BoxRec

who do you think wasted their very obvious talents? who looked like he could be a real world beater or at least an undoubted contender but didnt or couldnt use the gifts god had kindly provided?

There are so many variations on this, depends on what you mean by wasted. There are fighters who were tipped for glory but had glass chins (Errol Christie), were great fighters but could never win a title (Herol Graham), one was referred to as the worlds greatest gym fighter but couldn't recreate it in a real fight (Elijah Tillery) or fighters who could have been champs and cocked it up for themselves (Tony Ayala Jr or Ike Ibeabuchi).

Obviously plenty more examples than those above, Mitch Green, Tyrell Biggs, Kirkland Laing, Michael Dokes had the skills to do better than they did.

Bernard Mays (Emmanuel Steward called him the most talented Kronk fighter ever). Riddick Bowe although champ didn't really fulfil his potential. The list is pretty endless.

Why did Mays retire? I know he died recently.

BarryWashington wrote:oliver mccall

Oliver was missing a few tools.:)
Seriously, he did use them against Lennox the first time.

as i'm interested in how the fighters mind works my focus is on the lazy or the strangely hesitant or the guy who loses concentration. the psychologically fragile fighter (we all know too well oliver mccauls mental fragility)..this where i'm coming from.

Golota.

thats a good one
just imagine if he'd had a killer instinct

Rover wrote:Why did Mays retire? I know he died recently.

I think it was due to alcohol but I don't remember exactly.

I think Max Baer could have been more than he was, though a lot of that is probably due to the trauma of killing with his fists I still think if he would have had the dedication of a Marciano he could have been a top 10 AT Heavy.

slightly off post, floyd patterson was a very psychologically complex man and fighter - worrisome and doubtful - marciano had none of those complexities.

audley harrison had the tools but look at his pityful career
joe bugner looked a million bucks getting into the ring but when the bell rang....

misterpunch wrote: joe bugner looked a million bucks getting into the ring but when the bell rang....

Bugner another good call, I read somewhere after Regis died after fighting him Bugner started to hold back on his punches and he lost the killer instinct (pardon the pun). But he was tall, good reach, good chin, fast hands and decent skills.

misterpunch wrote:thats a good one
just imagine if he'd had a killer instinct

Or sanity.

I agree with Mistertools. Audley Harrison had potentially all the ingredients to have been a World Champ standing at 6ft 5 and 18 stone and being a Southpaw which is a rareity in the Heavyweight divison with quick hands and strong right jab he would have been a terrific heavyweight it just never seem totally click with him, which is why there was always alot of frustration with him here in the UK. I don't think fight fans hated him, we were just frustrated with him that he could not deliver on all this potential.

Joe Bugner and Kirkland Laing were both terrible wastes of talent

ta langmaid

not sure he had all the tools but it would of been interesting to see how good cooney could of been if he had stay free of addictions

What about Benitez ? Had he taken some his fights more seriously he could be Atg?

Rover wrote:Golota.

Golota had the tools but unfortunately he also was a tool.

scallum wrote:What about Benitez ? Had he taken some his fights more seriously he could be Atg?

He is an ATG.

hhaehre wrote:

Rover wrote:Golota.

Golota had the tools but unfortunately he also was a tool.

SaadOffTheDeck wrote:

scallum wrote:What about Benitez ? Had he taken some his fights more seriously he could be Atg?

He is an ATG.

Judah

Had a successful career but never lived up to the talent that he possessed.

good call

Ojay Abrahams.

Judah borders on an over achiever. He is truly one of the more consistent fighters of his generation. People just never lowered expectations that he wasn't capable of meeting.

SaadOffTheDeck wrote:Judah borders on an over achiever. He is truly one of the more consistent fighters of his generation. People just never lowered expectations that he wasn't capable of meeting.

Kellerman definitely overhyped him on ESPN in the early 200s.