Heavyweights That Didn't Make It

[HomicideHenry]

You know who I'm talking about. The guys who were damn good and were within grasp of title shots, but then were blown off the radar. WW2 was probably the era in which alot of HW's came out of the woodwork and some were great, but were not in Louis's class. Bruce Woodcock comes to mind, when I think of a HW who could have gotten a shot, but fell out of the rankings by an unpredictable loss that he never would have saw coming.

[ThatOne]

Leotis Martin.

[oliverfennell]

Alex Garcia. TWICE!

[zojo]

Alex Garcia. TWICE!

Beat me to it.

[NazNaci1]

Joe Baski

[dillingham]

Saw Baksi giving Woodcock a beating in London back in '47, breaking his jaw in the process. Baksi went on to Sweden where he was expected to do the same against Tandberg and then return to the States for a title fight. But he lost a split decision against Tandberg . He took time off boxing, then a couple of years later he lost to Charles, after that it was downhill.

[NazNaci1]

Yeah Baski, was one fight away from chaallenging Joe Lious. the loss to Tandberg, unfortunately ended his aspirations. Shame, as he was a very good fighter.

[Syntax Error]

Ike Ibeabuchi - Just couldn't behave himself.

Dominic Guinn - Whatever happened to that man?

[wsbuf]

Henry "Snow" Flakes.

[Grimm]

Dominic Guinn - Whatever happened to that man?

That loss to Hawkins really set him back.

[Brutu]

I think it would have been interesting if Mike DeJohn had gotten a shot at the title in his prime.
Even if he had lost a fight or two to get a title shot earlier.
He was a puncher and a puncher always has a chance.

[sweetsci]

Thad Spencer, who was favored by some to win the WBA tournament, but was never the same after losing to Quarry.
Speaking of Quarry, he also ruined Mac Foster's title dreams.

I don't know how close Howard Smith was to getting a title shot, but Earnie Shavers ended his contender status pretty definitively.

Norton - Bobick kind of fits, though it took a few more losses for Duane to fall completely off the radar.

Kallie Knoetze in losing to John Tate...

I was reasonably impressed with Eddie Gregg from what I'd seen of him, but then Cooney blew him out in a round.

It's hard to think of anybody from the last 25 years or so. With so many titles floating around everybody and his brother gets a title shot at some point. I'd imagine if we disregard the organizational belts, stick to the general-consensus lineal champions, and regard organizational title fights simply as bouts between contenders, we could come up with several more examples.

[Brutu]

Colombian Heavyweight Bernardo Mercado should have gone farther.
Reportly smoked about a carton of cigarettes a day,and that was in training.

[Brutu]

Daniel Dancuta the big heavyweight from Romania who was being trained by Kevin Rooney about 12 years ago.
Had one loss on National television against Jimmy Thunder and never heard from him again.the
Also Alexander Zolkan one of first Russian heavyweights to enter the professional picture on television.

[HomicideHenry]

There's been many heavyweights who could have made it farther than they did, sometimes, not out of a lack of ability, but by a lack of finance. A heavyweight out of Tennessee named Mark Carrier, who was known as the 'Knockout King' had a record of 31-2-1 with 26 kayos. Albeit his record was mainly built on third tier journeymen, he couldnt continue his career because he didnt have the backing, or so I understand it to be.

[oliverfennell]

If you don't count the WBO, how about Ray Mercer? Was in the same class as Bowe and Lewis coming up, then got upset by a Larry Holmes who was supposed to just be a name on his record. Holmes then got the shot at Holyfield.

A few years later, all he had to was beat Jesse Ferguson to secure a shot at Bowe, and then he lost. Ferguson then got the shot at Bowe.

[Brutu]

Donavan"Razor"Ruddock.Thought for sure he was going to be the next hw champ back around 1990.
Buster Douglas ko'd Tyson before he was able to get a title shot.He fought Tyson afterwards but must of the incentive to defeat him and win the title from him wasnt there.

['Frilla]

Ike Ibeabuchi - Just couldn't behave himself.

Dominic Guinn - Whatever happened to that man?

David Tua knocked his ass out

[Grimm]

Ike Ibeabuchi - Just couldn't behave himself.

Dominic Guinn - Whatever happened to that man?

David Tua knocked his ass out

Only in Tua's dreams.

[John Galt]

Henry, I doubt that money was the reason Mark Carrier never made it to the top. Many if not most of Carrier's fights were promoted by his father. He fought only 3 boxers who had won their previous fight. He only fought 4 boxers with winning records and he fought only one fighter who had a winning record in his last 6 fights. That was Jimmy Lee Smith who stopped Carrier.

When Carrier was 20-1-1 he fought Ed Strickland in Strickland's pro debut. Strickland went on to compile a 0-30 record, losing all of his fights by knockout and he never lasted past the 2nd round in any of them. His next fight was against Jimmy Marable, a fighter who went 1-8 and was knocked out 7 times. Carrier's record is made up of a lot of that type fighter with an occassional "name" who was on a losing streak.

['Frilla]

Ike Ibeabuchi - Just couldn't behave himself.

Dominic Guinn - Whatever happened to that man?

David Tua knocked his ass out

Only in Tua's dreams.

well he couldve

[HomicideHenry]

Henry, I doubt that money was the reason Mark Carrier never made it to the top. Many if not most of Carrier's fights were promoted by his father. He fought only 3 boxers who had won their previous fight. He only fought 4 boxers with winning records and he fought only one fighter who had a winning record in his last 6 fights. That was Jimmy Lee Smith who stopped Carrier.

When Carrier was 20-1-1 he fought Ed Strickland in Strickland's pro debut. Strickland went on to compile a 0-30 record, losing all of his fights by knockout and he never lasted past the 2nd round in any of them. His next fight was against Jimmy Marable, a fighter who went 1-8 and was knocked out 7 times. Carrier's record is made up of a lot of that type fighter with an occassional "name" who was on a losing streak.

I say finances, only because to build a guys record like that with so many third tier journeymen, you would have to have the financial backing to do so. I know many a guy who would take a hard fight for 10,000 bucks, and use $2,000 or more of it to 'buy' beatable opponents to inflate their record. No promoters willing to put a 0-10 fighter on a card unless the guy fighting him is putting up the money to do so or his management. IMO, the money was gone, else Carrier could have went on forever against such guys and end up getting ranked among the top 50, if not higher. People may think its unlikely, but the most recent example I can think of was that heavyweight JD Chapman who fought more bums than Elizabeth Taylor's had divorces, and ended up in the top 10. Trust me, you can fight 30, 50 bums, and get that far in the ratings, at least in this day and age.

[John Galt]

Henry, I don't think Carrier ran out of money. His Dad owned Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tn. and promoted boxing too.

"By 1983, Hodgedon, had acquired 100 percent of the raceway, but in 1985, he filed for bankruptcy. Carrier took control of the speedway and paid all the speedway's debts the same year. Carrier sold the speedway to Burton Smith on Jan. 22, 1996, for $26 million. Smith changed the name of the raceway to its current name, Bristol Motor Speedway."

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5143981_histo ... edway.html

You are right, with a little money anyone can build a good record. If you pay for your opponents, you can fight anyone you want in most states.

[HomicideHenry]

Never knew all that. Thanks for that interesting tid bit of information.

[Syntax Error]

Ike Ibeabuchi - Just couldn't behave himself.

Dominic Guinn - Whatever happened to that man?

David Tua knocked his ass out

I there is a lot of historical revisionism on this forum in respect of David Tua, but even his own mother would never claim that he knocked Ibeabuchi out.

In fact, in the fight I remember watching, I don't think he even came close to knocking Ibeabuchi out.