BoxRec

It's a worn-out old saying; "he was better than what his record suggests" but ultimately we rate fighters based on their performances and more critically, their results.

This old adage is undeniably used too often, but which fighters really and truly were better boxers than what their professional record says about them.

I'll start of the conversation by suggesting Jersey Joe Walcott.

He had very credible wins over a collection of top Heavyweight contenders and was perhaps very unfortunate that he had guys like Joe Louis, Ezzard Charles & (later) Rocky Marciano competing in the same weight division as him. On another era, he could've been the undisputed number one and had a more significant title reign.

I think that it's also been recognized these days that Walcott had been badly managed in his younger days.

watching this man last night on youtube as it happens.....first man to beat Guty Espadas Jr, beat Junior Jones when he was between titles, and he was the first man to floor Juan Manuel Marquez...

won 24...lost 42...

http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_ ... &cat=boxer

Freddie Pendleton ('84 - '96)

Some that come to mind right off for me are Anton Raadik, Bud Smith and Bobby Zander. Although I'm sure there are many many more.

Octavio "Famoso" Gomez

http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_ ... &cat=boxer

This guy had 19 losses, but fought the likes of Eder Jofre, Ruben Olivares and Beat Danny Lopez.


I saw him the night he beat Lopez. He had real talent....but few have heard of him.

Mike Weaver

Joe Frazier was way better than this record:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpwiiqe2830

Johnny Nelson.

Syntax Error wrote:Johnny Nelson.

Nelson? There's an argument to say that he overachieved if anything... Johnny would be an example of a guy making the most out of his talent, a dominant World Champion, numerous defenses... Can't say that he belongs in this thread.

I can't help feeling Darnell Boone is better than the losses on his record.

Glen Johnson has about 20 losses. Dennis Andries 14.

George Dixon has 30 losses and 50 draws!

Holman Williams, 30 losses.

Fritzie Zivic.

I can think of Steve Robinson, Kelvin Seabrooks, Ralph 'Tiger' Jones and the king of them all, who was about 75-75 win-loss, Teddy 'Red Top' Davis. He beat Paddy DeMarco, Georgie Araujo, Percy Bassett, 'Chillin' Charley Riley and Paul Jorgensen and went 15 rounds with Saddler for the featherweight title.

orbtastic wrote:I can't help feeling Darnell Boone is better than the losses on his record.

Glen Johnson has about 20 losses. Dennis Andries 14.

George Dixon has 30 losses and 50 draws!

Holman Williams, 30 losses.

Just was about to post Boone

Obvious pick: Emanuel Augustus

Crease wrote:

Syntax Error wrote:Johnny Nelson.

Nelson? There's an argument to say that he overachieved if anything... Johnny would be an example of a guy making the most out of his talent, a dominant World Champion, numerous defenses... Can't say that he belongs in this thread.

Yes, I suppose you're right.

I was looking at it more from the aspect that he had so many losses, but he certainly redeemed himself later in his career.

In the 70s there was a group of afro-Caribbean boxers in the UK who were all better than the records suggest -Henry Rhiney, Pat Thomas, Trevor Francis, Bunny Johnson, Bunny Sterling-most of them could give anyone a scrap and had to do it without a large fan base and often in the other guys back yard.

I feel like you really have to divide this convo into pre-1960 and post-1960. The earlier era is full of guys with 10-20 losses who beat Hall of Famers, which happens when guys fight so much more often. I actually think the more interesting convo is in the later era. Which guys had records that don't look that good but who were actually skilled, dangerous fighters?

A few I can think of: Bernard Taylor, Roy Tiger Williams, Orlin Norris, Howard Eastman, Fres Oquendo

Seamus wrote:Fritzie Zivic.

First one to jump to my mind as well.

wouter wrote:Joe Frazier was way better than this record:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpwiiqe2830

I've seldom laughed this hard. I shared a stage with Joe in Hampton Va......and yes....he was much better than his "record/s" lol

http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?cat=bo ... _id=107478

peter mcdonagh

Chris Saunders
Orlando Salido
Emanuel Augustus
Harold Brazier
Rolando Bohol
Kenny Vice
Johnny Greaves
Robert Harper
Peter Gabbitus
Terrence Alli

Ross Purrity

leo lomski

Bob Stallings
Jimmy Young
Marcos Geraldo
Bigfoot Martin