Mediocre pros who were surprisingly good amateurs

[saliman]

Michael Simms(https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/16534) - 1999 world champion in light heavyweight division.

Alexey Mazikin (https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/302151) - 2001 silver medal at world championship in super heavyweight division

Courtney Fry (https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/181605) - 1998 silver medal at european championship - light heavy

Any other examples?

[gilgamesh]

Audley Harrison - Olympic Gold Medalist

[DrDuke]

Leon Spinks was a 1976 Olympic Gold Medalist at 178 lbs. Obviously he was a HW champ at the pros, but we all know how and how his career went further.

David Price was a 2008 Olympic Games Bronze medalist at the HWs.

Duane Bobick was a 1971 Pan-American Games champion at the HWs. He defeated Teofilio Stevenson in the semi-finals there. He won Larry Holmes by DQ, where he knocked Holmes down. At the 1972 Olympics he lost in the second round of competition to Teofilio Stevenson.

[Controversial]

Michael Bentt

[Fray Bentos]

Lot of those types in the North West of England, they were good amateur fighters but didn't quite cut it as pro's - you can name them Tony Mulholland, Steve Bell, Tommy Peacock etc... many more...

[margaret thatcher]

Yan Barthelemy , 13-3 pro / olympic gold medal amateur

https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/391769'

devin vargas is basically a journeyman/lowish level hw gatekeeper but he fought in the olympics and won lots of usa national titles

similarly, jason estrada won tons of stuff in the ams, fought in the olympics, won the pan ams etc i think too, but then was a 20-6 pro who pretty much lost to anyone notable

[AntonioMartin]

The first Puerto Rican silver medalist in the Olympic Games in history, Luis Ortiz:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Orti ... can_boxer)

[Onetimeonly]

Kelsie banks and Andrew Maynard.

[AntonioMartin]

Pete Rademacher...

[JxhDel.]

Paddy Barnes, Odlaner Solis in recent years

[Nile4000]

Jimmy Clark
William Hosea
Bobby Joe Young
Mitch Green.

[margaret thatcher]

2-8-1 american hw excell holmes was one of the top amateurs in the country and fought internationally on the national team, no idea what happens to a guy like this to make his pro career so less successful

[Stanny Onis]

Robeisy Ramirez
Matt Korobov
Zou Shiming
Egor Mekhonstev
Rakhim Chakhiev
Ievghen Khytrov
Domenico Valentino
Audley Harrison
Frankie Gavin
Jack Culcay
Yan Barthelemy
Yordenis Ugas
Raushee Warren
Fred Evans
Taras Shelestyuk
Ryota Mutata
Yudel Jhonson
Yordanis Despaigne
Jorge Luis Gonzalez
Umberto Savigne
Ismail Sillakh
Ricardo Williams
Tom Stalker
Joe Murray
Vladimir Nikitin
Yamaguchi Falcao
Paddy Barnes
Jason Quigley
Paulo Vidoz
Sergey Kuzmin
Gasan Gimbatov
David Price
Vyacheslav Glazkov
Anthony Ogogo
Vijender Singh
Anthony Fowler
Robert Alfonso
Patrick Lopez
Likar Ramos

[AntonioMartin]

Panchito Bojado
Dante Craig
Craig Payne

[Noxy]

I always think of Errol Christie in this context. I know Eubank rated him too, said he was a great sparring partner.

[JMac]

Michael Bentt

Good example. He won a bronze in the worlds but only 11-2 as a pro. He did have 2 decision loses to Felix Savon, one in the Pan Am Games. He did a number on Tommy Morrison in the pros though costing him a 7 million dollar payday against Lennox Lewis. I knew Morrison's trainer and I was talking to him asking about what was next for Tommy. He had beaten Foreman and was looking for a tune up fight before Lewis. So the trainer says we're going to fight some guy Bentt for a tune up. I said Bentt was a pretty good amateur. You might want to look for some taxi driver for the tune up. He said they were not worried. Bentt won by 1st rd TKO. Morrison finally did fight Lewis about 9 fights later and getting stopped in the 6th rd. He didn't paid close to the original 7 million that was being discussed before the Bentt fight.

[Controversial]

I always think of Errol Christie in this context. I know Eubank rated him too, said he was a great sparring partner.

Yes, very high expectations for him

[Controversial]

Michael Bentt

Good example. He won a bronze in the worlds but only 11-2 as a pro. He did have 2 decision loses to Felix Savon, one in the Pan Am Games. He did a number on Tommy Morrison in the pros though costing him a 7 million dollar payday against Lennox Lewis. I knew Morrison's trainer and I was talking to him asking about what was next for Tommy. He had beaten Foreman and was looking for a tune up fight before Lewis. So the trainer says we're going to fight some guy Bentt for a tune up. I said Bentt was a pretty good amateur. You might want to look for some taxi driver for the tune up. He said they were not worried. Bentt won by 1st rd TKO. Morrison finally did fight Lewis about 9 fights later and getting stopped in the 6th rd. He didn't paid close to the original 7 million that was being discussed before the Bentt fight.

There is a good documentary about Bentt on Netflix called 'Losers'....worth watching if still on there. Talks about how forced to fight by his dad and he never wanted to turn pro. He comes across as a really nice fella.

