape but were slick boxers and credible contenders.

Who do you guys think were good fighters but out of shape?

[Matt]

Buster Mathis Sr.

[Tantum]

Ray Mercer...

[Sherlock]

Thanks guys. Completely forget about both, as well as George Foreman in his comeback .

Also if I remember correctly, Francesco Damiani was a little pudgy.

[Bladder]

Witherspoon, Tubbs, Page.

[tonyevs]

Butterbean, world champion 3rnd fighter (self proclaimed only)

[robert.snell1]

john L. Sullivan, the walking beer barrel

[silkov]

Frankie Swindell in his Heavyweight incarnation... was still dangerous even though he made Galento look quite slim!... 8)

[KOJOE90]

Also if I remember correctly, Francesco Damiani was a little pudgy.

Indeed he was, I recall one UK TV commonator describing him as "The body of a wrestler, the face of a farmer, but he gets the job done"

A few minutes later he had KO'd Johnny Duplooy.

[dempseyfire]

Buster Mathis Sr.

I agree. The guy was the most fleet-footed 'big' man I'v ever seen . . . remarkable to watch.

[Jaclem]

..tami mauriello came up from light heavy mostly by adding a bit of blubber arond the waistline. not nearly as tubby as galento and others, but still his flab took him out of adonis competition . yet he still got to the number one heavyweight rating......knocked out bruce woodcock with one punch, said he could knock out any man he could hit...and nealry proved it with his right and blow just after the bell for round one that knocked loujis clear across the ring and had him hanging on the ropes. but..this WAS joe louis, who even past his prime...(this was a post war fight) had great recuperative powers and kayoed tami about a minute later.

this might be an odd place to mention max baer because he looked so great.....but he drove his handlers crazy because he just would not train. before his fight with carnera the new york boxing comission chairman said he was a disgrace to go into the ring "being in such bad condition...he trained on dance floors."...but apologized after the fight when max demolished carnera. if you really study that fight there are signs of stamina problems, though. max rested a lot and clowned between knockdowns before carnera finally just couldn't go on any more.

i'm not putting the madcap one in the same blubbery class as the others mentioned here....jut pointing out that his superb physique and natural power hid the fact that he often was not in the shape he should have been.

[silkov]

I think Tamie actually started off as a Middleweight. Fitness is often a relative thing... I've seen many fights in which the fighter with the best physique loses..... fighters with fairly flabby builds are often more relaxed and supple than a fighter with a six-pack. A good example of this is the Bruno vs Witherspoon fight.... Tim looked like he'd trained on doughnuts yet he outlasted the prime-conditioned Bruno. Also Roberto Duran in the 80s and onwards often fought with a bit of a paunch but still had the fitness to beat good fighters and even outlast Iran Barkley.

[Slapsie Maxie]

Tony Galento

Slapsie

[KOJOE90]

I can't believe I forgot Don Cockell.

http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=012221

Ok as a heavyweight his body shape was partly due to a glanular problem but he 'looked' in poor shape.

[Matt]

Roberto Duran over the last 15 or so years of his career wasn't exactly the most in shape boxer. Yet he was still a pretty decent fighter.

[silkov]

Roberto Duran over the last 15 or so years of his career wasn't exactly the most in shape boxer. Yet he was still a pretty decent fighter.

Yeah, he usually looked out of shape after the mid-80s yet still outlasted some good fighters. He seemed to beat Paz in their first fight and Paz was very heavily musceled in comparison.
Ali was another fighter who later in his career was not sevelt yet still was able to outlast opponents over the distance.
Larry Holmes too later on in his career....

[KOJOE90]

Witherspoon immediately came to mind. Although he has zilch chance of ever looking like a Mike Weaver, his career would have been so much better had he dedicated himself a bit more in training

If you have not read it there is an interesting piece on Tim Witherspoon in the book Tarnished Armour by Dominic Cluade-Smith. It follows Witherspoon during his time in 'training camp'.

[tonyevs]

Buster Mathis Sr.

I agree. The guy was the most fleet-footed 'big' man I'v ever seen . . . remarkable to watch.

How good could this lardy-boy have been if he had really fancied the game, only seen a couple of his fights but he was good on his feet and without the excess 2stone+ what could he have done??
Interesting he didn`t get along with the late Cus D`Amato, actually sacked him after a year or so.

[Sherlock]

Witherspoon immediately came to mind. Although he has zilch chance of ever looking like a Mike Weaver, his career would have been so much better had he dedicated himself a bit more in training

If you have not read it there is an interesting piece on Tim Witherspoon in the book Tarnished Armour by Dominic Cluade-Smith. It follows Witherspoon during his time in 'training camp'.

I remember watching Witherspoon vs. Darroll Wilson. Even though he was other thirty and the punch was as slow as molassses(gotta use a simile ), his overhand right that completely knocked Wilson out cold, was a thing of beauty.

[KOJOE90]

I remember watching Witherspoon vs. Darroll Wilson. Even though he was other thirty and the punch was as slow as molassses(gotta use a simile ), his overhand right that completely knocked Wilson out cold, was a thing of beauty.

I seem to remember someone talking abot Witherspoons right hand (may have been Dundee) and he was saying it was due to how Witherspoon placed his feet and that all the power was in the last three inches of the shot.

[Sherlock]

I remember watching Witherspoon vs. Darroll Wilson. Even though he was other thirty and the punch was as slow as molassses(gotta use a simile ), his overhand right that completely knocked Wilson out cold, was a thing of beauty.

I seem to remember someone talking abot Witherspoons right hand (may have been Dundee) and he was saying it was due to how Witherspoon placed his feet and that all the power was in the last three inches of the shot.

Yeah, I didn't watch his feet because I was amazed by the power of that shot. Don't know if you have seen it but Witherspoon set it up by throwing a slow jab then c oming immediately behind it with an overhand shot when Wilson's chin was open. Wilson completely was unconscious, falling into the ropes and getting his neck stuck in the bottom one. Fight was stopped with no count, I'm just happy Wilson was alright after it.

And by the way, I miswrote in the Witherspoon post. He was over 40, not "other thirty" .

[KOJOE90]

Yeah, I didn't watch his feet because I was amazed by the power of that shot. Don't know if you have seen it but Witherspoon set it up by throwing a slow jab then c oming immediately behind it with an overhand shot when Wilson's chin was open. Wilson completely was unconscious, falling into the ropes and getting his neck stuck in the bottom one..

No I have not seen that fight.

Although it's been an age since I saw it, the shot sound very simular ro the punch Witherspoon KO'd the bid Swede Anders Eklund with around 1989.

After the fight Tim and his team were calling out for a shot at Tyson, the fight as we all know never happened. :(

[Dutch Windmill]

A clip of the Witherspoon - Wilson KO can be seen here

http://www.worldboxingvideoarchive.net/ ... Wilson.mpg

(right click..save as)

[KOJOE90]

A clip of the Witherspoon - Wilson KO can be seen here

http://www.worldboxingvideoarchive.net/ ... Wilson.mpg

(right click..save as)

Thanks for that.