boxers with potentiel but carreer ended too early

Baby Face Finster · Post by **Baby Face Finster** » 03 Feb 2008, 19:32

Les Darcy was the first name that came to mind along with Stanley Ketchel. Though Ketchel had already cemented his legacy when died at the age of 24 there was still so much more he could have accomplished if not for his untimely death.

Brute · Post by **Brute** » 03 Feb 2008, 23:33

Cliff Sarmardin was an Australian Aboriginal super feather who won 24 straight (including Lovemore Ndou) with 14 KOs between 1991 and 1995. He got fed up with his management and poor purses and chucked it in.

bollox · Post by **bollox** » 04 Feb 2008, 00:46

Brute wrote:Cliff Sarmardin was an Australian Aboriginal super feather who won 24 straight (including Lovemore Ndou) with 14 KOs between 1991 and 1995. He got fed up with his management and poor purses and chucked it in.

Another name to add here (mid 80's) was Shane Knox

mcriss · Post by **mcriss** » 04 Feb 2008, 01:55

gerald mcclellan....he had one punch kayo power in both hands & destoyed jullian jackson twice.he was on his way to a super fight with roy jones,but got injured in the benn fight.he had a punchers chance against roy,but i think a vintage roy out classes him in 12,or stops him late....but G-Man was a scary ass puncher.

squiggy · Post by **squiggy** » 04 Feb 2008, 03:48

Yeah, I don't think you can use Lewis-Tua to say anything about what Ibeabuchi might've done against Lewis, or gone on to do generally. He outslugged young Tua and I love his knockout of Byrd.

granberry · Post by **granberry** » 04 Feb 2008, 06:09

Baby Face Finster wrote:Les Darcy was the first name that came to mind along with Stanley Ketchel. Though Ketchel had already cemented his legacy when died at the age of 24 there was still so much more he could have accomplished if not for his untimely death.

Les Darcy had more than 'potential.'

He was one of the best middleweights I have ever seen.

Luckily there are films of Darcy against top level opponents.

p4p1 · Post by **p4p1** » 04 Feb 2008, 19:19

granberry wrote:
Baby Face Finster wrote:Les Darcy was the first name that came to mind along with Stanley Ketchel. Though Ketchel had already cemented his legacy when died at the age of 24 there was still so much more he could have accomplished if not for his untimely death.
Les Darcy had more than 'potential.'

He was one of the best middleweights I have ever seen.

Luckily there are films of Darcy against top level opponents.

for once i agree with u

yancey · Post by **yancey** » 07 Feb 2008, 22:11

Gypsy Joe Harris

Goodnight, Irene · Post by **Goodnight, Irene** » 07 Feb 2008, 22:42

Charlie "Russian Pride" Zelenoff. A fantastic Welterweight. This is a sad story I don't think I could go into without losing it. Very sad how politics & genetics can stand in the way of a great fighter

enrique · Post by **enrique** » 08 Feb 2008, 12:24

Johnny Persol comes to mind.

He was something like 85-0 as an amateur but as a pro by his tenth fight he was fighting Allen Thomas who was a contender. He fought some real tough nuts in his next 20 or so fights - guys like Eddie Cotton and Amos Lincoln- and never scored a title.

JDC · Post by **JDC** » 10 Feb 2008, 21:21

BobbyDobbs wrote:Ike Ibeabuchi

Sentencing under review currently. Parole board met recently with a decision delayed.

http://www.doc.nv.gov/notis/detail.php? ... r_id=65376

Anyone know anything more about this?

ebeneezer · Post by **ebeneezer** » 11 Feb 2008, 12:30

Gerry Cooney

joe kurtz · Post by **joe kurtz** » 11 Feb 2008, 13:45

Diamond WEAPON wrote:
billythekid wrote:
BobbyDobbs wrote:Ike Ibeabuchi
Oh no not that name!! This will spark many Ike threads.
You DO know that Ibeabuchi would be the Undisputed Heavyweight Champ if he hadn't gotten locked up right?

Salvador Sanchez is one of the most obvious one's for this, even though his career was cut very short he accomplished a helluva lot before he died.

Now, while I realize that calling Salvador Sanchez's accomplishments & reputation into any sort of question is deemed by most as damn near blasphemous in nature, I feel compelled to mention a few points of opinion here.

My intent isn't to disparage the man's skills or his fine record however, they were, indeed, excellent. But, I do have issues with those who remember him as being some sort of an unbeatable fighting machine & who proclaim that had he not tragically died so young in '82 that he'd have gone on to collect further titles in multiple weight classes. Many of whom, seem to just assume that he'd have breezed by VERY formidable opposition like Eusebio Pedroza & Alexis Arguello.

Things that I DEFINITELY can not agree with.

Sanchez was a magnificently skilled, technical boxer with outstanding conditioning, but it seems to me that most people these days only recall his two TKOs over Danny Lopez & the pinnacle achievement of his carreer, the KO over Wilfredo Gomez, while rather conveniently forgetting his struggles against the likes of Patrick Ford ( a fight that I thought Sanchez actually lost via two points on my scorecard ), Reuben Castillo & Pat Cowdell. All of them close decisions that could have gone either way.

But, those close ones aren't so much an issue with me as are the thoughts often expressed that he'd surely have beaten Pedroza in a unification match & then likely gone on to defeat Arguello as well. I personally don't see either one having happened.

