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Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 09:33
by manno
Controversial wrote:I would've like to see how Rod Douglas's career would've panned out. Chucked in with Bomber Graham too quickly after only 12 fights and it ended his career.
Sterling amateur, LA Olympics, commonwealth gold, 3 abas? Loved watching him, don't know if he'd have gone past domestic class but would have been an entertaining career v melfah,a young benn, Kaylor and the like

Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 09:36
by mickey1975
Controversial wrote:I would've like to see how Rod Douglas's career would've panned out. Chucked in with Bomber Graham too quickly after only 12 fights and it ended his career.
Mickey Duff threw them in on the early 90's.
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 09:38
by palooka
It makes me laugh when people say that Herol Graham couldn't punch
![[icon_witsend.gif] :witzend:](./images/smilies/icon_witsend.gif)
he did a real number on Rod who was a ferocious figure.
I thought Peter Richardson would have done really well, Darren McCarrick as well - he was a very good, fierce fighter.
My hero - the late Shaun Gray who won 7 national titles as a junior - he won 3 finals in 1991 in a total of 184 seconds - knocked them all out in a minute each. If he'd have wanted to go pro he'd have been awesome
![[icon_notworthy.gif] :bow:](./images/smilies/icon_notworthy.gif)
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 09:53
by manno
palooka wrote:It makes me laugh when people say that Herol Graham couldn't punch
![[icon_witsend.gif] :witzend:](./images/smilies/icon_witsend.gif)
he did a real number on Rod who was a ferocious figure.
I thought Peter Richardson would have done really well, Darren McCarrick as well - he was a very good, fierce fighter.
My hero - the late Shaun Gray who won 7 national titles as a junior - he won 3 finals in 1991 in a total of 184 seconds - knocked them all out in a minute each. If he'd have wanted to go pro he'd have been awesome
![[icon_notworthy.gif] :bow:](./images/smilies/icon_notworthy.gif)
Was he west ham? Ay up palooka do you remember Peter Gabbitus?
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 09:56
by palooka
manno wrote:palooka wrote:It makes me laugh when people say that Herol Graham couldn't punch
![[icon_witsend.gif] :witzend:](./images/smilies/icon_witsend.gif)
he did a real number on Rod who was a ferocious figure.
I thought Peter Richardson would have done really well, Darren McCarrick as well - he was a very good, fierce fighter.
My hero - the late Shaun Gray who won 7 national titles as a junior - he won 3 finals in 1991 in a total of 184 seconds - knocked them all out in a minute each. If he'd have wanted to go pro he'd have been awesome
![[icon_notworthy.gif] :bow:](./images/smilies/icon_notworthy.gif)
Was he west ham? Ay up palooka do you remember Peter Gabbitus?
Shaun was West Ham - he was from Canning Town, his older brother was very good as well but Shaun was brilliant
I do remember Peter - I used to train with him at The Prince Of Wales in Balby, Doncaster. He was a fantastic boxer - very well balanced and lovely economy of punch. I think Peter could have done more but I don't think he was really boxing regularly enough to build any real momentum and training with no bout in sight can get a bit wearing.
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 10:05
by Wake up call
John Fewkes without a doubt.
Supremely talented kid, but lost his battle against the scales.
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 10:19
by Controversial
manno wrote:Controversial wrote:I would've like to see how Rod Douglas's career would've panned out. Chucked in with Bomber Graham too quickly after only 12 fights and it ended his career.
Sterling amateur, LA Olympics, commonwealth gold, 3 abas? Loved watching him, don't know if he'd have gone past domestic class but would have been an entertaining career v melfah,
a young benn, Kaylor and the like