[JMac]

Michael Bentt

Good example. He won a bronze in the worlds but only 11-2 as a pro. He did have 2 decision loses to Felix Savon, one in the Pan Am Games. He did a number on Tommy Morrison in the pros though costing him a 7 million dollar payday against Lennox Lewis. I knew Morrison's trainer and I was talking to him asking about what was next for Tommy. He had beaten Foreman and was looking for a tune up fight before Lewis. So the trainer says we're going to fight some guy Bentt for a tune up. I said Bentt was a pretty good amateur. You might want to look for some taxi driver for the tune up. He said they were not worried. Bentt won by 1st rd TKO. Morrison finally did fight Lewis about 9 fights later and getting stopped in the 6th rd. He didn't paid close to the original 7 million that was being discussed before the Bentt fight.

There is a good documentary about Bentt on Netflix called 'Losers'....worth watching if still on there. Talks about how forced to fight by his dad and he never wanted to turn pro. He comes across as a really nice fella.

Thanks for reminding me about that. Somebody else told me to watch it as well. I have some time over the holidays and will check it out.

[JMac]

Shawn Estrada '08 US Olympian who fought Danny Jacobs and lost to him in the finals of major US tournaments many times but beat him in the most important one making the Olympic team. He went 16-0 in the pros against mediocre opponents then stopped boxing. I heard he became a fire fighter.

[Freiheit]

Tibor Rafael - Euro silver medalist:
https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/71025

[Controversial]

Shawn Estrada '08 US Olympian who fought Danny Jacobs and lost to him in the finals of major US tournaments many times but beat him in the most important one making the Olympic team. He went 16-0 in the pros against mediocre opponents then stopped boxing. I heard he became a fire fighter.

I think he had knee problems that forced him to quit.

[Ambling Alp II]

Maybe Jerry Page.

[enrique]

LAST YEAR I WROTE AN ARTICLE IN WHICH I MENTIONED SOME GREAT AMATEURS WHO FAILED TO REACH FAME AND FORTUNE IN THE PROS. HERE ARE FIFTY VERY TALENTED FIGHTERS WHO DID NOT ACHIEVE THEIR PRO POTENTIAL.


D. C. BARKER: The Colorado light heavyweight won the 1973 National AAU and Golden Gloves titles with a win streak that included two victories over Leon Spinks, one on points and the second a first round knockout. As a pro he faced five very ordinary prelim fighters, going 3-1-1, scoring 2 KO’s and losing one in the same manner.

YAN BARTHELEMY: Olympic gold in 2204 and in the 2005 World Cup, with several Cuban national titles in his resume and victories over Yuriorkis Gamboa and Zou Shiming. Barthelemy, a southpaw, turned pro at 27, being paid a million-dollar signing bonus, but retired after a winning, but disappointing 13-3 record with 4 KO wins, including a stoppage loss to journeyman Jorge Diaz.

MICHAEL BENNETT: He won the World Amateur Championships as a heavyweight in 1999 and represented the U.S. at the 2000 Olympics. As a pro he had a 10-4 record and all four of his losses came via knockout, three of these against club fighters with mediocre records.

BEN BLACK: A six-foot-four 230 pounder, Black was 1962 National Golden Gloves king and was the dominant heavyweight of the Chicago Golden Gloves until 1965, when he went pro. After two prelim wins he faced Golden Boy Bill Nielsen, a seasoned pro with a 21-7-1 record. Big Ben pulled a draw but that was the peak of his career. His fifth bout was against the come backing Cleveland Williams, a dangerous top heavyweight who stopped Ben in the first round. After that, the once hot prospect faded ending his career with a 5-7-1 record.


MATT BLOW: He won the 1965 New York Golden Gloves Heavyweight Open Championship, was an AAU regional champion and had international competition experience, but his amateur record did not translate to the pros, where his ledger was 6-4-1.

MIKE BOSSWELL: He was a bronze medalist in the 1967 National Golden Gloves, winner of the Cleveland AAU and Golden Gloves tournaments several times. Turning pro he won his first 13 bouts but lost twenty-four of his next 27, ending with a dismal 16-24 record. He was stopped by Chuvalo, Wepner and Jimmy Young.

JIM BOYD: Light heavyweight Boyd seemed destined for greatness. He won a gold medal in the 1956 Olympic Games, was an All-Army Champion and Chicago Golden Gloves titleholder, beating a youngster named Ernie Terrell. As a pro, however, Boyd had a disappointing 2-2-3 record.


PATRICE BROOKS: A southpaw lightweight, Brooks won the 1992 United States amateur championship, and owned a cluster of regional AAU and GG titles. He fought international competition in the Goodwill Games and the Pan American Games but as a pro he went 10-1 (9-1). Of 11 fights only one was against a fighter with a winning record. He was knocked out by Ken Jamerson who had a 2-6 record and had never scored a stoppage as a pro.


VIC BROWN: The southpaw heavyweight was the 1963 National AAU champion and was a dominant figure in Golden Gloves, AAU and Empire State tournaments. As a pro the Buffalo NY fighter was a trial horse journeyman with a 29-30 record winning 19 by KO and losing 16 by stoppage. Brown was twice stopped by George Chuvalo, as well as by Dick Wipperman, Ken Norton, Tony Doyle, Blue Lewis, Roy Williams, Terry Mims, and by Lee Canalito in his last bout.

MIKE BRUCE: He was a star among New England amateurs, a finalist in the 1964 National Golden Gloves competition. He was also the 1964 New England light-heavyweight Golden Glove Champion, and a victor in state and regional AAU tournaments. His pro record was a pathetic 9-30-2 and Bruce was stopped 18 times by top fighters -Frazier, Chuvalo, O’Halloran, Kirkman- as well as second stringers like Jean Claude Roy.

