BoxRec

So many good calls on here already and agree 100% with Chinny's comments on Vargas and Ed's references with regards to the likes of Dodson and Starie.
I'd add Toks Owoh to the mix - at one point I thought he was going to give Calzaghe a really stiff challenge, but the beauty of hindsight means we all know now how matching him against Johnson was a disaster.
Of course the term is relative, so I'll be bold and add Naz to the mix, purely because the Naz would picked Belcastro apart and then destroyed Robinson looked like he could go on to become an ATG, but he fell in love with his power, neglected both his training and his defence, and we all know how it played out....
And of course, we'd have to add Errol Christie to this list.
Finally, there's Michael Carruth, who'd won Welterweight gold for Ireland in the Olympics, beating a top Cuban - think it was 92, same games McCullough took silver in. While he was older when he turned pro, it was still a surprise to me that he didn't really get beyond domestic class.

Always felt Lenny Daws was one to watch out for, wouldnt say he flopped though!!!! Just not on World honours as I thought he would have.

Ryan Rhodes. I know I'm being harsh but come on...he looked...wow as a youngster...then...failed to really reach the heights (sadly).

michael gomez i thought looked a great prospect :!: bad liver i felt possibly

peter richardson had bad luck as a pro his losses were cuts and a dislocated shoulder

hurlock wrote:

chinny wrote:Robbie Reagan. I remember Barry Mcguigan tipped him to go all the way

yeah but he is saying the same about frampton DD

haha but as far as I know he didn't have a piece of Reagan..!

Peter Culshaw anyone?

BIGMARK wrote:Audley for me :( It does seem calling a Gold medalist/british & Euro champ a flop a bit harsh but a lot of us (including Audley) had hope of great things.

Aud was never British champ, but you're right, he's probably achieved too much in the sport to be called a flop.

Karl Jade wrote:

BIGMARK wrote:Audley for me :( It does seem calling a Gold medalist/british & Euro champ a flop a bit harsh but a lot of us (including Audley) had hope of great things.

Aud was never British champ, but you're right, he's probably achieved too much in the sport to be called a flop.

dont forget he was world champ.

hurlock wrote:

yid14 wrote:

stujones wrote:I thought James Hare was going to go alot further than he did. I thought he would only the fact the devision was so loaded with talent at the time that cost him.

Danny Williams was another - really thought he was going to make it on his run just before the sam loss.

I think Danny Williams over achieved. Did you think he was going to world champion then?

you out of all people i thought would of rated danny.

williams to me had speed,power & most important heart, he just lacked belief & let nerves take control often taking a beating before realising he was better

Well he was British and commonwealth heavyweight champion, and a european and world title challenger, ofcoarse he beat Iron mike (which I can't help feel got abit tainted after Tyson lost to Mcbride.) So he had (and is still) a good career but when he stepped up he got found out against sam and vitali - they were beatings, he also got lucky with a punch when defending his commonwealth title and fighting for the vacant British against the then Southern Area champ

''fighter's that you felt would make it but flopped!''
I ASSUME YOU MEAN BY FIGHTERS THAT NEVER WON A TITLE?
Mark Epton springs to mind, undefeated,
James Branch,Paul Miles Darren Dyer, done great as amateurs,

I see it as fighters who could have/should have won and done more than they did, there are various excuses for each one but I feel they were all very good fighters!

Oboh

Culshaw

Richard Williams

Dean Francis

I'd say Mike Brodie but I think it was the robbery against Jorrin that really done him in! I think had he got the decision he deserved that night then I think he'd have gone on to bigger things! We all know he deserved the W that night! I think he'd have done great as WBC champion..

Bomber 1 wrote:I see it as fighters who could have/should have won and done more than they did, there are various excuses for each one but I feel they were all very good fighters!

Oboh

Culshaw

Richard Williams

Dean Francis

I'd say Mike Brodie but I think it was the robbery against Jorrin that really done him in! I think had he got the decision he deserved that night then I think he'd have gone on to bigger things! We all know he deserved the W that night! I think he'd have done great as WBC champion..

Bomber 1 wrote:I see it as fighters who could have/should have won and done more than they did, there are various excuses for each one but I feel they were all very good fighters!

Oboh

Culshaw

Richard Williams

Dean Francis

I'd say Mike Brodie but I think it was the robbery against Jorrin that really done him in! I think had he got the decision he deserved that night then I think he'd have gone on to bigger things! We all know he deserved the W that night! I think he'd have done great as WBC champion..

Ive actually read about how good Dean Francis was. Back in the late 90's/early 00's there were stories that Calzaghe didnt want to fight him incase Francis 'found himself'

ed robinson wrote:So many it's heartbreaking! When Alan Temple beat Richie Edwards (RIP) in the ABA final I though he looked sensational. Then in his pro debut he got dropped by a kid who was making his debut who was something like 2-3 as an amateur! David Starie was an incredible amateur too - 3 ABA titles, beat Dean Francis, stopped Jason Matthews in 1, never improved enough as a pro. Benny May. Cham Joof. Danny Costello. Paul Miles, who stopped Richard Williams in the amateurs. Matthew Ellis. I agree about Adrian Dodson / Carew.

Alan Temple was another one who couldnt really adapt to the pros&ended up a journeyman type,Starie(2 times ABA champ) still done ok&won the british title,Dodson never really recoverd from the Winky Wright fight,but i did expected really big thing from him..Danny Costello was another top amateur,but got involved in drugs(heroin) i think remember reading somewhere..Benny May still fighting on them IBA shows in essex..

kamicazze wrote:

Bomber 1 wrote:I see it as fighters who could have/should have won and done more than they did, there are various excuses for each one but I feel they were all very good fighters!

