Biggest unfulfilled potential?

[elmersalsa]

Riddick Bowe and Hector "Macho" Camacho

[campfire]

Riddick Bowe and Hector "Macho" Camacho

I don't know how you figger that elmersalsa Riddick Bowe was the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the world his management kept him away from Lennox because of what happened in a 3 round fight at the Olympic games chances are if he had to fight a big natural heavyweight like Lewis to win the Heavyweight title he probably would have fell short he seemed to be in great physical shape every big fight he was involved in geese Bowe could be put in the overachiever class as for the Macho-man Hector Camacho he just about fought the best fighter's around guy's like Chavez Sr were simply too much Camacho he did show he had the heart of a Champion though in that fight
he was a great boxer but not in the top echelon.

[Counter-puncher]

Tim Witherspoon

Yup. I can't watch a still-green Witherspoon give Holmes seven shades of hell without thinking hr should have achieved much, much more.

I always thought if fit and happy a 1987 Witherspoon may well have beaten tyson

Me too, but I'm far from tysons biggest fan

[TBEwasLangford]

Not sure. Witherspoon of 85 was a class operator but he still got hit a lot. I could see Tyson slipping his big overhand right and getting inside. Would have been an intriguing contest.

[Boxing Prospect]

Masao Oba, his death at a young age prevented him from having a legendary career, likewise Sal Sanchez. Both achieved a lot but could have done much, much more

[Syntax Error]

Marvis Frazier.

I always felt he might achieved more had he not been pushed in the wrong direction & too fast: that & a certain person called Iron Mike Tyson!

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Not sure. Witherspoon of 85 was a class operator but he still got hit a lot. I could see Tyson slipping his big overhand right and getting inside. Would have been an intriguing contest.

Considering Tyson was clueless on the inside, that might not be a problem.

[bollox]

That's sad but true, The way he could judge a punch and its speed to turn his head at the exact time as a punch was launched at his chin was
unbelievable it would barely touch him or it would sail by catching thin air legend material for sure was Tim,He would be a great teacher

Maybe being under Don king took away his motivation. After all Im sure Witherspoons purse share would have been 20% and King 80%

I read once that Frank Bruno got ten times the amount Witherspoon got when they fought in England and Tim was The Champ,Good old Don

I read that Tim ended up with $60K out of a million dollar purse. King charged him for everything

[Controversial]

Bernard 'Superbad' Mays deserves a mention, said to be the most talented of the Kronk team by Steward and Hearns was quoted as saying he almost quit boxing so he wouldn't have to spar Mays everyday. Died due to alcohol related problems. His amatuer record was reported to be 200-1 and he was a two time national junior Olympics champ. Pro record ended 26-1-1




.

[evrenb]

Gerry Cooney had unfulfilled potential. Drugs, pressure from the media and a certain all time great put an end to it...

[palooka]

Jemal Hinton, he was on the cusp of a title shot and then retired unbeaten as his religion forbade fighting.

Sal Sanchez died very young and he could have continued to develop and grow physically to be a multi weight champion. He may have achieved his dream after retiring of becoming a medical doctor.

[BroughtonRulesRefuge]

---Sal already sports a better title record than SRL.

Knocked out all 4 HOFers he faced in classics. Plenty more than enough for those who appreciate excellence in the face of adversity as opposed to hype of American media.

[giacomino]

Not the biggest, but two Puerto Ricans I put in this category are Victor Callejas and Edwin Rosario. Callejas was a huge puncher but after he won a belt and made a couple of defenses, seemed to disappear until showing up a few years later looking half as good and being hammered by Jeff Fenech. Rosario might seem like an odd choice because he won belts in two weight classes but he had superstar talent and had a thunderous right hand.

[Ade L]

No disrespect to the TuaMan, and I don't know if it was because of management issues but I always felt David Tua could have been a World Champion.

[Crease]

Pinklon Thomas did not fulfill his potential. Tim Witherspoon & Greg Page have already been mentioned.