LEE CARR: A good boxer with power, Carr had an impressive amateur record, winning the New York Golden Gloves in 1961, and the Inter-City championship in the same year. In 1963, Carr became the Pan American Heavyweight Champion, when he faced future contender Oscar Bonavena. Carr dropped the Argentine with a combination in the first round and the enraged, hot-headed Bonavena, rose to his feet, spat out his mouthpiece and was disqualified for biting Carr. Lee turned pro in 1964, winning his first six, but running into trouble as he stepped up in competition. His pro ledger reads 9-8 and he was stopped five times, one of them by Oscar Bonavena.

BOBBY CARRILLO: A good boxer, Carrillo won the 1966 Chicago Golden Gloves, AAU and CYO titles as a lightweight. As a pro, however, his record was 7-11-3 and was stopped seven times by unranked club fighters.

RON DRAPER: He was an outstanding amateur. Draper became the 1971 National Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion and was a finalist in the national AAU tournament. As an amateur he beat Ernie Shavers, Nick Wells and John Dino Denis, but as a pro he was a punching bag with a 8-30-1 record, being stopped 15 times. He lost to both Duane and Rodney Bobick, Marvin Camel, John Tate and Johnny Boudreaux.

ANDRAE CARTHRON: He was the 2008 silver medalist in the National Golden Gloves, California State Golden Gloves and AAU champion, but as a heavyweight pro he was 7-12-2 and was stopped five times.

FRANKIE CLARK: A featherweight from Salem, New York, Clark was a busy amateur in the early thirties. His partial record as a simon-pure is an impressive 40-5-4, winning NY regional titles. As a pro however, he was 2-1-2, being stopped by journeyman Honeyboy Hughes.

WOODY CLARK: A short, muscular heavyweight he won six Florida State Golden Gloves and AAU titles, winning over 130 fights, splitting two fights with Greg Page, scoring two knockdowns over the Louisville fighter. He lost on points to John Tate in the Olympic tryouts of 1976. A career NCO in the US Army, Clark had a disappointing pro career, with 6-15-1 ledger. He was stopped seven times.

LINFER CONTRERAS: The Colombian welter was an outstanding amateur, winning national championships, scoring a bronze medal in the 1965 Central and Caribbean Games in Ecuador, representing his nation in the Pan-American Games 1967 held in Winnipeg, Canada, but as a professional he went 6-8 being stopped six times.

DANTE CRAIG: He was a 1999 National Golden Gloves champion a 2000 member of the US Olympic team. As a pro he went 20-22-1 scoring 15 knockouts and being stopped twenty times, his weight fluctuating from junior middleweight to as high as 236. The very ordinary fighters who stopped him include George Armenta and Marcos Primera.

STANLEY EVANS: Big things would be expected from a man who beat Joe Louis in the amateurs. Evans, a Michigan light heavyweight split two bouts on points with Louis and also won and lost to Clinton Bridges. As a pro, his record was a disappointing 7 wins and 5 losses.

OSCAR GERMAN: A tough little rooster, German was the 1960 National AAU bantamweight champion as well as Chicago Golden Gloves Champion, Intercity Champion and Illinois AAU titleholder. In 1961 he continued winning, including the Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions. As a pro he disappointed with a 7-4-2 record, being stopped twice.

LOU GEVINSON: The Washington DC lightweight was an outstanding amateur –inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Between 1931 and 1936, Lightning Lou won five district Golden Gloves titles. In 1936 he was an alternate in the US Olympic team, but as a pro, he moved too fast and paid the price. His pro ledger is 12-6, scoring 5 KO’s and being stopped twice by Joey Archibald and Lew Feldman.


WAYNE GORDON: The Halifax welter was a 1984 Olympian and participant in the 1983 Pan American Games. Winner of several Canadian national titles, he was a good boxer whose pro career was a modest 11-4, losing to Donovan Boucher in a bid for the Canadian title. Returning to the amateurs Gordon became an eminent trainer, coaching Canadian boxers in three Olympics.

CLIFFORD GRAY: One standout in a well-known Florida fighting family, Clifford won three
National AAU championships -between 1980-1983- two as a featherweight and one as a lightweight, as well as multiple Florida GG and AAU titles. The impressive amateur record did not translate to the pros, where Gray accumulated a modest 12-2-1 with 7 KO’s. He fought 14 prelims and in his only eight rounder he lost to Kevin Austin who was 8-11-2 at the time.

TED GULLICK: His amateur record was 43-1, winning the National Golden Gloves in 1963 as a light-heavy and annexing other titles including the Ohio State AAU championship and the Ohio State Silver Gloves tournament. He scored upsets in the pros but ended up with a journeyman’s 15-8-1 record. Once considered a hot prospect, he was stopped four times, losing to contenders and journeymen. A few years after retiring, Gullick was murdered and his case remains unsolved.

CLAY HODGES: He was the 1967 National Golden Gloves champion and won three out of three on points over George Foreman and one over Jerry Quarry, being regarded as the finest amateur heavyweight in the country. As a pro he won his first three, including a prelim over a two-fight pro named Jimmy Young. In his fourth fight he was stopped by an ordinary prelim fighter and he retired. He has since appeared in movies, playing Jess Willard in “Dempsey,” with Treat Williams, “Rocky V,” “The China Syndrome,” and various TV series.

EXCELL HOLMES: The Buffalo NY heavyweight was Western, Eastern, and Midwestern Olympic Trials Semi-finalist, and 2007 Western New York Golden Gloves Champion, winner of AAU and Golden Gloves regional titles. As a pro he was a pathetic 2-8-1 being stopped six times.
RAFAEL IGLESIAS: The Argentine heavyweight won gold in the 1948 Olympic Games; he was also two times Latin American Champion, National Argentine Champion and three-time winner of the Argentina Golden Gloves. One of the men he beat was a tough heavyweight named Almicar Brussa who went on to become a hall of fame trainer and manager of Carlos Monzon. Iglesias made the big mistake to turn pro against Bob Dunlap, a 27 fight veteran who held a win over Freddie Beshore. Dunlap stopped Iglesias in three and the Olympian retired.