Oboh

Culshaw

Richard Williams

Dean Francis

I'd say Mike Brodie but I think it was the robbery against Jorrin that really done him in! I think had he got the decision he deserved that night then I think he'd have gone on to bigger things! We all know he deserved the W that night! I think he'd have done great as WBC champion..

Bomber 1 wrote:I see it as fighters who could have/should have won and done more than they did, there are various excuses for each one but I feel they were all very good fighters!

Oboh

Culshaw

Richard Williams

Dean Francis

I'd say Mike Brodie but I think it was the robbery against Jorrin that really done him in! I think had he got the decision he deserved that night then I think he'd have gone on to bigger things! We all know he deserved the W that night! I think he'd have done great as WBC champion..

Ive actually read about how good Dean Francis was. Back in the late 90's/early 00's there were stories that Calzaghe didnt want to fight him incase Francis 'found himself'

Calzaghe beat Francis with ease in the Ams,so i doubt he would hav been botherd about him...

Deserter wrote:So many good calls on here already and agree 100% with Chinny's comments on Vargas and Ed's references with regards to the likes of Dodson and Starie.
I'd add Toks Owoh to the mix - at one point I thought he was going to give Calzaghe a really stiff challenge, but the beauty of hindsight means we all know now how matching him against Johnson was a disaster.
Of course the term is relative, so I'll be bold and add Naz to the mix, purely because the Naz would picked Belcastro apart and then destroyed Robinson looked like he could go on to become an ATG, but he fell in love with his power, neglected both his training and his defence, and we all know how it played out....
And of course, we'd have to add Errol Christie to this list.
Finally, there's Michael Carruth, who'd won Welterweight gold for Ireland in the Olympics, beating a top Cuban - think it was 92, same games McCullough took silver in. While he was older when he turned pro, it was still a surprise to me that he didn't really get beyond domestic class.

Toks could talk a good fight,that was about it...

Dominic Guinn - Around about early to middle of the last decade, he was being talked about the next big thing in the HW division, but he has never amounted to much sadly.

PS: I've just noticed that this thread is in the British & Irish section, so I apologise if it is about fighters from the British Isles.

Tommy Gunn13 wrote:

kamicazze wrote:

Bomber 1 wrote:I see it as fighters who could have/should have won and done more than they did, there are various excuses for each one but I feel they were all very good fighters!

Oboh

Culshaw

Richard Williams

Dean Francis

I'd say Mike Brodie but I think it was the robbery against Jorrin that really done him in! I think had he got the decision he deserved that night then I think he'd have gone on to bigger things! We all know he deserved the W that night! I think he'd have done great as WBC champion..

Bomber 1 wrote:I see it as fighters who could have/should have won and done more than they did, there are various excuses for each one but I feel they were all very good fighters!

Oboh

Culshaw

Richard Williams

Dean Francis

I'd say Mike Brodie but I think it was the robbery against Jorrin that really done him in! I think had he got the decision he deserved that night then I think he'd have gone on to bigger things! We all know he deserved the W that night! I think he'd have done great as WBC champion..

Ive actually read about how good Dean Francis was. Back in the late 90's/early 00's there were stories that Calzaghe didnt want to fight him incase Francis 'found himself'

Calzaghe beat Francis with ease in the Ams,so i doubt he would hav been botherd about him...

I know he beat him easily in the amateurs which is why i found all this a bit odd. But he had several chances to make voluntary defences against francis and didnt want him.

kamicazze wrote: I know he beat him easily in the amateurs which is why i found all this a bit odd. But he had several chances to make voluntary defences against francis and didnt want him.

Such as when? The only time where it looked viable was when Francis had beaten Starie, but otherwise Joe was on a completely different trajectory. Francis was quality, but the idea that Joe avoided him is not one that should be taken seriously.

Tommy Gunn13 wrote:Toks could talk a good fight,that was about it...

Hindsight's a wonderful thing, but at the time people thought he could go places - as evidenced by the fact most were picking him to beat Johnson.

While I don't think he'd ever have been a world champion, George Hillyard is more talented than his record shows.

if truth be told, george is a natural. he just dont have a brain & messes around.

Deserter wrote:

Tommy Gunn13 wrote:Toks could talk a good fight,that was about it...

Hindsight's a wonderful thing, but at the time people thought he could go places - as evidenced by the fact most were picking him to beat Johnson.

I was never really struck on him back then at all

Hamed & Rhodes & Dodson.

ed robinson wrote:So many it's heartbreaking! When Alan Temple beat Richie Edwards (RIP) in the ABA final I though he looked sensational. Then in his pro debut he got dropped by a kid who was making his debut who was something like 2-3 as an amateur! David Starie was an incredible amateur too - 3 ABA titles, beat Dean Francis, stopped Jason Matthews in 1, never improved enough as a pro. Benny May. Cham Joof. Danny Costello. Paul Miles, who stopped Richard Williams in the amateurs. Matthew Ellis. I agree about Adrian Dodson / Carew.

Paul Miles is a blast from the past, i remembering sparring with him at Foley when we were about 18, I thought he would do something, Neville Smith was down there too, another talented guy, has a few pro fights, all wins, I wonder what happened to him?