Great Amatuers who were busts as Pros

[generic screen name]

How about Eddie Murphy's brother? I don't know what his name is, but I remember Murphy always talking about how "bad!" his brother is on the late nite talk shows. Does anyone remember that?

Charlie Murphy?

[Nile4000]

john verderosa

[The Kid]

Paul Gonzales couldn't cut it in the pros

[dookus]

Michael Bentt (sort of)

Audley Harrison

[babyhuey]

How about Eddie Murphy's brother? I don't know what his name is, but I remember Murphy always talking about how "bad!" his brother is on the late nite talk shows. Does anyone remember that?

Charlie Murphy?

....hope he was a better boxer then basketball player
charlie murphy got schooled by prince

[Onekrazyrican]

I think we will see even more of those in the following years unless promoters change their ways. How can you give a kid so much money just for signing and expect him to be hungry? The class of 2000 made it obvious these kids setled for the first money burst they got and quit. With the notable exeption of Cotto who had Tito's shoes to fill and it might have worked as motivation the class of 2000 was a great diaspointment. Its not that they werent that good either. I think guys like Bojado and Williams wouldof been great fighters had they been in the 80's they had nothing to achieve cuz it was all given to them right from the start. Not everyone starts boxing aiming at the HOF but once youve worked so hard and achieve stardom by yourself your goals change thats where Hall of famers are born.

[THE WATCHER]

I totaly agree with your statement and would like to add a few personal observations in the case of Ricardo Willams aka Slik Rick he was given anything and everything long before he became nationaly known the kid had his 1st car by the time he was 14 he was working on his 2nd Lexus by the time he was a JR in high school
He was recieving Thousands of dollars before he was an open class boxer as a matter of fact he was fighting in the open division when he was 14 and getting paid for it .
He had seen it all, driven it all, and done it all before he signed his contract
there was no where for him to go but DOWN !

[Neri]

The verdict is still out on Audley harrison. I was expecting someone to mention his name even though his career is still ongoing.

[dookus]

Even if he (Audley) does somehow win a world title, it'll be less because of his ability than because of the unparalleled shittitude of the current heavyweight scene.

[locoxelbox]

The same could be said when he won Olympic gold.

[mmj221]

I would add Sugar Ray Seales, Marvis Frazier, Mohammed Abdulayev, Jesse Benavides and James Broad to the list. Benavides did win the WBO title, but it was at a time when the WBO belt had little respect. Mircea Simon's pro career didn't go very far, but he did start it relatively late, so a case could be made for that. Of the currently active fighters, I would put Audley Harrison at the top of my list.

[nickwellsjr]

Nick Wells was not a great amateur....had the same troubles then as he had as a pro....never in condition, would fade after first round. But..what a first round. southpaw...knocked guys down and often out with first punch of fight. Bobick got off floor to beat him. i think he was the hardest punching amateur I ever saw, but he had the Bob Satterfield curse. No telling how far he would have gone if he had any dedication at all.

what the hell do you mean he wasnt a great amateur. he was a 189-18 110 kos 72 first rd kos.ive got to get him to write down all of the amateur titles that he won, the list is endless.you seem to be a great armchair paper fighter.

[JMac]

I'll list the US Olympic teams going back to 1976. How many made it big in the pros?

1976 Monteral

106 Louis Curtis (didn't turn pro until '83)
112 Leo Randolph
119 Charles Mooney (never boxed pro, is a pro coach now)
125 Davey Lee Armstrong
132 Howard Davis Jr.
139 Ray Leonard
147 Clint Jackson
156 Charles Walker Jr.
165 Mike Spinks
178 Leon Spinks
+178 Johnny Tate

1980 Moscow (US team did not participate)

106 Robert Shannon
112 Richard Sandoval
119 Jackie Beard
125 Bernard Taylor
132 Joe Manley
139 Johnny Bumphus
147 Donald Curry
156 James Shuler (died a few days after boxing Thomas Herns in motorcycle accident)
165 Charles Carter
178 Leroy Murphy
+178 James Broad