REGGIE JONES: The light middleweight from Newark was a bright amateur star. A clever boxer he was twice All-USMC champion –beating Leon Spinks- two time All-Armed Service titleholder, American Middleweight champion, won four North Carolina AAU and Golden Gloves titles and was the US representative to the 1972 Olympics in Munich, where he lost a controversial bout that drew numerous protests. The amateur star did not start well as a pro, losing four of his first seven pro fights, ending his pro career with a mediocre 16-10-1 with 8 KO wins and 3 KO defeats. His only shining moment as a pro came when he fought a prelim eight round draw with future contender Mustafa Hamsho, but lost a rematch by stoppage. Jones also lost to Rusty Rosenberg, Chris Black and Bobby Czyz.

STALINN LOPEZ: A seasoned amateur with international experience, he was the 1998 Cuban national champion. As a pro he was undefeated in his first seven pro fights until he was matched with then 12-0 Keith Thurman. Lopez was knocked out in two and retired from the ring.

JIMMY McNEECE: Jimmy McNeece won the 1976 flyweight New York Golden Gloves Open Championship, by defeating favorite Paul De Vorce in the tournament final. McNeece, from a family of fighters, became the youngest ever open New York titleholder, when he won the crown at the tender age of sixteen, after picking up other trophies and titles in AAU and Junior Olympics competition. Turning pro at 18, he had a mediocre 5-3 ledger, being stopped in his last bout by Robert Johnson, who had a 1-12-1 record at the time.


JUAN MCPHERSON was an outstanding amateur welter from Cleveland, McPherson was the 2003 United States Amateur welterweight champion, the 2002 World Junior Champion and silver medalist at the 2003 Pan American Games. He scored wins over Andre Berto, Tim Bradley and Alfredo Angulo. As a pro he went undefeated in seven prelim pro fights over 4 years but was unmotivated and retired. Although he announced a couple of comebacks, he never returned to the ring.

SIDNEY MILLER: Undefeated in 30 amateur bouts, Miller won Indiana Golden Gloves and AAU titles, but his pro career was a dismal 13-33-7 being stopped nine times, one by Sugar Ray Robinson, and was beaten by journeymen club fighters.



GORDON MUNCE: Even as a teenager, heavyweight Munce was lauded as a brilliant pugilistic promise. An amateur for eight years, the WW I veteran was two time United States Heavyweight Champion and three time New York state titleholder, with a 23 fight winning streak in 1921 and 1922. The capable amateur did not do well as a pro, with a 4-11 record and two NC.

JERRY PAGE: An Olympic gold medalist in 1984 and Pan Am silver medalist in 1983, Page began his career well, but was unable to become part of the top crust of the welters. He had an 11-4 record and retired after losing three of his last four bouts, one of them to a mediocre club fighter.

WILLIE PALMS: The six-four 230 pounder from Jersey City won a score of state and regional titles, culminating with the 1997 US National championship. As a pro he was 10-11-1 (5-5), losing among others to Eliecer Castillo, Timor Ibragimov and Duncan Dokiwari.

CRAIG PAYNE: The former National Golden Gloves champion could boast of being the only amateur in the planet with victories over Teofilo Stevenson and Mike Tyson, yet as a pro he went 11-20-2 and was stopped seven times. The impressive amateur credentials did not translate to the pros. Ill trained and sixty or seventy pounds over his amateur fighting weight, Payne had a dismal 11-20-2 pro record being stopped seven times.

RICHIE LEE ROBERTS: An outstanding amateur he won the Caribbean-Florida Golden Gloves, several Florida AAU and Golden Gloves championships and competed in national tournaments, winning international matches against fighters from the Bahamas and Puerto Rico. As a pro, Richie Lee only scored a 3-6-2 record, being stopped three times, one of them at the hands of Maurice “Termite” Watkins.


PABLO SAGRISPANTI: As an amateur heavyweight he was nicknamed “The Beast,” winning a score of Argentine and South American championships. As a pro he won only three out of twenty being trounced twice by Oscar Bonavena, and four times by Gregorio Peralta.

LOUIS SELF: The talented feather represented the US in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games and was the 1971 and 1972 National Golden Gloves champion. As a pro his career was a disappointing 3-2, retiring after suffering a KO loss to Forrest Winchester.

STANLEY SHEALEY: A tough amateur, Shealy was a silver medalist in the 1945 National AAU tournament and gold medalist in the Chicago Tournament of Champions. As a pro, he went 3-2 being stopped once, in his pro debut.

RON SILER: A top gun amateur, Siler represented the USA in the Athens Olympic Games of 2004, winning his first bout and losing his second. In a brilliant simon pure career, the little flyweight won three national Golden Gloves titles and three US Amateur championships. In the pro ranks he won his first bout, lost his second and retired.

MIRCEA SIMON: A Rumanian heavyweight, Simon was a 1976 Olympian, a silver medalist who defeated Trevor Berbick, Clarence Hill and lost to Teofilo Stevenson. Exiled in the United States, he started a pro career that seemed promising, until he retired early, ending the possibilities of fame and fortune unfulfilled. His pro record included 12 wins -ten by KO- and two draws with promising Eddie Lopez and the veteran journeyman Leroy Caldwell.