[DrunkenBoxer]

Emanuel Augustus

[scartissue]

I would name three for this particular category

1) Eric 'The Whip' Curry - was 20-2 when he walked away from the game for 4 years. He had a magnificent build for a heavyweight. Not a huge banger but very fast. When he came back he had another 20 lbs. on him and it was a sloppy 20 lbs. He looked like LeRoy Jones in there. What a waste and shame. I have no idea why he was inactive for 4 years. Can anyone help on this one?

2) Tommy Ayers - a fantastic prospect who was beating the fring contenders when he fought and lost a majority 12 round decision to Marlon Starling. No harm, but drugs infiltrated his life thereafter and although he still won quite a few he was well known in circles as a user.

3) Jeff Stoudemire - fantastic amateur pedigree and was beatiful to watch. Was doing quite well as a pro. Walked away from the game after losing a close 12 rounder for what I believe may have been part of the Stroh's tourney on the west coast. Maybe just lost heart, don't know.

[palooka]

I remember Tommy Ayers, he was a good fighter, tall with a very good jab.

Kevin Lear was doing well, he'd stopped Michael Gomez and then injured his shoulder badly and retired.

Scott Dann was another very good fighter, had to retire with a bad back.

[Rexob]

Marvis Frazier.

I always felt he might achieved more had he not been pushed in the wrong direction & too fast: that & a certain person called Iron Mike Tyson!

I don't think he underachieved, he only go beat by 2 HOF's and beat some top heavyweights, which isn't really underachieving?

[Bodyshot3]

With the right training, management and a willingness to take some advice; Audley Harrison could have been gone far, far further.

I half-admire his determination to plot his own course and be his own man... but what he needed as a mature fighter with a deeply ingrained amateur style was the shock of a top professional trainer forcing him to live-the-life and make some major changing stylistic changes and also a manager who gave him some proper learning fights...rather a series of contrived blowouts...even if the learning curve resulted in the odd defeat.

Audley never seemed to entirely trust/like the professional business which was a huge mistake because despite the Olympic Gold he needed to put his faith in them and be re-modelled and taught the basics right.

He is a bit of a figure of fun now which is rather sad as he was a huge guy with quick hands, decent movement and could have used that massive reach far better...with a really solid jab winning some big fights.

[Counter-puncher]

Never committing to punches for fear of being countered is a fatal flaw for any pro boxer.

[tagjohnson]

Corrie Sanders. 6'4" left handed power puncher who never ever showed up in top shape for a fight. Lacked intensity even during major fights. Worked as a golf pro between fights. Died tragically and heroically.

[Bodyshot3]

Corrie Sanders. 6'4" left handed power puncher who never ever showed up in top shape for a fight. Lacked intensity even during major fights. Worked as a golf pro between fights. Died tragically and heroically.

Some fair comment in there and I say that as a big fan of The Sniper.
However, I'd respectfully suggest that when he faced Wlad he was well and truly in the zone; surely no problems with intensity that night?

I still wish that some of the best/finest years of his career had been managed better and with a bit of 'vision' though.

He fought a lot of re-treads who he knew he'd spark in those South African gaming resorts and got fairly well paid to this; those easy nights made him a local star but probably did not move his boxing on in the way it should have.

Corrie was a very different guy to some of his fellow world-class South African pros like Brian Mitchell, Phillip Halliday and also Gerrie Coetzee. These guys went on the road and lived and breathed the sport; Corrie sat back a bit and the Wlad win was something of a swansong.

[scartissue]

I recall an Argentine middleweight in the post-Monzon era who was really coming along at a good rate named Alfredo Cabral. I think the Argentine press was calling him the next Monzon, but I think that was a bit of nostalgic rhetoric on their part. Still, he was looking like one hot prospect and he had recent wins over Miguel Castellani, Tap-Tap Makathini and David Love when he was killed by - I think - a car accident.

[palooka]

Can anyone remember Engles Pedroza?