1984 Los Angeles

106 Paul Gonzales
112 Steve McCrory
119 Robert Shannon
125 Meldrick Taylor
132 Pernell Whitaker
139 Jerry Page
147 Mark Breland
156 Frank Tate
165 Virgil Hill
178 Evander Holyfield
201 Henry Tilman
+201 Tyrell Biggs

1988 Seoul

106 Michael Carbajal
112 Aurthur Johnson
119 Kennedy McKinney
1232 Romallis Ellis
139 Todd Foster
147 Kenneth Gould
156 Roy Jones
165 Anthony Hembrick (where's the bus schedule?)
178 Andrew Maynard
201 Ray Mercer
+201 Riddick Bowe

1992 Barcelona

106 Eric Griffen
112 Tim Austin
119 Sergio Reyes
125 Julian Wheeler
132 Oscar De La Hoya
139 Vernon Forrest
147 Pepe Reilly
156 Raul Marquez
165 Chris Byrd
178 Montell Griffin
201 Danell Nicholson
+201 Larry Donald

1996 Atlanta

106 Albert Guardado (I don't think he boxed pro, works for Ringside Products)
112 Eric Morel
119 Zahir Raheem
125 Floyd Mayweather
132 Terrance Cauthen
139 David Diaz
147 Fernando Vargas
156 David Reid
165 Rhoshii Wells
178 Antonio Tarver
201 Nate Jones
+201 Lawrence Clay-Bey

2000 Sydney

106 Brian Viloria
112 Jose Navarro
119 Clarence Vinson
125 Ricardo Juarez
132 David Jackson
139 Ricardo Williams
147 Dante Craig
156 Jermain Taylor
165 Jeff Lacy
178 Olanda Anderson
201 Michael Bennett
+201 Calvin Brock

2004 Athens

106 Rau'shee Warren
112 Ron Siler
132 Vincente Escobedo
141 Rock Allen
152 Vanes Martirosyan
165 Andre Dirrell
178 Andre Ward
201 Devin Vargas
+201 Jason Estrada

[boxmel]

106 Albert Guardado (I don't think he boxed pro, works for Ringside Products)

He boxed pro between February of 1997 and August of 1998 and had a 5 & 2 (1 KO) record.

[Dennis]

Actually quite a few made it big in the pros. I guess it depends on your definition of making it big. I don't think you have to become a superstar like Sugar Ray Leonard or Oscar DeLaHoya to say you made it big in the pros.

[Dennis]

1976 Monteral team - the following guys I would say made it in the pros

112 Leo Randolph - briefly a World Champion
132 Howard Davis Jr. - had some big fights against some big names and fought for the title several times.
139 Ray Leonard - HUGE
165 Mike Spinks - Definitely made it big
178 Leon Spinks - He beat Ali and lost to Ali, other than that ???
+178 Johnny Tate - Well known for getting KO'd by Weaver. Briefly a world champion.

[Dennis]

1980 Moscow (US team did not participate) team - the boxers that made it in the pros

112 Richard Sandoval - Made it big and was world champ for several years. He beat a guy I knew - Joltin Jeff Chandler.
119 Jackie Beard - He is on the borderline, but I will say he made it as he fought for the title several times. He didn't win it though.
125 Bernard Taylor - Never a world champ, but had some big fights and fought for the title several times. He had some good wins and held lesser titles so I think he made it.
132 Joe Manley - He made it. Briefly a world champ and had lesser belts too. He had a few good wins and some tough losses.
139 Johnny Bumphus - Bump City made it. Briefly world champ and a few other title shots. He made a name for himself and most fans have heard of him at least.
147 Donald Curry - Definitely made it. Very good career with many title fights. He had many memorable bouts.
156 James Shuler (died a few days after boxing Thomas Herns in motorcycle accident) - Unfortunately he died at age 26. He had a few big wins as NABF champ and lost his shot at the world title. I'd say he sort of made it as he fought Hearns. He was a good amateur and I remember his from when I boxed as an amateur in PA in the 79/80-82 era.
178 Leroy Murphy - He sort of made it. He was world champ, but it was of the Cruiser division before Holyfield and others made it a better division.
+178 James Broad - He didn't quite make it, but I will say he almost did. He lost some bouts to some top names, but just couldn't win any of those big bouts.