ARIO SOLDATI: A light heavyweight, he won the 1934 Chicago Golden Gloves as well as the Inter-City Championship. He was a finalist in the National AAU tournament losing to a very young Joe Louis. As a pro he never made it past the prelim level with a poor 3-4 ledger.


MARVIN STINSON: The Philadelphia heavyweight was a slick, elusive boxer, with an enviable amateur record. He was silver medalist in the 1974 World Amateur championships, 1976 National AAU gold medal champion, 1976 silver medal in US Olympic Tryouts, 1974 silver medal National AAU tournament, ten gold medals and dozens of trophies in state and regional AAU and Golden Gloves tournaments, experience in international competition and television exposure when networks televised important amateur cards. As amateur Stinson went 2-2 against future champion John Tate, two wins over Fred Houpe and points losses to Larry Holmes and Teofilo Stevenson. As a pro, his first 15 fights were against unrated club fighters, winning 12 with 3 draws, before trying to move up into the elite rank, where he was beaten by a young undefeated prospect named Tim Witherspoon, outpointed by rated Jimmy Young and stopped on cuts by tough undefeated Eddie Gregg. Retiring with a 12-3-3 pro record, Stinson remained in boxing as a highly paid sparring partner for champions.

HANS THOMSEN: This heavyweight scored an Olympic bronze medal in the 1972 Munich games, medalled in European tournaments, held the Nordic championship, four national Swedish titles and a cluster of regional crowns. Turning pro at 31, he faced Mariano Echevarria in his first paid outing. The Spaniard was a shot veteran but he did have a lot of experience with 47 wins in 113 fights. Thomsen was lucky to get a draw. Things did not improve after that and the Swedish heavyweight retired with a 0-1-3 record and one NC.

IDEL TORRIENTE: Won Gold and Silver in Cuban National Championships, participated in the Beijing Olympics and was a gold medalist in the Pan American Games. He beat highly touted Roniel Iglesias and lost on points to Lomachenko, but as a pro, Torriente fought only four times in three years, winning all against fighters with poor losing records, but being knocked down in his last bout.

KEITH VINING: The 1982 National Golden Gloves light heavyweight champion had an 11-7 pro record being stopped four times, losing to ordinary club fighters.

FORREST WARD: He was the National AAU heavyweight king in 1967, defeating Ken Norton. Ward scored gold in the Pan American Games defeating Cuban champion Jose Cabrera. Ward also won two New York Golden Gloves titles. As a pro he was a disappointing 8-2-2 scoring 6 knockouts but being stopped by Chuck Wepner and Bill Drover and fighting draws with club fighters with losing records, Moleman Williams and tricky survivor Charlie Polite.

NICK WELLS: A southpaw from Texas, Wells kayoed Larry Holmes twice in the amateurs and also stopped Scott Le Doux and Leroy Jones. The fighting fireman had a simon-pure record of 189-18 with 110 knockouts, 72 in the first round, winning the 1972 National AAU title, the World Military Championship, five All-Air Force titles and a dozen Texas and Nevada Golden Gloves and AAU titles. Yet, as a pro, Wells retired with a winning but not impressive record of 15-7 with 14 KO wins, losing among others, to club-fighting journeymen like Roy “Cookie” Wallace and James Dixon.

JONTE WILLIS: Willis won the 2007 Super Heavy Weight Division at the Tacoma Golden Gloves, and the West Regional Golden Gloves in Las Vegas, where he beat Michael Hunter. He was also the 2006 United States Champion and runner up of the United States Pan American boxing team. Despite his excellent amateur record, Willis was 9-10-1 as a pro being stopped four times and losing his last six bouts.

[Controversial]

LAST YEAR I WROTE AN ARTICLE IN WHICH I MENTIONED SOME GREAT AMATEURS WHO FAILED TO REACH FAME AND FORTUNE IN THE PROS. HERE ARE FIFTY VERY TALENTED FIGHTERS WHO DID NOT ACHIEVE THEIR PRO POTENTIAL.


D. C. BARKER: The Colorado light heavyweight won the 1973 National AAU and Golden Gloves titles with a win streak that included two victories over Leon Spinks, one on points and the second a first round knockout. As a pro he faced five very ordinary prelim fighters, going 3-1-1, scoring 2 KO’s and losing one in the same manner.

YAN BARTHELEMY: Olympic gold in 2204 and in the 2005 World Cup, with several Cuban national titles in his resume and victories over Yuriorkis Gamboa and Zou Shiming. Barthelemy, a southpaw, turned pro at 27, being paid a million-dollar signing bonus, but retired after a winning, but disappointing 13-3 record with 4 KO wins, including a stoppage loss to journeyman Jorge Diaz.

MICHAEL BENNETT: He won the World Amateur Championships as a heavyweight in 1999 and represented the U.S. at the 2000 Olympics. As a pro he had a 10-4 record and all four of his losses came via knockout, three of these against club fighters with mediocre records.

BEN BLACK: A six-foot-four 230 pounder, Black was 1962 National Golden Gloves king and was the dominant heavyweight of the Chicago Golden Gloves until 1965, when he went pro. After two prelim wins he faced Golden Boy Bill Nielsen, a seasoned pro with a 21-7-1 record. Big Ben pulled a draw but that was the peak of his career. His fifth bout was against the come backing Cleveland Williams, a dangerous top heavyweight who stopped Ben in the first round. After that, the once hot prospect faded ending his career with a 5-7-1 record.


MATT BLOW: He won the 1965 New York Golden Gloves Heavyweight Open Championship, was an AAU regional champion and had international competition experience, but his amateur record did not translate to the pros, where his ledger was 6-4-1.