Didn't he beat Benn in the amateurs?
Just found this of Douglas and Eubank sparring if anyone interested
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piROD_Phrwk
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 10:21
by palooka
Benn and Douglas split 2 bouts - one win a piece. I think Douglas was the first man to beat Benn and he bashed him pretty good. Nigel put an advert in Boxing news challenging Rod to a bout anywhere on any show.
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 10:25
by manno
palooka wrote:Benn and Douglas split bouts - one win a piece. I think Douglas was the first man to beat Benn and he bashed him pretty good. Nigel put an advert in Boxing news challenging Rod to a bout anywhere on any show.
I remember that, I think benn beat him then got overlooked for the commonwealths in place of Douglas.
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 10:25
by manno
palooka wrote:Benn and Douglas split bouts - one win a piece. I think Douglas was the first man to beat Benn and he bashed him pretty good. Nigel put an advert in Boxing news challenging Rod to a bout anywhere on any show.
I remember that, I think benn beat him then got overlooked for the commonwealths in place of Douglas.
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 11:07
by bennie
Douglas outboxed an aggressive Jeff Harding in a cracking middleweight final at the Commonwealth Games; Harding, unsportingly, stormed from the ring at the verdict.
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 11:11
by Cholo_cws
bigjack wrote:keithmoonhangover wrote:I think British fight fans can overrate Herol Graham. He was a superb boxer, but he was never going to be a world champion if he couldn't beat Sumbu Kalambay.
Why not,Kalambay turned out to be a very good champion,and not beating him was no disgrace,look who Graham fought after that,3 champions and almost beat them all.Against McCallum,he was a point away from a draw if i remember right,and that was because he threw Mike over,then he was outboxing and outpunching one of the biggest punchers in history,after that he was old and past it against Brewer,but was still ahead.
Also, there's a big difference between challenging Doug DeWitt and facing Mike McCallum to win yourself a 'world' title.
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 11:15
by stevedoc
i think wayne alexander should of done better he never lost his british or european titles in the ring .an amazing banger
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 11:21
by Sklar
Michael Gomez had talent to burn and everybody knows about his heart. Having seen a lot of him in the gyms and - equally importantly - on the town, he could've done much, much more.
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 13:04
by curtis wood
John feelers had everything needed to be world champion, EVERYTHING, people will come back and say he lacked power, not true, I've sparred many a round with him and he's not a banger but hits decent, the one talent John Fewkes didn't have was discipline and that is a skill and a talent, to get up and train when you can't be bothered, to eat the boring things and make the sacrifices, these are what I call the un sexy talents, forget looking great on the pads and bags, having the talent to do the hard miles, this is no way a pop at john he's a top lad but he is the one fighter that came straight into my head when I saw this thread
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 13:05
by curtis wood
Fewkes
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 13:25
by stujones
David Starie and Dean Francis.
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 13:30
by Bleak
I heard joe gallagher talking about a certain Mario Culpepper?
Any info on him?
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 13:32
by 187
Dean Pithie maybe
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 13:32
by stevedoc
an obvious one for me is kirkland laing had great win over duran but never kicked on afterwards .
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 13:36
by stujones
And my standard answer for this question..... Spencer Oliver.
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 14:01
by Old bones Ian
The difference here between Douglas and the others, was he didn't fulfill his potential because of injury.
The loss to Herol Graham should of been a learning experience, Benn, Watson, Sibson all lost on the way up and learnt from it.
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 14:09
by palooka
Bleak wrote:I heard joe gallagher talking about a certain Mario Culpepper?
Any info on him?
Culpepper got to the ABA semifinals (lightweight) in 1989 and lost on points to Jason Matthews I think I remember. He was a good boxer with a few stoppage wins on the way through the regions. He was a long limbed kid and fast with it.
Mario boxed pro:
http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_ ... &cat=boxer
I think he got involved in the gang scene in Manchester, hope he's doing alright now.
I imagined Gareth Lawrence would have done more - he was another fantastic amateur and very powerful.
Does Ross Hale count? I know he did well but I thought he'd do really well - European Title at least.
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 14:50
by orbtastic
Jeez, Matthews made lightweight? He must have been about 15?
Re: Fighters who should have made it...but didnt
Posted: 29 May 2014, 14:55
by palooka
orbtastic wrote:Jeez, Matthews made lightweight? He must have been about 15?

No, not that Jason Matthews - this Jason was a welshman and a busy, fit and hard fighter.