[Dennis]

1984 Los Angeles team - these guys made it for the most part.

106 Paul Gonzales - Made it/almost made it. Its a close call. He had some fringe titles and lost in his World Championship bout.
112 Steve McCrory - He made it. Had fringe titles and fought for the World title several times. He had some big name fights.
125 Meldrick Taylor - Made it very big. People still talk about his bout with Chavez. What more could you ask for? Well I guess he would ask for the fight not to have been stopped.
132 Pernell Whitaker - HUGE
147 Mark Breland - He made it, but wasn't the superstar everyone had hoped for based upon his superstar amateur status
156 Frank Tate - made it. He was world middleweight champ and lost in his world super-middle and light-heavy title fights. He had some big name bouts.
165 Virgil Hill - made it HUGE. He was world champ with a long reign as light-heavy champ. He was briefly a world cruiser champ too. Heck he is still fighting for the world cruiser title in 2007. That is an impressive career. He had some big fights with some notable wins, but he lost a couple of big ones too.
178 Evander Holyfield - HUGE. Multiple world championships and many impressive wins. Some notable losses too. He gave it his all and made a lot of money.
201 Henry Tilman - He is probably one of the most disappointing gold medalists. He came close to making it as he did fight Holyfield and Tyson, but lost miserably to both. His best win was probably his pro debut against Uriah Grant who went on to become cruiser champ.
+201 Tyrell Biggs - another disappointing gold medalist, but not as much so as Tilman. Biggs at least fought for the world championship. Biggs also had a lot more fights against big name opponents and even had some wins against some notable names. Unfortunately, I don't think he quite made it. But you could make the argument he did, because of the names he fought and the world title shot.

[Jaclem]

..nick junior....i will answer your private message when i get the chance. but...i want to say this here....my first sentence is misleading....this is what i think about nick wells...he was such a hard puncher..and the way he rushed right of his corner and got the guy down with his first punch...and often out...was awesome. When he was on tv and i watched with friends i said (and i think this was true at the time) that he was the hardest puncher i had ever seen....simon pures or pros....and i have seen a lot of both. i just think with all of his power and courage he could have been one of the GREATEST amateurs of his time and of any time and i think he should have beat bobick and everybody else. I did look at his amateur totals and i think they are fantastic!!!! all those kayoes.

my mantra is "never apologize and never explain" but i'll dispense with it here......sorry if i seemed to demean him. He was the favorite of all the guys I saw fight amateur...and i saw a lot of them. I just thought he could have gone so much farther...and in thinking it over it's his pro career that i think about as him as not being great....alas...and i think he could have.

[Jaclem]

..with mailer gone, i'm now in the top five american writers, and that's just from this forum alone, but i still can't get my words the way i want them about nick wells. frankly, when i read jrs quoting me about his father not being a great amateur i wondered what he was talking about, as i thought at the time and still do that he was one of the greatest.

when i checked my post i puzzled even myself. i think i wanted to say he was one of the UNHERALDED (sp?) amateurs, as opposed to ali, patterson,leonard and the like. i was basing it on the fame of winning olympic titles. happily, on nick's record on boxrec there is also a biography, and it shows his superb amateur record, which is among the best.

i just wish he'd have met that big ass cuban teofilio or whatever. he'd give away about three feet in height and still have knocked him all the way back to the island if he got there first.