MIKE BOSSWELL: He was a bronze medalist in the 1967 National Golden Gloves, winner of the Cleveland AAU and Golden Gloves tournaments several times. Turning pro he won his first 13 bouts but lost twenty-four of his next 27, ending with a dismal 16-24 record. He was stopped by Chuvalo, Wepner and Jimmy Young.

JIM BOYD: Light heavyweight Boyd seemed destined for greatness. He won a gold medal in the 1956 Olympic Games, was an All-Army Champion and Chicago Golden Gloves titleholder, beating a youngster named Ernie Terrell. As a pro, however, Boyd had a disappointing 2-2-3 record.


PATRICE BROOKS: A southpaw lightweight, Brooks won the 1992 United States amateur championship, and owned a cluster of regional AAU and GG titles. He fought international competition in the Goodwill Games and the Pan American Games but as a pro he went 10-1 (9-1). Of 11 fights only one was against a fighter with a winning record. He was knocked out by Ken Jamerson who had a 2-6 record and had never scored a stoppage as a pro.


VIC BROWN: The southpaw heavyweight was the 1963 National AAU champion and was a dominant figure in Golden Gloves, AAU and Empire State tournaments. As a pro the Buffalo NY fighter was a trial horse journeyman with a 29-30 record winning 19 by KO and losing 16 by stoppage. Brown was twice stopped by George Chuvalo, as well as by Dick Wipperman, Ken Norton, Tony Doyle, Blue Lewis, Roy Williams, Terry Mims, and by Lee Canalito in his last bout.

MIKE BRUCE: He was a star among New England amateurs, a finalist in the 1964 National Golden Gloves competition. He was also the 1964 New England light-heavyweight Golden Glove Champion, and a victor in state and regional AAU tournaments. His pro record was a pathetic 9-30-2 and Bruce was stopped 18 times by top fighters -Frazier, Chuvalo, O’Halloran, Kirkman- as well as second stringers like Jean Claude Roy.

LEE CARR: A good boxer with power, Carr had an impressive amateur record, winning the New York Golden Gloves in 1961, and the Inter-City championship in the same year. In 1963, Carr became the Pan American Heavyweight Champion, when he faced future contender Oscar Bonavena. Carr dropped the Argentine with a combination in the first round and the enraged, hot-headed Bonavena, rose to his feet, spat out his mouthpiece and was disqualified for biting Carr. Lee turned pro in 1964, winning his first six, but running into trouble as he stepped up in competition. His pro ledger reads 9-8 and he was stopped five times, one of them by Oscar Bonavena.

BOBBY CARRILLO: A good boxer, Carrillo won the 1966 Chicago Golden Gloves, AAU and CYO titles as a lightweight. As a pro, however, his record was 7-11-3 and was stopped seven times by unranked club fighters.

RON DRAPER: He was an outstanding amateur. Draper became the 1971 National Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion and was a finalist in the national AAU tournament. As an amateur he beat Ernie Shavers, Nick Wells and John Dino Denis, but as a pro he was a punching bag with a 8-30-1 record, being stopped 15 times. He lost to both Duane and Rodney Bobick, Marvin Camel, John Tate and Johnny Boudreaux.

ANDRAE CARTHRON: He was the 2008 silver medalist in the National Golden Gloves, California State Golden Gloves and AAU champion, but as a heavyweight pro he was 7-12-2 and was stopped five times.

FRANKIE CLARK: A featherweight from Salem, New York, Clark was a busy amateur in the early thirties. His partial record as a simon-pure is an impressive 40-5-4, winning NY regional titles. As a pro however, he was 2-1-2, being stopped by journeyman Honeyboy Hughes.

WOODY CLARK: A short, muscular heavyweight he won six Florida State Golden Gloves and AAU titles, winning over 130 fights, splitting two fights with Greg Page, scoring two knockdowns over the Louisville fighter. He lost on points to John Tate in the Olympic tryouts of 1976. A career NCO in the US Army, Clark had a disappointing pro career, with 6-15-1 ledger. He was stopped seven times.

LINFER CONTRERAS: The Colombian welter was an outstanding amateur, winning national championships, scoring a bronze medal in the 1965 Central and Caribbean Games in Ecuador, representing his nation in the Pan-American Games 1967 held in Winnipeg, Canada, but as a professional he went 6-8 being stopped six times.

DANTE CRAIG: He was a 1999 National Golden Gloves champion a 2000 member of the US Olympic team. As a pro he went 20-22-1 scoring 15 knockouts and being stopped twenty times, his weight fluctuating from junior middleweight to as high as 236. The very ordinary fighters who stopped him include George Armenta and Marcos Primera.

STANLEY EVANS: Big things would be expected from a man who beat Joe Louis in the amateurs. Evans, a Michigan light heavyweight split two bouts on points with Louis and also won and lost to Clinton Bridges. As a pro, his record was a disappointing 7 wins and 5 losses.

OSCAR GERMAN: A tough little rooster, German was the 1960 National AAU bantamweight champion as well as Chicago Golden Gloves Champion, Intercity Champion and Illinois AAU titleholder. In 1961 he continued winning, including the Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions. As a pro he disappointed with a 7-4-2 record, being stopped twice.

LOU GEVINSON: The Washington DC lightweight was an outstanding amateur –inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Between 1931 and 1936, Lightning Lou won five district Golden Gloves titles. In 1936 he was an alternate in the US Olympic team, but as a pro, he moved too fast and paid the price. His pro ledger is 12-6, scoring 5 KO’s and being stopped twice by Joey Archibald and Lew Feldman.