Back at that time, I believe that in a neutral setting with unbiased officials scoring, that Pedroza would've outpointed Sanchez. I think it would have been a very tight, cerebral match up over 15 rounds, but that Pedroza had the skills & even more importantly, the style to frustrate & outbox the great Mexican.

As for Arguello, I just don't see Sanchez having the power necessary down the stretch to keep The Explosive Thin Man off of him in the later rounds. Therefore, I see Arguello either catching up & overtaking Sanchez's point lead for a close W15 or dropping/stopping him late, depending how well Salvador's chin held up at '35.

OK. I've said my piece. I'll sit back now & see what might come back at me as a result of it.

Peace.

pringle · Post by **pringle** » 11 Feb 2008, 16:50

Stacy Goodson

Ambling Alp · Post by **Ambling Alp** » 11 Feb 2008, 16:59

Well, you did give me something to chew on.
I thought Sanchez deserved the decisions in those fights and don't remember people disagreeing with any of the verdicts. That being said, I haven't seen ant of the fights since they happened and would like to see them again and see how I would now score them.

I don't think Sanchez would have actaully ever fought Arguello. Arguello was already a Jr Welterweight by the time Sanchez died. If you are asking what would happen if they were both in their prime at featherweight; I think it would have been a great fight and very competitive.

Like most people, I always thought that Sanchez was both a better fighter than Pedroza and would have beaten him. However, the gap may have been closer than most people think. Sanchez was the more exciting fighter and sometimes we overrate the exciting fighters and underrate the boring fighters.

The other factor to consider is the possiblitity that Sanchez may have improved had he not died. He was only 23. It's possible that he may have gotten even better.

dr_devious · Post by **dr_devious** » 11 Feb 2008, 17:29

Spencer Oliver and Michael Watson were 2 very promising British fighters who were cut down early with serious injuries sustained in fights. Both would have gone on to win world titles imo

granberry · Post by **granberry** » 12 Feb 2008, 12:40

Terry D wrote:
Lewis loved beating mentally deficient heavies.

Lewis loved getting knocked out by mediocre heavweights.

Lewis loved demonstrating his GLASS CHIN.

.

dr_devious · Post by **dr_devious** » 12 Feb 2008, 17:59

Lewis also beat everyone he fought

Robinson · Post by **Robinson** » 12 Feb 2008, 20:02

Les Darcy looked so dynamic and aggressive which is why I suppose like alot of lighter guys back then he could punch above his weight so well.

Darcy has a real folklore mythic quality around here down Under.

His name is still ushered with respect from casual fans and the older generation quite abit. Sadly alot of people my age and younger really do not know who he was or anything of his story.
Which is sad when you consider how many documentaries and biographies there are about the place on him.

Seamus · Post by **Seamus** » 13 Feb 2008, 22:37

Freddie Steele. 122-2-11 at age 25. Then that freak breast bone injury against Fred Apostoli and he goes 3-3 to end his career.

granberry · Post by **granberry** » 14 Feb 2008, 01:07

Terry D wrote:
granberry wrote:
Terry D wrote:
Lewis loved beating mentally deficient heavies.
Lewis loved getting knocked out by mediocre heavweights.

Lewis loved demonstrating his GLASS CHIN.

.
Lewis got KO'd twice. Eviddence of a glass chin? Ok on those terms the other 30+ times he fought he did not get KO'd. Evidence of a non-glass chin. So maybe not quite glass.

For example you might post two posts of insightful information, then post 49 posts where you are a prick. Are you a prick? Or insightful? The evidence suggests one and not the other. Same goes with Lewis.

Lewis had a glass chin.

Mentioning that obvious fact makes poor Terry hysterical and he resorts to juvenile "attacks".

Lewis had a GLASS CHIN.

.

granberry · Post by **granberry** » 14 Feb 2008, 01:13

Seamus wrote:Freddie Steele. 122-2-11 at age 25. Then that freak breast bone injury against Fred Apostoli and he goes 3-3 to end his career.

I saw Freddie Steele against a young Gus Lesnevich and he (Steele) looked like a killer who would be champion for a long time.

Seamus · Post by **Seamus** » 14 Feb 2008, 10:02

What really impresses me about Steele, is that in his prime he stopped Ken Overlin in 4 rds, Vince Dundee in 3, and put iron jawed Gorilla Jones on the canvas.

dempseyfire · Post by **dempseyfire** » 14 Feb 2008, 10:31

You know, I'm definetely one of the lot which feels Ibeabuchi has gotten extremely over-rated over time. However, re-watching Lewis-Tua, Ike would have been a much more forminable opponent than the Fatuaman was that night. Both Lewis and Tua put on an awful display . . Lennox never stepped up to 3rd gear which is what the great champions do against such technically limited opponents, and Lewis was content to pot-shot all night. But the wide majority of the blame lies with Tua, who disgraced the sport and himself going into such an important fight so fat and lifeless.

Ike would have brought a mixture of technical ability, power, and notably, stamina which would have given Lennox tons of problems, and I believe Ibeabuchi would've edged the Englishman in the later rounds.

Although not championship material, it would have been nice to see how Ed Sanders and Dujuan Johnson would've fared past their early 20s, at least as fringe contenders (or possibly more)

granberry · Post by **granberry** » 14 Feb 2008, 10:49

Seamus wrote:What really impresses me about Steele, is that in his prime he stopped Ken Overlin in 4 rds, Vince Dundee in 3, and put iron jawed Gorilla Jones on the canvas.

What was this breastbone injury?