[Dennis]

1988 Seoul team - the guys that made it as pros:

106 Michael Carbajal - made it big. Very big.
112 Aurthur Johnson - Borderline made it. Fought big names but lost them all and fought for the title numerous times but never became world champ.
119 Kennedy McKinney - made it big. World champ.
1232 Romallis Ellis -almost made it. He fought for the world title.
139 Todd Foster -almost made it. He fought for the world title.
147 Kenneth Gould - almost made it. He won a fringe title.
156 Roy Jones - Definitely made it big.
165 Anthony Hembrick (where's the bus schedule?) - almost made it. He fought for the world title.
178 Andrew Maynard - almost made it. He fought for the world title.
201 Ray Mercer - He made it. WBO world champ. He fought a lot of big names.
+201 Riddick Bowe - He made it.

[williefromrichmond]

For Nick Wells, Jr.

Could you please post a complete list of your father's amateur bouts on this website? I have tried several times to start such a list but never get very far because the sources I use don't do him justice. Thanks.

[nickwellsjr]

no worries jack,everyone is entitled to their own opinion.and it is obvious that you think highly of him.my father will be the first to admit that stamina was a issue with him.he was trained by frankie carr in the air force to fight two minute rounds.once he was in the cism games vs bobick it was the first time he fought 3 minute rds.he trained just as much as anybody else did,blood sweat and tears.i guess he did rely on his power quite a bit to dispose of opponents quickly.as he would put it"i was a low mileage fighter" meaning he didnt really spend that much time in the ring.due to the fact he knocked quite a few people out.the week of the 72 olympic trials he was hit by the dorm room door which gashed above his left eye,he went on to ko holmes the next day rd1. as well as to beating a marine in the next round.bobick reopoened the cut(not that it was hard to do)and the blood was flowing into dads eye.dad broke bobicks nose in this fight and was on his way to victory but the doctor stopped the fight while dad was on the stool going into the third rd.lou duva approached dad after the trials and wanted to train him take him to new jersey to the concrete jungle and mold him into a contender.my father being young and naive declined the offer.he did have to finish fulfilling his military obligation.this cut that i spoke of never healed properly and ended up plaging him the rest of his career.duva wanted to put him under the knife to shave the bone down to prevent future issues,but like i said my father was young naive and needed guidance.to sum this up quickly as pro he went with a local trainer/promoter winky groom.and he had me to support.by this time he had a full time job and was trying to be a pro boxer with no backing and a father.a lot to juggle.as a pro he got screwed on how he was handed fights.a fight date with an opponenet would be set then it would be delayed.dad would keep training and focused.then more delays more postponements then they would change the opponenet all together at the last minute.he needed the money which might have only been 2500.00 and would only have a couple of days to train for the new guy.this seemed to be the theme of his pro career.almost like he was being used as a tune up fighter for other guys.not trying to make excuses but it was a obstacle for him that he couldnt overcome.to sum this post up different fighters have different metabolims and my father i think was on the short side of this.his oxygen tank was very limited as it would run out after a cetain period.he was and is a legend as well as my hero.he might have been world champion if things were done differently but that is a what if.

[nickwellsjr]

For Nick Wells, Jr.

Could you please post a complete list of your father's amateur bouts on this website? I have tried several times to start such a list but never get very far because the sources I use don't do him justice. Thanks.

his amateur rcord was 189-18 110 kos 72 first rd kos. in order to due it bout by bout im gonna need to sit down with him to do so.i will be posting a few of his fights that i have of his on you tube by the first of the year.ive been looking to find more footage of him aka abcs wide world of sports but have had no luck.ive gone as far as to contacting bert sugar to obtain these,the fights ive got are without sound though so bare with me.4 fights holmes. barry yates, and 1 fight agaist a marine and army fighters.

[Nile4000]

I would add Sugar Ray Seales, Marvis Frazier, Mohammed Abdulayev, Jesse Benavides and James Broad to the list. Benavides did win the WBO title, but it was at a time when the WBO belt had little respect. Mircea Simon's pro career didn't go very far, but he did start it relatively late, so a case could be made for that. Of the currently active fighters, I would put Audley Harrison at the top of my list.

Besides Frazier, who did Broad ever beat at the amateur level to make him a great amateur?