WAYNE GORDON: The Halifax welter was a 1984 Olympian and participant in the 1983 Pan American Games. Winner of several Canadian national titles, he was a good boxer whose pro career was a modest 11-4, losing to Donovan Boucher in a bid for the Canadian title. Returning to the amateurs Gordon became an eminent trainer, coaching Canadian boxers in three Olympics.

CLIFFORD GRAY: One standout in a well-known Florida fighting family, Clifford won three
National AAU championships -between 1980-1983- two as a featherweight and one as a lightweight, as well as multiple Florida GG and AAU titles. The impressive amateur record did not translate to the pros, where Gray accumulated a modest 12-2-1 with 7 KO’s. He fought 14 prelims and in his only eight rounder he lost to Kevin Austin who was 8-11-2 at the time.

TED GULLICK: His amateur record was 43-1, winning the National Golden Gloves in 1963 as a light-heavy and annexing other titles including the Ohio State AAU championship and the Ohio State Silver Gloves tournament. He scored upsets in the pros but ended up with a journeyman’s 15-8-1 record. Once considered a hot prospect, he was stopped four times, losing to contenders and journeymen. A few years after retiring, Gullick was murdered and his case remains unsolved.

CLAY HODGES: He was the 1967 National Golden Gloves champion and won three out of three on points over George Foreman and one over Jerry Quarry, being regarded as the finest amateur heavyweight in the country. As a pro he won his first three, including a prelim over a two-fight pro named Jimmy Young. In his fourth fight he was stopped by an ordinary prelim fighter and he retired. He has since appeared in movies, playing Jess Willard in “Dempsey,” with Treat Williams, “Rocky V,” “The China Syndrome,” and various TV series.

EXCELL HOLMES: The Buffalo NY heavyweight was Western, Eastern, and Midwestern Olympic Trials Semi-finalist, and 2007 Western New York Golden Gloves Champion, winner of AAU and Golden Gloves regional titles. As a pro he was a pathetic 2-8-1 being stopped six times.
RAFAEL IGLESIAS: The Argentine heavyweight won gold in the 1948 Olympic Games; he was also two times Latin American Champion, National Argentine Champion and three-time winner of the Argentina Golden Gloves. One of the men he beat was a tough heavyweight named Almicar Brussa who went on to become a hall of fame trainer and manager of Carlos Monzon. Iglesias made the big mistake to turn pro against Bob Dunlap, a 27 fight veteran who held a win over Freddie Beshore. Dunlap stopped Iglesias in three and the Olympian retired.

REGGIE JONES: The light middleweight from Newark was a bright amateur star. A clever boxer he was twice All-USMC champion –beating Leon Spinks- two time All-Armed Service titleholder, American Middleweight champion, won four North Carolina AAU and Golden Gloves titles and was the US representative to the 1972 Olympics in Munich, where he lost a controversial bout that drew numerous protests. The amateur star did not start well as a pro, losing four of his first seven pro fights, ending his pro career with a mediocre 16-10-1 with 8 KO wins and 3 KO defeats. His only shining moment as a pro came when he fought a prelim eight round draw with future contender Mustafa Hamsho, but lost a rematch by stoppage. Jones also lost to Rusty Rosenberg, Chris Black and Bobby Czyz.

STALINN LOPEZ: A seasoned amateur with international experience, he was the 1998 Cuban national champion. As a pro he was undefeated in his first seven pro fights until he was matched with then 12-0 Keith Thurman. Lopez was knocked out in two and retired from the ring.

JIMMY McNEECE: Jimmy McNeece won the 1976 flyweight New York Golden Gloves Open Championship, by defeating favorite Paul De Vorce in the tournament final. McNeece, from a family of fighters, became the youngest ever open New York titleholder, when he won the crown at the tender age of sixteen, after picking up other trophies and titles in AAU and Junior Olympics competition. Turning pro at 18, he had a mediocre 5-3 ledger, being stopped in his last bout by Robert Johnson, who had a 1-12-1 record at the time.


JUAN MCPHERSON was an outstanding amateur welter from Cleveland, McPherson was the 2003 United States Amateur welterweight champion, the 2002 World Junior Champion and silver medalist at the 2003 Pan American Games. He scored wins over Andre Berto, Tim Bradley and Alfredo Angulo. As a pro he went undefeated in seven prelim pro fights over 4 years but was unmotivated and retired. Although he announced a couple of comebacks, he never returned to the ring.

SIDNEY MILLER: Undefeated in 30 amateur bouts, Miller won Indiana Golden Gloves and AAU titles, but his pro career was a dismal 13-33-7 being stopped nine times, one by Sugar Ray Robinson, and was beaten by journeymen club fighters.



GORDON MUNCE: Even as a teenager, heavyweight Munce was lauded as a brilliant pugilistic promise. An amateur for eight years, the WW I veteran was two time United States Heavyweight Champion and three time New York state titleholder, with a 23 fight winning streak in 1921 and 1922. The capable amateur did not do well as a pro, with a 4-11 record and two NC.

JERRY PAGE: An Olympic gold medalist in 1984 and Pan Am silver medalist in 1983, Page began his career well, but was unable to become part of the top crust of the welters. He had an 11-4 record and retired after losing three of his last four bouts, one of them to a mediocre club fighter.

WILLIE PALMS: The six-four 230 pounder from Jersey City won a score of state and regional titles, culminating with the 1997 US National championship. As a pro he was 10-11-1 (5-5), losing among others to Eliecer Castillo, Timor Ibragimov and Duncan Dokiwari.

CRAIG PAYNE: The former National Golden Gloves champion could boast of being the only amateur in the planet with victories over Teofilo Stevenson and Mike Tyson, yet as a pro he went 11-20-2 and was stopped seven times. The impressive amateur credentials did not translate to the pros. Ill trained and sixty or seventy pounds over his amateur fighting weight, Payne had a dismal 11-20-2 pro record being stopped seven times.

RICHIE LEE ROBERTS: An outstanding amateur he won the Caribbean-Florida Golden Gloves, several Florida AAU and Golden Gloves championships and competed in national tournaments, winning international matches against fighters from the Bahamas and Puerto Rico. As a pro, Richie Lee only scored a 3-6-2 record, being stopped three times, one of them at the hands of Maurice “Termite” Watkins.


PABLO SAGRISPANTI: As an amateur heavyweight he was nicknamed “The Beast,” winning a score of Argentine and South American championships. As a pro he won only three out of twenty being trounced twice by Oscar Bonavena, and four times by Gregorio Peralta.

LOUIS SELF: The talented feather represented the US in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games and was the 1971 and 1972 National Golden Gloves champion. As a pro his career was a disappointing 3-2, retiring after suffering a KO loss to Forrest Winchester.

STANLEY SHEALEY: A tough amateur, Shealy was a silver medalist in the 1945 National AAU tournament and gold medalist in the Chicago Tournament of Champions. As a pro, he went 3-2 being stopped once, in his pro debut.

RON SILER: A top gun amateur, Siler represented the USA in the Athens Olympic Games of 2004, winning his first bout and losing his second. In a brilliant simon pure career, the little flyweight won three national Golden Gloves titles and three US Amateur championships. In the pro ranks he won his first bout, lost his second and retired.

MIRCEA SIMON: A Rumanian heavyweight, Simon was a 1976 Olympian, a silver medalist who defeated Trevor Berbick, Clarence Hill and lost to Teofilo Stevenson. Exiled in the United States, he started a pro career that seemed promising, until he retired early, ending the possibilities of fame and fortune unfulfilled. His pro record included 12 wins -ten by KO- and two draws with promising Eddie Lopez and the veteran journeyman Leroy Caldwell.

ARIO SOLDATI: A light heavyweight, he won the 1934 Chicago Golden Gloves as well as the Inter-City Championship. He was a finalist in the National AAU tournament losing to a very young Joe Louis. As a pro he never made it past the prelim level with a poor 3-4 ledger.


MARVIN STINSON: The Philadelphia heavyweight was a slick, elusive boxer, with an enviable amateur record. He was silver medalist in the 1974 World Amateur championships, 1976 National AAU gold medal champion, 1976 silver medal in US Olympic Tryouts, 1974 silver medal National AAU tournament, ten gold medals and dozens of trophies in state and regional AAU and Golden Gloves tournaments, experience in international competition and television exposure when networks televised important amateur cards. As amateur Stinson went 2-2 against future champion John Tate, two wins over Fred Houpe and points losses to Larry Holmes and Teofilo Stevenson. As a pro, his first 15 fights were against unrated club fighters, winning 12 with 3 draws, before trying to move up into the elite rank, where he was beaten by a young undefeated prospect named Tim Witherspoon, outpointed by rated Jimmy Young and stopped on cuts by tough undefeated Eddie Gregg. Retiring with a 12-3-3 pro record, Stinson remained in boxing as a highly paid sparring partner for champions.

HANS THOMSEN: This heavyweight scored an Olympic bronze medal in the 1972 Munich games, medalled in European tournaments, held the Nordic championship, four national Swedish titles and a cluster of regional crowns. Turning pro at 31, he faced Mariano Echevarria in his first paid outing. The Spaniard was a shot veteran but he did have a lot of experience with 47 wins in 113 fights. Thomsen was lucky to get a draw. Things did not improve after that and the Swedish heavyweight retired with a 0-1-3 record and one NC.

IDEL TORRIENTE: Won Gold and Silver in Cuban National Championships, participated in the Beijing Olympics and was a gold medalist in the Pan American Games. He beat highly touted Roniel Iglesias and lost on points to Lomachenko, but as a pro, Torriente fought only four times in three years, winning all against fighters with poor losing records, but being knocked down in his last bout.

KEITH VINING: The 1982 National Golden Gloves light heavyweight champion had an 11-7 pro record being stopped four times, losing to ordinary club fighters.

FORREST WARD: He was the National AAU heavyweight king in 1967, defeating Ken Norton. Ward scored gold in the Pan American Games defeating Cuban champion Jose Cabrera. Ward also won two New York Golden Gloves titles. As a pro he was a disappointing 8-2-2 scoring 6 knockouts but being stopped by Chuck Wepner and Bill Drover and fighting draws with club fighters with losing records, Moleman Williams and tricky survivor Charlie Polite.

NICK WELLS: A southpaw from Texas, Wells kayoed Larry Holmes twice in the amateurs and also stopped Scott Le Doux and Leroy Jones. The fighting fireman had a simon-pure record of 189-18 with 110 knockouts, 72 in the first round, winning the 1972 National AAU title, the World Military Championship, five All-Air Force titles and a dozen Texas and Nevada Golden Gloves and AAU titles. Yet, as a pro, Wells retired with a winning but not impressive record of 15-7 with 14 KO wins, losing among others, to club-fighting journeymen like Roy “Cookie” Wallace and James Dixon.

JONTE WILLIS: Willis won the 2007 Super Heavy Weight Division at the Tacoma Golden Gloves, and the West Regional Golden Gloves in Las Vegas, where he beat Michael Hunter. He was also the 2006 United States Champion and runner up of the United States Pan American boxing team. Despite his excellent amateur record, Willis was 9-10-1 as a pro being stopped four times and losing his last six bouts.

Nice, well done